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Risk Everything

Page 57

by Janie Crouch

“The monitor is offline now,” Bree said.

“Yes, Sowers confirmed this. Evidently Jared developed some sort of rash under the monitor. He was trying to loosen it to keep it from chafing and knocked it offline.”

“You met this guy Sowers, and he’s on the up-and-up?” Noah said.

Bree was already sitting down at her computer. She wanted to know everything there was to know about this Adam Sowers. There wasn’t time to go through legal channels, so she just wasn’t going to mention what she was doing to her husband-to-be.

“Yeah,” Tanner said. “He’s young. Enthusiastic about the job and about making a difference. I’m going to call him myself right now.”

Bree didn’t pay attention to Tanner’s call. Tanner was much better at telling if someone was lying than she would be. She was good at digging up facts.

By the time Tanner was off the phone with Sowers a few minutes later, Bree was feeling much better about him too. Sowers seemed to be exactly what Tanner had said. He’d been out of the police academy and part of the marshals’ office for two and a half years. He was married with a six-month-old daughter. No indication of any sort of questionable finances, infidelity or bad habits.

“Sowers is a good cop. I believe him,” Tanner said from across the room.

“I concur,” Bree said, closing her laptop.

Tanner narrowed his eyes at her. “Don’t even tell me what you were doing. Do not make me arrest you the night before we’re getting married.”

“Moi?” She gave him her most innocent shrug, and he just rolled his eyes. She was pretty sure he wouldn’t arrest her, but not 100 percent.

But at least it broke the tension in the room.

“It’s really safe?” Marilyn asked.

“Jared will either go into holding until the ankle monitor can be fixed or someone will keep him under surveillance.” Tanner gave Marilyn a kind smile. “We’ll be notified if anything changes.”

She still looked pretty worried, and after what she’d been through, Bree couldn’t blame her.

Bree came over and rubbed Marilyn’s shoulder. “This actually reassures me that the monitor is working the way it’s intended. I don’t doubt that Jared was probably trying to test it out and see if the cops came running to his door if he tried to remove it. Now he knows it works and they will.”

Tanner slipped an arm around Bree’s waist. “And we might be able to use this with Judge Osborne to get Jared moved back into jail until the trial. The judge isn’t going to put up with this nonsense.”

“I know I was supposed to hang over here with you tonight,” Marilyn said. “But I just need to go check on the kids.”

Bree pulled Marilyn in for a hug. “I’m fine. Go be with your kids. I totally understand. I’ll just see you bright and early in the morning.”

A midmorning wedding had seemed like such a romantic idea at the time Bree had let Cassandra and Cheryl talk her into it. And Bree had to admit that watching the sun make its way past her beloved Rockies was definitely her favorite time of day.

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow. Get some sleep.” Marilyn pointed at Tanner. “And you get out of here. You’re not allowed to stay with her, because we all know what’s going to happen if you do.”

Tanner smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”

Cassandra grabbed her jacket. “I’m going to head home to my family too. Wrap that dress back up as soon as we leave and hang it on your bedroom door. No point in inviting disaster. I cannot even think of red wine coming anywhere near it.”

“Fine. I’ll keep it safe, I promise.” Marilyn hugged her again and Noah escorted her out the door, Cassandra right behind them.

Tanner walked to the door himself, then turned back.

“I don’t suppose I could talk you into letting me see that dress,” he said with a smile.

“Nope. Cassandra and Marilyn would both kill me. They think it’s the most beautiful thing since sliced bread.”

Tanner laughed but then the smile fell from his face. “But you don’t?”

This was going to be the problem with being married to such a good cop. She wasn’t going to be able to hide stuff from him. “You know me, not big on dressing up in girlie stuff.”

“How about you wear that dress for me tomorrow morning at our wedding and I’ll make it worth your while tomorrow night.”