I pressed my lips together. “Yeah. If I go to him right now, he’ll just tell me to let him take care of it.”
“Do you think you should?” he asked in a neutral tone.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. “Are you telling me to let this go?”
“No. I’m askin’ if that’s what you want to do.”
“Why would I?”
“What if Tiffany gives us a strong lead to follow? Maybe we should focus on makin’ your father pay for what he did to your mother. Hell, Carly, your life is in danger. Maybe we should be focusin’ on that.”
I nearly told him that my life wasn’t in any more danger than it had been for the past ten months, but that didn’t feel true.
“You think we should let Bart go?”
“No. Not let him go. Sadly, he’s not goin’ anywhere.”
“But he’s still killing people.”
“Like Jerry? We have no proof it was him or Emily.”
“Please,” I said sarcastically. “Someone showed up at your house to tell me to back off. That same someone drives a black truck like the one that killed Jerry. It was one of them, but my money’s on him. And there’s a chance he hasn’t stopped. I know you said it wasn’t the same guy, but it seems like an awfully big coincidence that Tater got run off the road last night.”
A pained look washed over his face. “If you back off and focus on your own situation, Bart will back off too.” When I didn’t respond, he squeezed my hand. “Don’t get mad at me, Care.”
“I’m not mad,” I said, staring out the windshield.
“This isn’t a case of you sayin’ you’re not mad even though you’re spitting nails, is it? You’ve always been straight with me, so I want to take you at your word.”
Despite the struggle brewing in my head, I couldn’t stop a small smile. “You’re right. I’m not going to do that to you.” Then I added, “Caroline would. She was great at letting people walk all over her and smiling and pretending everything was okay. But I don’t want to do that anymore.” I turned to face him. “Especially with you, Marco. You’ve gone above and beyond to always be truthful with me. It would be selfish of me to not be equally as genuine. So yes, I guess I’m a little upset.”
He squeezed my hand again. “I love you. I have nothing to hide. Ask me anything you want at any time, and I’ll tell you. If it’s about a case, though, I won’t be able to talk about it.” He darted me a look. “Unless it pertains to Jerry or the Drummonds. And in another instance of tellin’ you something I shouldn’t . . .” He drew a deep breath. “I’m not so sure Franklin was run off the road at all, let alone by a man in a black truck.”
I gasped. “What?”
“This is confidential, Carly. You can’t tell anyone. But I can’t watch you blame yourself for what happened to Tater.”
“I won’t tell anyone. I promise. So what happened?”
“He definitely hit a tree, and yeah, he said it was a black truck that sideswiped him. But his story isn’t consistent.”
I took a second to let that sink in. “He lied.”
“Yeah, but . . .” He made a face. “Maybe he fell asleep at the wheel and was too embarrassed to admit it.”
“So he claimed he was run off the road? That seems extreme.”
“Maybe, but I can see how he might do it to save face.”
I wasn’t so convinced, but I was thankful to know it probably hadn’t been my fault. But if he was lying . . . I couldn’t help thinking about Max’s warning not to trust Ruth.
What did Max know that I didn’t?
I was lost in thought when Marco said, “So you told Max about who you really are.”
“Yeah. I figured his entire family knows. He might as well know too.” I tilted my head. “You talked about it with him?”
“Yeah. When I got home. He was honored you trusted him enough to tell him.”
I shrugged as if it were nothing. “What’s he going to do with the information? Turn me in to my father? He’s too loyal to the people he cares about, and I’m lucky enough to fall into that category. Besides, his mother called me Caroline in front of him the night of the street party.” I sighed. “I’m tired of secrets, Marco.”
“I know. All the more reason to focus on getting you safe. Louise may have stolen Hank’s money, but he’s lived just fine without it. And if he’s gathering his troops to go after her, maybe we should just let him.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Let’s focus on this meeting with Tiffany, then figure out what to do from there, okay? Ultimately, it’s your life. Your decision. I’m goin’ to give you my opinion, because as the man who loves you and likes picturin’ a very long life with you, I think I have that right. But you’re the one that has to decide what you can live with.”
It struck me that I’d spent so long focusing on not dying that I hadn’t given much thought on the living part. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was time to change that.
Chapter Twenty-One
The headquarters for Simply Stunning Cosmetics was in a skyscraper in downtown Atlanta. Marco parked in the garage attached to the building, and when we got out of his car, he slipped on a suit coat and pocketed the ticket inside his jacket.
“For validation,” he said with a shrug when he noticed I was watching.
I tried to force a laugh, but I was too nervous.
“Hey,” he said, pulling me into a hug. “No matter what happens, it’s gonna be okay.”
I gave him a wry smile. “You kind of have to say that.”
He grinned. “Would you rather I say it’s gonna be terrible, and she’s gonna throw us out of the building without validating our parking?”
My stomach dropped. “Do you think that’s what’s going to happen?”
He leaned down and gave me a soft kiss. “No. You told me about how much she loved your mother. I think she’s going to be overjoyed to see you.”
I nodded. In theory, I agreed with him, but I was still nervous. I’d stood up to Todd Bingham, a murderer and a man who terrified half the town, yet I was scared to see my mother’s best friend. It made zero sense.
He hesitated, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’d like to treat this like we’re seeing her about a case.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I want to go in as Deputy Roland, and you’re with me because it pertains to you.” He gave me a wary smile. “Which means I don’t want her to know we’re involved.”
“Why?”
“I think she’ll be more honest and forthcoming if she believes this is official and not a chat.”
I considered it for a moment.. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”
But it bothered me that he thought she might need added incentive to tell the truth.
He took my hand. “But we don’t have to be professional until we get into her office, okay?” A beat later, he added, “Once we get there, let me take the lead.”