“You’ll let this man get away with ordering your sister’s murder?” Skeeter asked. “I hear Cartwright stabbed her repeatedly, but he planned it so there’d be some time before she bled out. He pulled up the younger Simmons on her phone and laid it next to her face. Joe’s daddy wanted him to hear it. He wanted them both to suffer.”

I gasped and grabbed the back of my chair, feeling dangerously close to passing out.

Mason released a loud groan and slammed his fist into the wall, then leaned over his legs. I could tell he was fighting back tears.

“How about now?” Skeeter asked. “You ready to let him skip home now?”

“No.” Mason righted himself, his eyes red, and when he turned his gaze to me, the anguish I saw on his face ripped my heart into pieces. “If I help you murder him, I’m no better than he is.”

I had to regain some control of this situation. “No one is murdering J.R. Simmons.”

Skeeter shot me a dark glare. “This is between me and Simmons, Lady. You and Deveraux are simply pawns in the chess game Simmons has been orchestrating for years. The fact that you happen to be his son’s last girlfriend is a pure bonus to him. Joe Simmons will never be allowed to marry anyone but that Wilder bitch, so you better be glad you didn’t try to follow through on his proposal. Otherwise you would have likely met with the same fate as Deveraux’s sister.”

I gasped and sat up straighter in my chair. Mason put his hand on my shoulder, and I covered it with my own.

Skeeter stood. “Joe Simmons may have acted the part of a selfish asshole most of his life, but he’s capable of real emotions. Trust me, I know. I’ve watched the man since he was a teen. If he had known Savannah Deveraux was pregnant with his kid, he would have married her in a heartbeat.” He glanced at Mason. “Surprises you, huh? Joe Simmons has a soft spot for kids too. He’s wanted them since he was barely out of college, even if he’s always had the tendency to pick the most unlikely women to give them to him.”

“How do you know anything about my sister? How do you know so much about her death?” Mason’s voice cracked, but that show of emotion didn’t make the look he gave Skeeter any less murderous.

Skeeter fisted his hands. “Not how you think. But I started asking questions when I heard it on the news. Your name came up, Deveraux, and then I found out about her tie to the Simmonses. It was too big of a coincidence. When you showed up in the Fenton County Courthouse, I knew Daddy Simmons had done something extra slimy.”

“Who’s your source? How do you know their information is accurate?”

Skeeter gave me a sardonic grin. “Well, I can’t be revealing my sources, now can I? I wouldn’t be a man of my word.”

“Cut the crap, Skeeter,” I groaned. “What else do you know?”

“That Daddy Simmons realized his baby still had feelings for Savannah even after they broke up. Hilary Wilder put the screws to him big time, but Savannah was still tugging at his heartstrings. Then Daddy Simmons found out she was pregnant and hired Michael Cartwright to kill her. But he wanted to play with her and Joe first. He figured his son would be eaten up with enough guilt that he wouldn’t dare stray from that Wilder bitch.” He paused. “I’ve given it some thought over the last few days, and I’m pretty damn sure Daddy Simmons had his son sent to Fenton County to work the Crocker case. He was tired of waiting for the Crocker situation to implode, so he helped roll the ball along.”

Mason sat next to me, blinking back tears. “Joe was working for his father when he was undercover with Crocker?”

Skeeter snorted. “Hell no. I’m sure he had no idea. That’s all supposin’ I’m right … and I’m ninety-nine percent sure that I am.” He winked at me. “But what J.R. didn’t count on was his son fallin’ in love again. That was definitely not in his plan.” He took a sip of his coffee.

“Why would he send Joe to Fenton County to bring down Crocker?” Mason asked. “What ball did he want to get rolling?”

“So Skeeter would gain control of the county,” I said. “Which would put J.R. in the position to take what Skeeter wanted most.” I looked at Skeeter. “Which is why I have to go tonight. Killing him outright would be too good for him. We’re going to do this right and make him suffer.”

Skeeter grinned as he sat back down. “My world has rubbed off on you.”

Mason shot him an angry glare.

“No,” I said. “I’m just tired of seeing so many people hurt by that man.”

“You are not meeting him,” Mason said, turning to face me. “That man is deadly. If you walk in there, you’re liable to end up dead.”

Skeeter made a face. “As much as I hate to admit it, I think your boyfriend’s right. If he’s picking off my cherished assets, he won’t let you leave that room alive. We’re not even sure what good could come of keeping this meeting. It’s certainly not worth risking your potential death.”

“Skeeter,” I said, leaning forward. “You have no plan other than to walk in there and kill him. Don’t you think he might be expectin’ you to make a move on him?” Something else occurred to me. “Has he even made it clear he’s doin’ this? If he likes to make people suffer, seems to me that he’d want them to know it’s comin’ from him. And you’re already deep enough in the rat maze.”