Page 104 of Blake

He blinked. “How many what?”

“How many more people have to get hurt before these bastards are stopped?” She paced toward the window. “Carol Jenkins is dead, and now, this Mitchell guy is listed as missing. But you and I both know the truth is he’s probably dead.”

“Devon . . .”

“Someone tried running us over, Blake.” Devon swallowed. “And tonight, someone set fire to your building just to get me outside. I had a gun pulled on me, and you were almost shot, and⁠—”

“We don’t know Mitchell is dead.”

Devon frowned. “Come on. You heard what Lincoln said. The man wanted to talk to a federal investigator. Now he’s missing?” She released a humorless laugh. “No way those two things aren’t related.”

Blake didn’t respond because he knew she was right. And that made her even angrier.

“You don’t understand.” She shook her head.

“I think I do.”

“No.” She stormed toward him. “You don’t. You don’t understand what it was like watching him point that gun at you and knowing he was about to pull the trigger. He was going to shoot you, and I knew⁠—”

She pressed her lips together when her voice began to break.

Blake moved toward her in slow, careful steps. “What did you know?”

“That I was about to lose you.”

His expression softened. “Ah, Dev.”

“I can’t keep doing this, Blake.” She turned away, blinking back tears. “Every time I think we’re getting somewhere, something worse happens. Every time I go someplace different, they find me. And because of that, you almost died.” Devon wrapped her arms around herself. “Who’s next? Will they go after Janie? Or Gwen, or someone else on the team? I can’t let that happen.” Her voice quivered again. “I couldn’t live with myself if⁠—”

“Baby, stop.”

He was close now. So close, she could feel whispers of his familiar warmth.

“Look at me,” Blake whispered.

She shook her head.

“Devon.”

Something in his voice made her turn around to meet his gaze.

“None of this is your fault,” he told her bluntly.

“I know.”

“Do you?” His eyes searched hers. “Because you keep talking like you’re the one pulling the trigger, but you’re not. The people behind this are responsible for it all. Carol, tonight, whatever’s going on with Scott Mitchell.”

“But, if I hadn’t⁠—”

“If you hadn’t found the fraud, somebody else eventually would have. And those people would be in just as much danger. Hell, for all we know, Scott Mitchell stumbled across those transactions on accident, same as you.”

Devon’s eyes burned. “I don’t know how much more I can take, Blake.”

A tear fell.

Blake brushed it away with his thumb.

“Then don’t try to take it on all at once.”