Ace appeared at her side, the horror of the afternoon lingering in his eyes. “You did real good out there. Kept your head.”
“I can’t believe Nelson’s dead.” Clasping Reese’s hand, she mentally compared the man she’d worked for to the man who’d held a gun to her. “He wasn’t the same man I knew.”
“No. He wasn’t.” A muscle worked in Ace’s jaw. “The feds want to talk to you.”
Duncan jumped to his feet. “About what?”
Jared was already shaking his head. “No. Erin’s out of it.”
“Jared!” Erin gripped his hand. “I hate the thought of Wes Cramer getting away with all that money. He not only betrayed Stark, but he also betrayed John Ritten and lied to get Stark to come after me. He could have killed me, Jared.”
When her voice broke, her husbands all reached for her. “Do you really think I can just sit by and let him get away with that? I finally found everything I ever wanted, and he would have taken it from me without a qualm. If I can help put him away, I will.”
Duncan cursed. “We’re sure as hell not gonna let him get away with it, but you’re staying out of it.”
Jared’s hand fisted on the bedrail. “I want to kill him with my bare hands.”
Ace pulled a chair close and dropped into it. “They can’t find the money. They need him to go to it. If he does, they’ve got him. They want Erin to call him. They want her to ask him how the hell he knew she’d found the money. You heard him at the hotel. He’s delusional. We want to make him believe that Erin really did take the money. If he believes that, he’ll have to go check for himself.”
Reese slid an arm around her waist. “So, it’s just a phone call?”
Ace nodded. “I knew none of you would let her get within a hundred feet of him.”
“Damned right.” Duncan lowered himself onto the bed near her hip. “When they catch him, we want to know about it.”
Jared turned to Ace. “And if he gets out of prison, we want to know about that, too.”
Ace smiled and rose to his feet again. “Already stipulated.” His smile warmed when he looked at Erin. “I made sure of that. Linc, Rafe, Marshall, Joe, and Carter are all on board. What happened this afternoon scared the hell out of everyone. Get some rest, Erin. I’ll set it up for tomorrow.”
When Ace started to turn away, Erin called his name.
Pausing, he turned back. “What is it, honey?”
Erin’s eyes welled with tears. “Thank you. As soon as I saw you, I knew everything would be all right.”
Inclining his head, Ace smiled faintly. “You’re welcome.”
She couldn’t help but ask about the man who’d she’d seen only a handful of times. “How’s Joe?”
Blowing out a breath, Ace eyed each of them. “Cool as a cucumber. Those three have nerves of steel.”
“I want to thank him.”
Ace’s smile widened. “Yes, ma’am.”
Holding on to Reese, Erin sat up, slapping away Duncan’s attempt to stop her. “I heard about the woman they lost.”
Ace’s smile fell. “She killed herself because she couldn’t live with the criticism she got because she loved three men.”
“Is that why they came here? To find love in a place that would accept it?”
Ace adopted a look she’d seen often, one that told her that he knew he was being interrogated. “I didn’t ask.” His lips twitched as he raised a brow, crossing his arms over his chest. “It’s none of my business.”
Understanding that he clearly meant it was none of her business, nor was it the business of the other women in town who’d asked him, including his nosy, but well-meaning wife, Erin smiled. “I understand that they’ve got a soft spot for your dispatcher, Talia.”
Ace’s lips twitched again. “The women in Desire could probably teach the feds a thing or two about intelligence gathering.”
“So it’s true?” She’d love to see the shy, quiet dispatcher and the cool, detached deputies find happiness together.
“Get some rest, Erin.” Ace’s gaze touched on Jared, Duncan, and Reese. “Let me know when she’s home and we’ll get it set up. They want to tape the conversation to see if Cramer gives anything away.”
Erin grinned. “I’ll piss him off.”
Inclining his head, Ace chuckled. “You do that.”
Jared walked him to the door. “How’s Hope? She okay?”
“She’s fine. Just a little rattled. I’m going home now.”
“Good.”