No in Between (Inside Out #4)(53)

“Why would they do that? Don’t they want to get her out of jail sooner?”

“Speculation is they’re waiting on a witness that didn’t show up.”

“What witness?”

“It doesn’t matter. I took care of it.”

“What does that mean, Chris?” He just stares at me, and it’s making me crazy. “It’s about me, isn’t it? Just tell me. I’m not a delicate—”

“Flower. I know.” He inhales and lets it out. “There were phone exchanges between Ava’s counsel and Michael.”

I laugh without humor and I think it sounds a little crazy. I feel a little crazy right now. “David was right. Ava’s people are all about character assassination.” My eyes burn.

Chris’s fingers slide under my chin. “I took care of it. I called your father.”

“My father.” My tone is flat, my emotions wild, but at least the threatening tears have dried up. “I’m sure that was a real success. What did Daddy dearest say?”

“He fired Michael, who’s now working for a competitor.”

I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone of Hell. “So my father has no control over him now. Not that I thought he would do anything to help anyway.”

“Yes, he does. He put a loophole in Michael’s exit contract linked to residual income for just this reason. He says the fine print will handle this swiftly and effectively.”

“Of course it will. Why would I doubt him? If his daughter looks bad, he looks bad. I guess there’s a bright side to having an egomaniac for a father.”

“What’s important is it’s handled. I found out about this yesterday and took action, and we wake up to the bomb threat today. Michael had to have backed out, and Ava’s team is buying time to get him back on board.”

“You knew yesterday and you didn’t tell me?”

“I was going to tell you, but—”

“You were afraid I’d freak out. Which was what I was afraid would happen if I told you about my panic attacks.” I sigh. “Is Michael in town?”

“Sara. I didn’t think you were going to freak out.”

“You can’t tell me you aren’t worried about when I’ll have another attack.”

“I’m not. But if you do, I’ll be here to hold you up.”

“I don’t want you to have to hold me up.”

“That’s what we do, baby. We support each other. We made that decision when we decided to get married. For better or worse. End of subject. Okay?”

I nod, and damn it, my eyes are burning. “Okay.”

“Good. And yes, Michael is in town, and in a few hours we won’t be. The sooner we leave for Sonoma, the happier I’ll be.”

“He’s going to go into that courtroom and lie about me. God. He’s such an *. I have to be at the hearing.”

“Forget it. They don’t want you there and I don’t want you there.”

“I need to defend myself.”

“Your father assures me Michael won’t be there. And even if he was, the DA would defend you as their primary witness.”

“So far I’ve been attacked on all fronts. Did my father say anything about me nearly being killed? No. Don’t answer that. I know I won’t like the answer.”

He rests his forehead on mine and says nothing, his silence the bitter confirmation I expect. My father didn’t care about my safety. He cared about his reputation.

I can’t think about this now, and I look at Chris. “I assume Blake has men watching Michael?”

“Yes. If he heads to the courthouse, we’ll know. Any word on Amanda?”

“Nothing. I’ve tried to reach her and so has Ralph. I have a bad feeling about her, Chris.”

“It’s easy to have a bad feeling when you’re in the middle of a murder investigation. If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll have one of the security guys run by her house.”

“I think I should go. She knows me, and she’ll be freaked out by a stranger showing up at her door.”

“No, baby. I know doing something, anything, makes you feel more in control right now, but we have to think about Ricco and the press.”

“Ricco’s angry at Mark, not me.”

“Jealousy and vengeance make people do crazy things. We talked about this. So we aren’t underestimating Ricco. I’ll go check on Amanda. She knows me, and I can call you and put her on the line with you while I’m there.”

“I’ll just go with you.”

Chris shakes his head. “You stay and help Ralph get out of here. I want to pay Ryan a little visit after I check on Amanda, and I’m not taking you along for that ride.”

“Good. Just call me as soon as you get to her apartment.”

“Of course.” He runs his hand down my hair. “I don’t think you’ll see Mark today. My understanding is they called him in for last minute questioning this morning, but text me if he shows up.” His voice lowers, roughens, and he tugs me to my feet. “Just remember. You’re mine, baby, and I protect what’s mine. I won’t let anyone hurt you in any way.” He kisses my forehead and leaves.

? ? ?