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I washed and dried my hands, then gave myself a good, hard look in the mirror. I shoved my fingers through my hair and blew out a sigh. I was ready to make a plan to take Tim down.
I opened the door, and voices floated down the hall. Realizing someone else had arrived, I hurried to the living room. Once I rounded the corner, I screeched to a halt. I rubbed my eyes in hopes of clearing my vision, but nothing changed. The same fucking scene was in front of me.
The room fell into a hush, and everyone’s attention landed on me. “What in God’s name is happening right now?” I placed my hands on my hips, shock coursing through my veins, fueling my anger.
“Hello, Holden.”
“What the hell are you doing here?” I growled.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Holden, I’m Brian Donovan with the FBI. This is my colleague, Michelle Hunter.” Brian extended his hand to me, and I shook it. Brian’s dark hair was thinning even though he appeared to be in his early forties. I assumed the premature loss of hair was associated with his job. All of the stress probably screwed with Brian’s sleep and aging. His stern expression softened momentarily, then slipped back into place, his alert gaze assessing me. I didn’t blame him. I was the son of a criminal.
I balked. “Michelle, huh? You’re with the FBI?” Peering at Jace, I realized he was in as much shock as me. She looked exactly like the Becky we all knew, except that she was dressed in gray slacks and a white shirt that was nearly buttoned up to her neck. Her blonde hair was swept up in a tight ponytail. She fit the FBI tight-ass idea that I’d always had in my head.
“That’s Becky, her name isn’t Michelle,” Jace explained as though the FBI had no fucking clue what her real name was.
“I’m sorry, Holden.” Michelle stepped forward, her gaze unapologetic. “Your family was an assignment.”
Static hummed in my brain. This wasn’t happening. How the hell had I invited an FBI agent into my life? My nostrils flared and I narrowed my eyes. “That’s why you cut my girlfriend’s neck?” I shook my head. “I’m not working with her. She attacked River right in front of me at my house.” I folded my arms, standing firm with my decision.
“The cut to River’s neck was an accident. She fought back and I cut her. For that, I’m sorry. I was trying to warn her, but you came up the stairs and I ran out of time.”
“Warn her? This gets better by the minute,” I said, glaring at her.
“Holden, I know this is difficult for you, but I’ve been undercover looking into Tim. And Hannah’s murder,” Michelle said.
The room tilted on its side, and I scrambled to understand what was happening. “Pierce, did you know about this?”
“No. I’m on a need-to-know basis with Brian when we’re working a case together. That’s it. I had no idea about Michelle or Hannah’s case.”
I believed him. He made sense.
Hannah. Her name finally registered in my overloaded brain. “Wait, what? Hannah was murdered?” A ball of intense emotions lodged in my chest—rage, relief, curiosity, and grief.
I remained standing as Sutton slipped into the room and sat in the recliner. “Hi Brian. Michelle,” she said, flashing a warm smile at them.
“Michelle will be difficult to adjust to.” My forehead creased in a frown. “So let me get this straight. I screwed an FBI agent and let you into my home and business?”
I was acting like a straight-up ass, but I was fucking pissed.
Crimson crawled up Michelle’s neck and cheeks. “I’m sorry, Holden. I will say that you’re not in any kind of trouble. Your club was run very well.”
I snorted. “Except for Laura.” Raising my hands in the air, I called a truce. “Whatever. It’s in the past. I need to find River.” I reminded myself that my pregnant girlfriend was the reason I was here. The same reason that Michelle and Brian were. In my head, I gave Michelle a nickname to help me feel a little better … Bitch Becky Michelle. I decided I’d deal with her later.
“Let’s get down to business, then,” Brian suggested.
I crossed the room and sat down next to Jace. He leaned over and whispered, “That’s some fucked up shit, man.” He nodded at Michelle.
Shaking my head, I attempted to clear the dark cloud from my mind. “Is someone going to fill me in about my sister? How did the investigation start? I tried multiple times to get the police involved, but it was swept under the rug.”
Michelle and Brian sat down in the additional chairs, their eyes trained on me.
“One of the men at the station did look into the case right before it was closed. He just kept quiet about it. Once he found a few leads, he looped us in, and we took over. We’re still investigating, Holden. However, we can say with absolute certainty that Hannah was definitely murdered,” Brian explained in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Do you have any suspects?” I fidgeted in my seat as my pulse kicked up a notch. All this time, I’d thought no one had listened to me.
“I was looking into your father when I was with you,” Michelle said.
