Page 43 of Lion’s Den

“Wrong. It’s now a crime scene.” Cam drew Sedona into his arms and hugged her. “I know you’re upset, but you have to let us do our jobs.”

She pushed against him to move him aside, to no avail. “You’re kidding, right? I can go into my own classroom.”

“Of course you can. After I’ve processed it.” David leaned against his desk, folding his arms across his chest. “Not one second before.”

Sedona planted her hands on her hips. “What about my students? I don’t want them to see my classroom torn apart either by the people who broke in or by the police.” She glared at David. “And before you get your feelings hurt again, I don’t want my students to assume the police messed up our room.”

His fierce expression softened. “We’ll explain. Look, I’m sorry, Sedona, but it’s not safe for you to go back to school until we know who sent those men after you.”

“Think about your students.” Cam tightened his arms around her. “You were right, you know. These guys are desperate for information, and they won’t think twice about using your students to get your cooperation. Allowing a substitute to fill in for you will protect those kids. If you’re at school, you’ll draw more kidnappers to you.”

She sighed. “Wow. Don’t be afraid to tell me how you really feel.”

“Hey, do you want me to be honest or to lie to you?”

“Be honest always. If you can’t tell me something because of security reasons, just tell me that rather than making something up.”

“Deal.” Without breaking eye contact with her, he said, “Need anything else from me, boss?”

“I need to know where you’ll be. If you’re wise, you won’t go too far afield. If you’re close, my brothers and I will respond in minutes. We’ll still respond if you’re out in the boonies, but the response time won’t be ideal. Might mean the difference between life and death.”

“Got any suggestions?” His boss had better not suggest they go to the Rocking M, the huge cattle operation he and his brothers ran on the side. Their wives and kids were on the property, too. No way would he take Sedona to a place with children. She would never agree to that.

“Are you bringing in your team, Cam?”

“Yes, sir. I need help, and there’s no one I trust more than my teammates.”

“All right.” David pushed away from his desk. “Give me a minute to check on something.”

While the sheriff had a low-voiced conversation with someone, Cam scanned Sedona’s face. “Are you okay?”

“Not really. Who could do this, Cam? Who wants to get to me so much that they’re willing to endanger innocent children?”

“I don’t know, but I promise you I will find out. That will be my team’s new mission.”

“Are you sure they’ll come help?”

His mouth curved. Sitting on the sidelines while a friend was in the line of fire wasn’t in their DNA. “Yeah, Tiger, I’m sure.”

David ended his call and slid the phone into his pocket. “Got it.”

“Where?”

“Outside of town. Emma’s family home is available for this purpose. Fortress uses it occasionally for its own version of Witness Protection.”

His mind immediately brought up a picture of a two-story home with simple landscaping and a kitchen worthy of the best five-star chef. Too bad most of their unit couldn’t cook. “That’s perfect, sir. Thanks for the help.”

“Get your unit moving. The sooner they’re in place, the better.”

“Copy that, sir. Is there a place I can take Sedona while I contact my teammates?”

“Interrogation Room Two is open, and it’s more secure than an office.”

Too many windows. “Thanks.” He opened the office door and stepped into the bullpen. A quick scan of the room showed that no one was paying attention to them.

Cam reached back for Sedona’s hand and walked with her to the interrogation room. His skin crawled with every step they took away from the sheriff’s office, and that caused some concern. He thought he could trust his coworkers. His gut told him he should do more investigating before trusting any of these officers with Sedona’s life.

As soon as he closed the door, some of the invisible spiders crawling on his back disappeared. Not all, though. That wasn’t good. He needed to get Sedona out of this station as soon as possible.