"How's Jack?" she asked.
"Critical, but stable. They removed the bullet earlier this morning. The doctor says he's going to make it, but he's got a long, hard road ahead of him."
Addison relaxed back into the pillows. "It just doesn't seem fair that he should have to go through this after everything he's already been through."
"Fairness just doesn't enter into it sometimes."
She thought about Agnes Beckett and her parents and silently agreed. "Did you find anything at the office?"
''The fire took everything. The computers. We didn't have fireproof files."
"I'm sorry, Randall. About the fire. About Jack. I'm sorry about everything."
"It's not your fault. You don't have control over any of this."
"How did it go with Van-Dyne?"
"He agreed to put two detectives on the case locally. If things pan out, he'll contact the feds in Washington"
"Just two men?"
"Says he's understaffed. He probably is. He's going to start with Jack's case, then delve more deeply into the Bernstein murder and the shooting at your shop. He agreed to contact Sheriff White up in Summit County about your parents."
She considered everything he'd said, but knew in her heart it wasn't enough. "What about Agnes Beckett?"
"We're going to have to play our ace."
"I didn't know we had one."
''The media. I called an acquaintance of mine who works for the Wall Street Journal. He's not a reporter, but he's got connections."
For the first time since this nightmare had started, she felt empowered. "They won't print anything that's not verified."
"No, but they damn sure have the resources to dig up the same information we did. I faxed him a copy of the newspaper article and told him everything. He's going to send someone to Siloam Springs."
"That's going to take some time."
"We need to lie low." He sighed. ''Tate is a powerful, connected man. We'll come off as crackpots if we don't keep a low profile. We've got to be very careful. We know he won't hesitate to kill."
"Isn't there some way the police can protect us?"
"I asked Van-Dyne about putting you in a safe house. He hedged. They don't have enough proof to warrant the expense. We're on our own."
"What about Jack? He's vulnerable."
"I talked Van-Dyne into putting a twenty-four-hour guard on him. If he hadn't agreed, I would have hired private security." Randall regarded her through dark, somber eyes. "It's going to take indisputable proof before the authorities cross Tate."
"What can we do? There's got to be something ...."
"I know a retired private detective from D.C., Clint Holsapple. He used to work the political circle. He's from Texas. He's good and may be able to get me close enough to Tate so I can flush him out."
Her pulse kicked when she realized he hadn’t mentioned her. "I'm the one Tate wants dead."
''This is no longer just about you."
"Don't try to shut me out. I'm involved, and I intend to stay involved until Tate is either behind bars or dead."
"I've already made reservations to fly to D.C. I'm not taking you with me. I'll put you up in a hotel in another city—"
"No! If you go to Washington, I'm going, too, damn you." Her voice shook with a sudden, wrenching burst of anger.
"It's too dangerous."
"I don't care about that. Don't you dare try to keep me out of this."
Cursing beneath his breath, he hit her with a look that would have sent a sane woman scrambling off the bed. Too bad he didn't know she'd traveled beyond the point of running away from him.
"This is dangerous, Addison. People have been killed—"
"I won't be shut out. If we're going after Tate, we do it together. Or I swear to God I'll do it on my own."
She started to rise, but he stopped her by grabbing her wrist. When she jerked away, he quickly rolled on top of her and pinned her to the bed. "He'll kill you, goddammit!"
"I won't let him."
"I can't work this case and look out for you, too. Dammit, I don't want that responsibility."
"That's not your decision to make, Randall. It's mine, and I've made my choice."
He stared down at her, breathing hard, his dark eyes flashing dangerously. Addison stared back, her heart raging. "I'm sorry," she said. "But I won't change my mind."
He scrubbed a hand over his face. "What the hell am I going to do with you?"
"Keep me by your side. Let me help you."
"It scares the hell out of me to think I can't keep you safe. If anything happened—"
"Nothing's going to happen," she said. "But there's no way you're going to prove he's a cold-blooded killer without my involvement."
"I didn't want it to work out this way."
Worry and exhaustion lined his face. She knew she was to blame because she wouldn't comply with his wishes, but there was no way she was going to let him ride into battle alone. This was her battle, too. They both had their reasons for fighting it.
"I've got a personal stake in this, Randall."