Gilded Craving: Cowboy Justice Association (Serials and Stalkers Book 3)

by Olivia Jaymes

  "The number of calls he made on a daily basis tells a different story."

  She shook her head again. "It doesn't make any sense. He placed a few bets here and there but he wasn't addicted."

  "You sound sure."

  "I'm not completely, absolutely sure, but Brad didn't have an addictive personality," she argued, her arms crossed over her chest. "He was actually surprisingly mature once you got past all of that macho fraternity bro bullshit. He was a sensitive guy deep down, but he didn't want anyone to know. He thought it made him look weak."

  "But he didn't mind showing you?"

  Ryan wasn't sure Isla was being honest with him. He wouldn't have cared if Brad wasn't a hard-partying asshole.

  "He knew that he could be himself with me and that I wouldn't judge him. He could just explore who he was and who he wanted to be and it would be okay."

  "Sounds like you two had a hell of a three weeks together."

  Isla smiled and softly laughed. "Brad and I had been sleeping together for about three years, Ryan. We didn't talk about it because it was nobody's fucking business but ours. So yes, you could say that I knew Brad well. I certainly knew him a hell of a lot better than Caroline ever did. She was in love with a fantasy. He was never going to marry her."

  "Was he going to marry you?"

  "I hope not. I wasn't in love with him, and I don't think he was in love with me either. We...accepted each other, for want of a better description. In fact, because we didn't love each other it made it easier for Brad to be himself."

  In a weird, twisted way it made sense.

  "And that included multiple partner sex?"

  Giggling, she nodded. "My goodness, you have done your homework, Ryan. I'm impressed. It's true. Brad liked to explore his sexual boundaries and I was happy to help him. It's not against the law."

  "And you're saying that you knew the real Brad?"

  "I'm only saying that there was more to him than the facade that he let others see."

  Ryan had never seen any glimmer of the person she was describing, but then he and Brad hadn't been close for a few years before his death. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that Brad had finally grown up.

  "Good, then you can tell me if he was worried or concerned about anything before his disappearance. Money? Friends? School?"

  "He was never worried about money or school," she replied with a shake of her head. "The only thing he ever worried about was his family. He was very concerned about them. They were kind of dysfunctional."

  His family?

  "What about his family had him worried?"

  "His parents' marriage was bad. I guess they would argue so loudly the whole house would hear. His mother would throw things at his dad, and then his dad would drive off and not come back for days. And then the whole thing with his little brother. Brad was worried that Seb was growing up too fast. He hated that Seb was around his parents when they were fighting."

  Ryan hadn't known that at all but every family had their secrets. It sounded like the Harringtons might have a few ugly ones.

  "One more question. Did you ever hear the name Aaron?"

  "No, should I have heard it?"

  "I don't know. Caroline said that Brad took a call from someone named Aaron a few days before he disappeared."

  "I never heard Brad talk about anyone named Aaron. Sorry, I can't help you there." There was an impatient knock at the door. "Are we done here? I have another meeting."

  "We're done. Thanks for talking to me."

  "You didn't need to threaten me with the police. I would have talked to you today."

  She looked slightly pissed off.

  "Then next time return your messages when someone is calling you about a murder."

  "That's the problem with you, Ryan. You've always been too dramatic, too serious."

  I don't think that's my problem.

  "I'll take that opinion under consideration."

  Isla threw back her head and laughed. "Which means you're saying fuck you in your head. I know you, Ryan Beck, and you don't give a shit about my opinions."

  "That's true, but you don't care about mine either. I guess we're even."

  "I guess we are. It was still good to see you. Say hi to Mariah for me."

  "I will. It was nice to see you, too."

  "You're such a terrible liar." She walked with him to the office door. "Seriously, do you think you'll find out what happened to Brad that night?"

  "I'm trying. It won't be easy all these years later."

  Although now he had a new avenue to look down thanks to Isla - Brad's dysfunctional family. There had been rumors years ago that Skip had been having an affair, and that Lilly was spending far too much time with her tennis pro. What else might be going on behind the curtain?

  "What do you think happened to Brad?" he asked, his hand on the doorknob. "Do you have a theory?"

  She didn't answer for a long moment, her gaze far away. "For a long time, I told myself that he just went off and started a new life. But I knew deep down he would never do that. He was devoted to his family. Eventually, I assumed that he'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was probably mugged or got in a fight with someone who didn't have much left to lose. So that's what I think happened. If he had gone home with Caro or Theo that night, he'd probably be alive today."

  Ryan bid Isla goodbye and headed back to the apartment to get ready for his mother's birthday party. It looked like he had more questions for Skip, Lilly, and Seb.

  They hadn't been telling him the whole truth.

  26

  "You go ahead to the party," Ryan said, tapping away at the keyboard of his laptop. "I'll catch up to you in an hour or so. I really need to finish this."

  Mariah exchanged a glance with Knox. Ryan had told her that he had apologized to his dad and that everything was better than ever with his parents, but now he was making an excuse not to go to the birthday party.

  Knox just shrugged and stepped away so Mariah could talk to Ryan alone.

  "You cannot skip your mother's birthday party. You'll hurt her terribly and Liza will be livid."

  He looked up from the laptop. "I'm not skipping the party. I just need to do this research into the Harrington family. I'm pissed off at myself for not doing it in the first place, but I was just so focused on all of us at the bar that night. I'll be right behind you, just a little late. That's all."

  "Doesn't your boss Jared usually do the computer research?"

  "He does, but he's busy tonight."

  "What about Knox?"

  The other man must have heard his name even though he was on the other side of the room.

  "I can do it, Ryan. You go ahead to the party. Your parents don't care if I'm there."

  Liza had insisted that Knox join them tonight, and Ryan had even lent him a tuxedo from his Chicago closet. Knox had expressed his fascination that a person could own more than one tux. He'd joked that he was strictly a renter of formal wear.

  "I'm really close to finishing. Just go ahead," Ryan insisted. "I swear I'll be right behind you. If I handed this to you, you'd just have to start over."

  Mariah wasn't quite sure what to do. If she showed up at the party without Ryan she was going to get shit from Liza. But she knew Ryan well, and he wasn't going to budge here. He was in the zone, so to speak, and barely noticing that other people existed.

  So much for my new dress and all the time I took with my hair and makeup.

  "Fine," she finally said. "But if you're not there in an hour, I'm getting in the car and forcibly removing you from that chair and dragging you to the party."

  "And I'll help her," Knox declared with a grin. "One hour, bro."

  "One hour," Ryan agreed, not even looking up from the screen. "I promise. I don't want to upset my mother either. I'll be there. I'm already dressed. I just need to put my jacket and shoes on."

  There wasn't anything left to argue about. Mariah dropped her lipstick and keys into her tiny handbag and check
ed her makeup in the mirror next to the door while Knox leaned down to whisper something into Ryan's ear. She didn't know what he said, but Ryan stopped what he was doing and stood up, striding over to where she was standing.

  "Before you go, I just wanted to tell how goddamn gorgeous you look tonight, babe," Ryan said, enfolding her into his strong arms. "I'm not going to kiss you because I don't want to mess up your lipstick but you're going to turn every single head tonight. You're absolutely beautiful."

  Mariah looked up at the man she loved. He was so full of it sometimes.

  "Knox told you to come over and say that didn't he?"

  She loved him, but she wasn't stupid either. Ryan had been heads down and not paying a damn bit of attention to the slinky purple and silver evening gown she was wearing. She'd loved it the moment she'd put it on, although the plunging back had been a bit more daring than she usually went for. She'd paired it with silver high heeled sandals and a simple clip holding back one side of her long hair behind her ear.

  "He told me that you were leaving and that I needed to get my head out of my ass."

  "I'll take that as a yes."

  "I already knew you were a knockout," he said with a smile. "I just forget to tell you. It won't happen again."

  It probably would, but that was fine. He was going to get lost in his work, and frankly, so was she.

  "I don't need compliments to turn my head. I just need you."

  "You got me, baby," he declared, waggling his eyebrows. "Now brace yourself because I'm about to mess up your lipstick."

  He did just that, thoroughly kissing her until she was breathless. The ever-thoughtful Knox had taken himself out in the hallway between the two apartments to give them privacy, which she thought was very sweet.

  "One hour," she reminded him, freshening her smeared lipstick. It had been totally worth it, though. "Then I send out a posse. Dead or alive, you're coming to that party."

  "I'll be there. Leave me some food at the buffet."

  "You snooze, you lose. I make no promises."

  With a wave she exited the apartment, leaving Ryan to his work. The car service had just pulled up to the curb and before she knew it, she and Knox were on their way to the party.

  "I’m glad you're coming tonight," she said as the city lights whisked past them. The Chicago skyline was beautiful. She loved this city and would be sad to leave, but she was determined that this time she and Ryan were going to do it right. If she needed to move, then that's what she'd do. "I think you'll have a good time. Beck parties are always fun."

  "I don't know much about fancy parties. My family usually just grilled some burgers and hot dogs in the backyard. The last time I wore a tux was when I was best man in my buddy's wedding. I just hope I don't do anything impolite like use the wrong fork or use the napkins as a bib."

  The image of Knox wearing a bib had her laughing.

  "You'll be fine. It's a buffet so there's no sit-down dinner. A lot more relaxed. And if you want to wear your napkin as a bib, I say go for it. It might help some of these stodgy people relax a little bit."

  "I don't think I want to draw attention to myself. I'm happy to stand in the corner and eat the shrimp."

  "I don't think you're going to get that lucky," she scoffed. "As handsome as you are, you're going to get a great deal of attention from the single women. Some of the married ones, too. You're going to be in big demand tonight. Can you dance?"

  "Let's just say I can get by if it's not too complicated."

  "Then you're really going to be popular. You won't get a moment of peace all night."

  Chuckling, he gave her a cocky grin. "That sounds like my idea of the perfect evening."

  Mariah had a strong feeling that Knox didn't have any trouble with the opposite sex.

  "I'm glad you're here for Ryan," she said after a few quiet minutes. "I can't help him with this investigation, and I know he's frustrated."

  "It's personal for him," Knox replied. "So it's going to mean more. But it's personal for you too, right? You were friends with Brad as well."

  "I was but not as close as Ryan was, although to be fair we'd both pulled back from Brad a bit. He was closer to Danny and Theo."

  Knox had spoken with Theo earlier that day and he didn't know anything about Brad having a gambling problem. He was quite dubious about the entire situation, saying that Brad never showed signs of it.

  "I would imagine as you and Ryan got more serious, you didn't hang out with your friend group as much. Not that I've been that serious," he said with a laugh. "But I've seen it with other people. It's normal, I think."

  "We were pretty serious, but we ended up apart. I think we both needed to grow up."

  "From what I've seen Ryan is pretty damn adult. Scarily responsible."

  "That's good news," Mariah laughed. "I hope I've grown up a little, too."

  "I think you both are going to do fine. You've got to believe."

  "That's good advice, Knox. Have you ever thought about becoming a relationship counselor?"

  Knox threw back his head and laughed. "Fuck, no. I don't know shit about relationships. But I do know when two people can't take their eyes off of one another. That's you and Ryan. I have a feeling I'll be seeing you in Seattle before too long."

  Seattle. Chicago. Did it matter where in the world they were?

  As long as she was with Ryan, she was at home.

  Fifty minutes and counting. Ryan had ten more minutes to get here or Mariah was going to go back to the apartment and drag him out. Her fingers itched to grab her phone and give him a call, but then she'd stop. She had to trust that he'd show. He wasn't the stubborn, always right-never wrong man that she'd dated years ago. He wouldn't break his word, and he wouldn't hurt his mother.

  In the meantime, Mariah had posted herself close to the buffet and had already eaten through one plate of food and was contemplating a second trip. There was a carving station that she hadn't visited yet and the roast beef looked delicious.

  I definitely need to have some of that. But I need to save room for cake, too.

  As predicted, Knox was the hit of the party with any female under the age of eighty. He was a charmer, for sure, and flirted with everyone. At first, he'd tried to stick close to her, but she'd happily waved him off to the dance floor. She'd whispered in his ear that she'd be fine and to go have fun. These were people she'd known her whole life so she felt extremely comfortable without a date.

  "If my brother doesn't show up tonight, I'm going to kill him," Liza declared, sidling up next to Mariah. "And I'll enjoy every single minute of it, too."

  "You'll have to wait in line because he swore up and down that he'd be here."

  "He'd better. Mom and Dad have already asked about him."

  "He'll be here." Mariah smiled as she remembered Knox's words in the car. "You have to believe."

  "Mariah, where is Ryan?" Skip Harrington asked, entering the dining room. Ryan's dad Jack was with him. "I haven't seen him tonight."

  "He had some work to do but he should be here any minute."

  "That's my boy," Jack said with a smile. "Nose to the grindstone. He was always that way even when he was a kid."

  "A good hard worker," Skip said with a nod. "Ambitious and motivated."

  "Where's Seb?" Mariah queried, her gaze running over the room. "I hope he and his wife were able to make it tonight."

  She'd already greeted Lilly earlier when they both on the verandah getting some fresh air.

  "I'm not sure," Skip replied. "He's around here somewhere. Maybe he's outside."

  "I didn't see him arrive," Liza said. "And I thought I'd greeted all the guests personally."

  "He was a little late," Skip said. "But he's definitely here. Sandy, too. They might be dancing."

  "They're definitely not dancing,"

  That statement came from a deep voice behind Mariah.

  Ryan. He'd made it in less than an hour. Just as he'd promised.

  "Then they're probably outsi
de," Skip said. "This is a big house and grounds. They could be anywhere."

  "I really need to talk to Seb," Ryan pressed. He had a strange, intense look on his face and he'd barely acknowledged Mariah. His attention was firmly on Skip. "Can you send him a text and ask him to meet me here in the dining room? It's important."

  Something flickered across Skip's expression that Mariah couldn't quite identify. Fear? Anger? Perhaps something else. Either way, Skip didn't look too happy.

  "It's a party, Ryan. Can it wait?" Jack asked. "You can talk to Seb tomorrow."

  "No, I need to talk to him tonight. It's important. It's about the investigation."

  There was an awkward silence between them as the party went on around them. Ryan didn't waver for a moment, his gaze never leaving Skip. Jack kept looking between his son and best friend, frowning the whole time. It looked like he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to break the wall of tension.

  "How about I go look for Seb?" Liza offered in an overly cheerful tone. "I'll find him and bring him here."

  "That's a great idea," Ryan said, finally turning his gaze away from Skip. "I'll look for him, too. Between the two of us, we'll find him."

  Mariah opened her mouth to offer to help but never got the chance. Before she could get a word out Skip had grabbed her roughly by the arm, dragging her in front of him. A human shield between him and Ryan.

  Holy shit, had Skip Harrington murdered his own son?

  Am I next?

  27

  It was dead silent in the dining room. Ryan could hear the air conditioning kick on, the cool air floating on the back of his now damp neck.

  It took everything inside of him to outwardly act calm. Inside, he was screaming like an animal battering at the iron bars of a cage but he sure as fuck didn't want Skip Harrington to know that. He didn't want the older man to think that he was perturbed in the least.

  Especially when Skip had a knife from the nearby carving station to Mariah's vulnerable neck.

  "I won't let you hurt her. Just put the knife down, Skip. We can work this out."