The governor eyed his wife, who was wearing a pink dress and standing with some other women across the room. “We are lucky to have such wonderful companions.”

JD watched the governor’s wife and nodded. “Yes, we are.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Pierce asked.

“Of course,” JD said.

He gave JD’s arm a reassuring squeeze and moved off. JD’s mind went to their impending meeting. The governor was rumored to be eyeing a bid for the White House, and JD’s influence would help him. Meanwhile, JD had plans of his own, some kind of position in Washington.

It was all at his fingertips—as long as he could keep everything else a secret.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Sabrina didn’t come home until after six. Jo was parked down the street, and as the silver Lexus eased into the garage, Jo was out of her car and hurrying down the street. As she walked up the driveway, Sabrina emerged from the side door of the detached garage. Jo called out to her. Sabrina looked up, then gasped when she recognized Jo in the dim light.

“I said, I’m not talking to you,” the woman snapped.

By now, Jo was at the chain-link fence, and she rested her arms on it and stared at Sabrina.

“Tell me about the hundred thousand dollars.”

Sabrina was almost to the back door, but she stopped and whirled around. “What?”

Jo moved toward the corner of the house. “I want to know about the money. Do the police know you have it?”

Her jaw worked, and she looked around to see if they were alone. “Who are you?”

“What’s your involvement in the bank robbery?” Jo pointed at her. “Who are you working for?”

“I don’t have to talk to you.” Sabrina dug into her purse. “Go away.”

As she pulled out her keys and inserted one into the back door lock, Jo opened the gate and stepped into the yard. Sabrina turned, her gaze darting all around.

“If you don’t leave, I’m going to call the police,” she said, her voice shaky.

Jo waved a hand around. “Go ahead. That’ll be an interesting conversation, won’t it?”

They stared at each other. A car drove by on the street, and Sabrina’s gaze snapped that way. She gulped and stared into the shadows until the noise faded. A dog barked, and then it was quiet. Finally, she spoke.

“Come into the house.”

She unlocked the door and flicked on a light as she entered the kitchen. Jo followed. Sabrina plunked her purse on the counter and gestured for Jo to sit at the table. Then the woman hurried into the living room. Clearly, she assumed Jo wasn’t a threat, and that was a mistake.

Sabrina returned, her face pale. She stood near the refrigerator, arms crossed.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“I’m asking you the same thing. I know you hid a hundred thousand in cash, and I know you met a man at the mall yesterday, and he gave you money.”

Sabrina glanced at the envelope on the desk. “You’ve been following me.”

Jo nodded. “I won’t deny it. I need to know what’s going on.”

“Why?”

“It’s for my own safety. That’s all I’m going to tell you.”

Sabrina bit her lip, glancing toward the living room window. Then she stepped closer to Jo, where she couldn’t be seen from the front window. They stared at each other in silence. Seconds ticked by.

“You’re mistaken about the money,” Sabrina said.

Jo shook her head again. “Do you want me to show you where you hid it in the attic?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The woman wasn’t a good liar.

“Was the man at the mall the one from the bank with the European accent?” Jo asked.

Sabrina chortled. “Is that what you think?”

Jo tapped the table emphatically. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

She smiled grimly. “You’re wrong.”

“Then tell me who he was.” Jo’s voice took on a hard edge as she pulled out her phone. “You have about five seconds before I call the police.”

Sabrina’s face twisted up as she considered her options. Jo imagined that every conclusion she came to wasn’t good. She was in a pickle, but at least she seemed to realize that. The woman moved to the table, pulled out the other chair, and sank onto it as if her legs had given way. She put her hands to her face, visibly fearful.

“What if they’re listening?” she whispered.

Jo held up a hand, signaling that she should be quiet. Sabrina didn’t move a muscle as Jo tiptoed around the kitchen, searching for listening devices. When she’d been in the house before, she’d checked for cameras, but not audio. At that point, she’d figured Sabrina might be an accomplice to the bank robbers; no one would care about Sabrina’s conversations. Now, Jo wasn’t so sure.

However, even after a more thorough search, she didn’t find any surveillance equipment, so she slipped into the living room, Sabrina quietly following her. Jo made sure the front window was locked, then closed the blinds and rooted around. She didn’t find anything, so she checked the bedrooms. Still no surveillance equipment. She made sure all the windows in the house were locked, as well as the front door. They returned to the kitchen together and reclaimed their seats at the table.

“Tell me what’s going on,” Jo said.

It took Sabrina a moment to answer. “That man at the mall is my ex-boyfriend, Brendan.” She spoke in a low voice.

“What was in the envelope he gave you?”

Sabrina wouldn’t make eye contact. “He owes me money.”

“A final payment.”

She stared back at Jo and snorted. “He thinks it’s a final payment, but it’s not. He owes me a ton more. He’ll probably never pay it all back.”

Jo glanced toward the ceiling. “He paid you a hundred thousand?”

“Not anywhere close.”