Spencer looked at Holden. “It’s your call, Holden.”
Holden met her brother’s gaze for a long stretch. It was impossible to tell his thoughts as his stone expression was back in place. She was once again facing Agent St. Clair instead of the Holden she knew and had come to care deeply for.
What?
Before she could analyze her thoughts, Spencer was pacing the room, shaking his head.
“Gosh dang it, Bella. You never, ever, can agree to do what’s easiest for you! This isn’t a race through the desert, though, or deciding on whether to double up on your majors.” Spencer referenced her decision to major in both journalism and environmental science in college. All while working as a barista to keep her student loans to a minimum. Her brothers had been in school at the same time, of course, and had watched her work herself into a bout of exhaustion that had taken the first six months after graduation to get over. But she’d landed her degree and the job at the Gabber within a month of each other. It didn’t feel like five years of work at the Gabber, though. It’d passed so quickly, because she really did love her job. But she’d enjoy writing more hardboiled reports even more.
“Don’t throw it on me, Spencer, I’m not the killer!”
“We’re down to the wire, folks.” Holden looked at her. Did her brothers feel the connection between them? “You’re not going to quit, so I say we do all we can to catch the killer before he does any further harm.” He stood. “I’d rather you left the pageant, too, frankly. But you’ve already refused to, twice, and I have to catch this bastard.”
“Tell me again—when did he strike the last two times?” Jarvis was clearly at a disadvantage, not being in law enforcement.
“Within the last few days leading up to the start of the pageant.”
“Where we are now.” Bella finished Jarvis’s thoughts for him, wanting her brothers to accept her decision to stay. She needed them to leave, leave her alone. She had a pageant to prepare for, and Gabber work to catch up on. “I’m not going to lie to either of you. I’m scared. Of course I am. But it’s not like I haven’t been before, when I’ve been working on investigative pieces.”
“I thought Gio’s report was the first one you were going for?” Spencer challenged her.
She let out a sigh to give herself time. But there was no way around admitting her career failures. Except this time it was in front of Holden.
“I’ve tried to get information on a lot of different subjects. I want to move to the next place in my reporting, in my career. The Mustang Valley Gabber’s been great, and it’s certainly paid my bills for the last several years. But I’ve been doing investigative work, writing up draft reports, for the past year.”
“So why didn’t those articles get published already?” Jarvis stood, ran his hand over his head. “Do you really need this particular story, sis?”
“The other stories haven’t published because I wasn’t able to get relevant information. And at the rate this investigative piece is going for me, my exposé for Gio’s sake won’t publish, either. I’m at a stalemate until I find the pageant’s archival records to verify which pageants each committee member served on, and if there are any indications that Ms. Mustang Valley really did cause Gio’s illness.” But even as she voiced her needs, she already knew the answer. There was no way one pageant, one event, could cause the kind of illnesses Gio suffered from. Not singlehandedly. And she’d learned a lot working in this pageant, enough to know that the majority of pageants as well as contestants were in it for the right reasons. Scholarship, community, empowerment. Still, for Gio’s and her reporter credentials’ sake, she had to close the loop. “Gio told me they were in a file cabinet in the staff room but I was attacked before I was able to look inside. When I returned, the drawers were all empty.”
Jarvis let out a low whistle. “Is this worth your life, sis?”
“It’s not about me. It’s about Gio.” And all the women who’d ever competed in a pageant, but especially the alumnae of Ms. Mustang Valley.
“You’ll be able to write about the killer, once the case is closed.” Holden turned to her brothers. “If Bella’s not willing to quit, then at least she should have something for her sacrifice.”
Bella was stunned by Holden’s words. Sure, she could write about the serial killer investigation, and it would prove a promotion-worthy article. But he’d never admitted it to her, never gave her a clue he’d be willing to bend his FBI rules to allow her inside information that she’d be free to report on.
“I’d have to be careful, to protect the court case.”
“Which I’m certain you will. You’re a professional.” Holden didn’t hold back in front of her brothers. Not one bit. He close
d the gap between them. “I completely trust you, Bella. I need you to trust me. It’s the only way I can promise to keep you alive.”
Chapter 20
Holden’s gut twisted as he said the words, as Bella’s brilliant green eyes widened and the blush on her cheeks deepened. Holding her hands, facing her, he knew what he had to say next.
“I’ll protect you through every bit of this, Bella, as I have so far. But going forward, there probably aren’t going to be any more warning signs or incidents perpetrated by the killer to throw us off his trail. The next move will be to take you out.”
She nodded. “I know that. And I do, Holden. I trust you.” She squeezed his hands and he squeezed back.
To their credit, neither Colton brother groaned or made a rude comment. Which appeared to move her more than the prospect of facing her attacker again.
Everyone knew this was a matter of Bella’s life or death.
“This isn’t a crackpot criminal, Bella. You’re dealing with an evil we don’t usually find in Mustang Valley.” Spencer stood and looked at Holden. “I trust you with my life, buddy, and know I’m trusting you with Bella’s.”
Jarvis didn’t say anything and Holden didn’t blame him.