The Safe Bet (Hidden Truths #1)(52)

“We have to keep in mind that your stalker may have nothing to do with your mom at all. This Nathan guy might be following you, but it may be sheer coincidence that he went to school with your mom.” He rubbed his hands together as if attempting to dispel the nervous energy that was hanging above everyone’s heads. “The detective on your mother’s case was adamant that it was a robbery gone wrong. I need you to understand that I might not be able to help in regards to her murder. My main focus is catching your stalker.”

“But if someone was following my mom, too . . .” Kate stared down at Nathan’s picture, desperate to confirm that he was the killer and the stalker. She wanted to get this over and done with. She wanted the man behind bars who murdered her mother, stealing her chance to know her—to feel her love.

“Your father told the police that, but the cops said there wasn’t any evidence of stalking. No notes, pictures, or anything like that. Remember, she wasn’t living in the times of social media and cell phones.”

“I think I need to sit down.”

“You are sitting.” Michael reached out and touched her arm, which was surprising.

“I’d like to go meet with Nathan and Erick soon.” Jake stood up.

“Well, Erick said he would be out of town this week.” Kate’s attention focused back on Nathan’s photo. Something inside her was screaming, “Murderer!”

“Connor and I can go interview Nathan today, and I’ll double-check to make sure Erick is actually out of town.”

“I’d like to go.” Kate was on her feet and feeling focused for the first time that afternoon.

“You’re not going,” Michael responded with a sharp voice. “Connor will stay here with you, instead. I’ll go.”

“Like hell!” She folded her arms and stared at him, defiance burning through her. There was no way she was going to stay behind. “I need to be there. I need to see this man for myself.”

“She might be able to help.” Jake peered at Michael.

“No.” Michael released the word so fast that she almost missed it.

“I’m going, whether you like it or not.” She exited the kitchen and made her way to the foyer. She grabbed her purse off the hall table and waited by the silver elevator doors.

“If I let you go, you don’t leave my side,” he warned upon approach.

Why did he insist on treating her like a child? Maybe she did need protection, and maybe she was scared, but he didn’t have to make her feel so damned weak. “Fine,” she bit out, hating herself for not fighting back at his use of the words ‘let you go.’

“Come on, then,” he said after an obvious sigh.

She slid into the back seat of the SUV a few minutes later and clamped her hands together on her lap as they drove. Her body tensed as Michael talked with ease to Jake and Connor as they drove to Nathan’s law firm. She hated the fact that he was different with them. More laid back.

His face didn’t strain with anger at the slightest provocation when he was talking with them.

The SUV rolled to a stop in front of a three-story brick building on the outskirts of town after a short drive. “This is it?” Kate shifted in her seat to gain a better view out the window, peering past Connor, who sat to her right. “I was expecting some shiny glass tower.”

Jake, who was riding shotgun, turned and looked back at her. “It might not look like much, but he’s a well-known attorney.”

Kate nodded and stepped out of Michael’s SUV. An uneasy anticipation grew inside her as she stared at the building. Her purse vibrated against her side, and she took a moment to glance at her phone, but she tucked it away when she saw who was calling. It was her father, for the twentieth time that day.

“You ready?” Jake asked, looking to Michael and Connor. They nodded back at him and followed him inside.

When they entered the lobby, they were greeted by a cute brunette, who was clearly doing her best not to stare in awe at the three gorgeous men standing before her. “Do you have an appointment?”

Jake held up his FBI badge. “We need to see Mr. Nathan Williams. It’s urgent.”

The woman nodded and reached for her phone. She mumbled a few words and motioned for them to follow her. She stopped outside a conference room. “Please, wait inside. Mr. Williams will be with you in a moment.”

Once the receptionist left, Kate sat down at the large, oval, glass-top table and stared at the dim shadow of her reflection. She wasn’t sure how she should react toward the man who might not only be her stalker but her mother’s killer.

“I won’t let anything happen to you.” Michael rested his hand on her shoulder before moving toward the window and pressing his palm to the glass. He had changed out of his suit after they came treacherously close to having sex earlier.

What had she been thinking? One minute they were talking about the redhead and the next—he was going down on her. Her legs tightened at the memory.

When Kate looked up and saw Nathan Williams open the door, her body tensed for a very different reason.

Nathan’s dark eyes locked onto Kate’s as he stopped in the middle of the doorway. The man shifted his black blazer away from his hips as his hands slid into his pockets. The pull of his brow, the pinched skin on his forehead—he looked nervous.