Say Goodbye (Romantic Suspense #25) by Karen Rose

            “Yes.”

            DJ rolled his eyes and stared the engine.

            “Brother Joshua knows something isn’t right,” Coleen offered. “I caught him trying to get into the clinic a month ago, on the night you came back wounded.”

            So that was interesting. “What was he trying to find in the clinic? Drugs?”

            “Maybe. Maybe he knows about the computer.” She hesitated. “I think Amos knew. I think he saw it. It was a few days before he took Abigail and ran.”

            DJ whipped his head around to stare at her. “Why didn’t you mention it?”

            “I . . .” She exhaled. “I don’t know. I don’t think I really suspected it until he was gone. And then everything went crazy. You got shot, we moved to the caves . . . And by then it didn’t matter anymore. Amos was gone.”

            “Who else knows about the computer?”

            “Nobody. At least nobody I know of. I figured if you were going back to Eden, you needed to know that Joshua might not be as surprised as you expect.”

            “Thank you, Sister Coleen,” DJ said, and meant it. He didn’t sincerely thank people often, but Coleen was watching his back.

            She folded her hands in her lap. “Can we go to Carl’s Jr.? I’ve missed their food.”

            DJ chuckled. “That’s what you’ve missed?”

            “Mmm. Yes.”

            She’d scratched his back, he could return the favor. “Sure. I’ll find one and take you there.”

            And then he’d find Mercy Callahan.




ROCKLIN, CALIFORNIA

            THURSDAY, MAY 25, 8:30 A.M.

            Tom blinked, trying to figure out where the pinging was coming from. When it registered, he sat bolt upright in bed, grabbing his phone. Something was happening with the Eden account. Racing from his bedroom to his office, he checked the account and gasped.

            Two hundred fifty thousand dollars this time. Payable to Sunnyside Oaks Convalescence and Rehabilitation Center.

            Bingo. He dialed Raeburn, wincing at the time. He was officially late to work already.

            “Hunter,” Raeburn answered, forgoing any greeting. “Why are you late?”

            Because I was up all night worrying about my best friend who appears to be in love with me, you asshole. “I was able to get into the rehab center and was running scans on their patient database most of the night.” Also true. “I’ll be in ASAP. In the meantime, you should know that there was another wire transfer from the Eden account. This time to the rehab center itself.”

            “How much?” Raeburn sounded less annoyed, at least.

            “Two fifty.”

            Raeburn whistled quietly. “A hefty chunk of change. You get ID on the Eden leader who’ll be there?”

            “No, not yet.” He opened a window into the database and saw nothing new. “They haven’t checked him in yet, whoever it is. I’ve added an alert, so I’ll know when they update.”

            “Sounds good. You’ll be here soon, yes?”

            Tom swallowed his sigh. “Of course.”

            He ended the call and leaned back in his chair, trying to organize the things he needed to do that day. Get dressed. Make sure Liza stays the fuck at home. Go to work. Warn Rafe to keep Mercy close. Not that the final item was really necessary, because Rafe wasn’t about to let Mercy out of his sight after yesterday.

            Oh, and he needed to tell Molina the latest as well. Somewhere in there he needed to get some food, because his stomach was growling loudly.

            Showered and shaved, he felt more human. And then he tripped over Pebbles, who lay across the bathroom doorway, waiting for him to emerge.

            “What are you doing here?” he asked her, scratching her ears. She leaned into him and he sighed because he’d have short dog hairs all over his clean suit. At least he had a sticky roller in his desk drawer at work. Courtesy of Liza.