Drake (Men of Versteck Valley Book 3)

by Erosa Knowles

  Tired from a night of partying with her sorors, Faith drank another cup of strong coffee while waiting for Gavin to finish his conversation with a few people. Her phone vibrated. Thinking it was one of her clients, she answered without looking at the caller ID, something she rarely did.

  “Faith Gardner.”

  “Hey, Sis,” her brother Alex said, his voice low, cautious. “You get my message? About the electric bill?”

  She glanced at Gavin over her shoulder and sat in a nearby chair. “Yes. I took care of it last night. How’s daddy doing?” Although she hated the answer, she always asked.

  “Better I think. He had company this week, and it seemed to cheer him up. Someone from the church stopped by to check on him.”

  Surprised, yet pleased that he showed signs of life or interest, both were preferred to him sitting in his chair looking out the window or at the television for hours. “Really? That’s great. Who came by?” Most of the church members stopped visiting a year after her mom died as if grief had an expiration date.

  “Some lady, older, said she knew mom. Claimed they’d been friends. From what I overheard, they talked mostly about mom. He laughed and smiled. I think it was good for him. I hope she comes back soon,” Alex said. Her brother was only 23, much too young to babysit their father much longer. They had put off the conversation regarding his care and what to do with her dad for two years. She hoped Alex wasn’t planning to leave right now.

  “Me too. Just hearing he enjoyed himself is a good sign. Make sure to tell the nurse when she comes this week. Did the lady leave her name or phone number?” Faith asked and held up her finger to Gavin when he walked toward her.

  “Not that I know of. I’ll ask Daddy. He may want me to call her or invite her for dinner or something,” he said.

  Faith held her breath with the sure knowledge her brother was about to ask her for money. He’d set the stage perfectly. Got her hopes up and happy about their father’s progress. But an invitation to dinner? That was the clue, the trigger to ask for money to make that a reality.

  “That’d be great,” she said, half-heartedly. If only he got a job and work, the financial drain on her wouldn’t be so significant. Thank goodness her father’s Social Security check went to an account that she alone had signatory rights otherwise her brother would blow through it as he’d done when he first moved back home.

  “Hey, can you send a few dollars? I’m broke and need to get a few personal items.”

  Surprised he hadn’t tried to dress up the request or tie it to their father, she was in a better frame of mind. “Oh? How much do you need?”

  “Whatever you can spare over $30. I’d really appreciate it,” he said, sounding grateful.

  “Alright. Cash app?” she would send it now before she left for her next appointment.

  “That’d be awesome, thanks, Sis. Did you want to talk to him?”

  “Will he talk?” Her father hadn’t talked on the phone in years.

  “I don’t know, but we’re talking more now than ever before. It’s not as lonely in the house, know what I mean?”

  Her heart squeezed as she closed her eyes in shame. It cost her brother to be alone with someone who rarely talked or responded, and he’d been there for over three years off and on. “I can imagine. If you think he’ll talk to me, I’d love to hear his voice.” She looked up and noticed Gavin talked to a few people and seemed to be having a good time. He met her gaze.

  “Alex at home,” she mouthed. He knew about her father and the situation and nodded.

  “I’ve got the phone to his ear,” Alex said.

  Heart pounding, Faith leaned forward cupping the phone and spoke softly. “Hi, Daddy. This is Faith. I miss you and plan to come see you soon. How are you doing?”

  “Faith?” His gravelly voice sounded nothing like it had before, but her heart still jerked in response.

  Her eyes welled up in gratitude.

  “Yes, Daddy. This is Faith. I miss you so much,” she whispered.

  “Miss you too, Pumpkin. Where are you? In the room?” he asked.

  She smiled and closed her eyes. “No, Sir. I’m at work. Alex is home with you. Who came to see you the other day?”

  “See me?”

  “Yes. Alex said you had company the other day. Who was it?” Her heart raced in excitement. This was the most they had talked in over five years. Lord, please let Daddy fully recover.

  “Can’t recall. Betty Glover came by the other day.”

  She frowned. Betty Glover? Her mom’s best friend from high school? The one who had dated her father first? The woman never forgave her mom for taking her boyfriend. “The woman you dated in high school?”

  “Think so,” he said sounding more like himself. “Been a long time. Long time.”

  Faith had no idea what to say about that. There were always two or three sides to every story, and she’d only heard her mother’s over the years. But if Betty was the one to breathe life back into her father, Faith was all for it. “I’m glad she came to see you. Tell her I said hello and I’m looking forward to meeting her.”

  “Betty Glover was here. Been a long time. Maybe she’ll come back to talk, said she would. Said she would,” he said.

  “She goes to your church?” Faith wondered why her brother said she was a church woman.

  “Church? Don’t know about the church. I haven’t been in a while. Maybe I’ll go to church one day soon,” he said.

  “He gave me back the phone,” Alex said a few moments later. “He sounded good, didn’t he?”

  “Yes. I haven’t heard him talk that much in years. I can’t wait to see him again. I’ll try to get home within the next two weeks. Thanks so much for hanging in there with him. I know it wasn’t easy.”

  “No, it wasn’t. But…he’s Daddy and I love that old man. He’s always been here for me, how could I do less? If he starts going to church, I’ll feel better about leaving him here during the day while I find a job. Maybe he can go to an adult center for part of the day, meet some friends and enjoy himself. I’d feel a lot better knowing he was with other people someplace. What do you think?”

  Overjoyed, she nodded. “That’s a great idea. Do you know of any nearby places or should I look for some?”

  “There’s a few within 5 to 15 miles. I’ll check them out first and send you the links. Once I’m working, I’ll pitch in to help pay for it.”

  Stunned by the offer, she quickly recovered. “Sounds good. I’m praying he’s getting better and goes to church to spend time with his friends which includes Betty, his old girlfriend,” she said standing.

  “Oh snap. You’re kidding? That’s who that was? I didn’t know. No one said anything,” Alex said. “No wonder the old man’s looking better. Someone’s interested. Nothing gets you moving faster than knowing you’ve still got it.”

  Faith laughed, promised to contact him later and disconnected. She sent him $50 and a smiley face.

  Gavin met her in the aisle with a concerned looked. “Everything alright?”

  “Yes! I talked to Daddy. He talked to me. It was a first in years. I’m clearing my schedule to go spend time with him as soon as I can.” Giddy with excitement, she accepted his quick hug.

  “That’s great news. I don’t blame you for being happy. Let’s get out of here before I have to explain to another person I’m not hiring right now no matter how talented their cousin is.” He grinned as they made their way toward the exit.

  Faith glanced at her watch.

  One of her clients, Audrey Gaines, a former fashion model, and MIT graduate, owned an upscale boutique in Buckhead not too far from the hotel. Faith had a meeting scheduled with Audrey and another attorney representing the interests of Audrey’s lover, an older man who had made millions in the technological industry during its early days.

  Faith glanced at her watch and hoped the car she ordered to pick her up and take her to Audrey’s home for the meeting wasn’t late.

  “Want to grab lun
ch?” Gavin asked.

  She groaned in disappointment. “I have to meet one of my clients for a meeting in an hour. What about dinner or late drinks?”

  He frowned. “I was thinking of flying home after I speak this afternoon,” he said.

  How had she forgotten he was on a panel? She needed to be back to hear him. “What time is your talk?”

  “Three-thirty. If you’re back before I finish, we can grab a bite to eat. If I don’t see you, I’ll send a text, and we’ll go from there,” he said smiling softly at her.

  “Seems we’re always zipping here or there. It would be really nice to sit down for an hour and just catch up. Yesterday, we talked about my professional problems. I want to talk to my friend, find out how he’s doing and eat some butter pecan ice-cream,” she said teasing him about his favorite dish.

  “Now you’re talking dirty, girl,” he growled smiling. “Go handle your business, make that money. I’ll see you later, and if not, we’ll talk soon.”

  She smiled and let him go with regret. “I miss you so much, every time we get together, I realize just how much.”

  “Hey, what’s up, Gavin?” a deep voice said from behind her.

  “Nothing much. I thought you were flying out this morning,” Gavin said looking up at a handsome guy with laughing gray eyes and a nice muscular body.

  He looked familiar, but Faith couldn’t place him.

  “Headed to the jetport now. Just checked out a few minutes ago and saw you. Did you enjoy the early speech this morning?” he asked. His gaze flicked from Gavin to Faith and back to Gavin.

  “Yes, Aunty Maxine was on fire, it was great. Drake this is Faith. Faith…Drake,” Gavin said with a slight smile. When he gave no other information about the man, Faith smiled and nodded.

  “Hi, Drake, nice to meet you.” She looked at her phone, the text said her car was out front. “Gavin, I hope we can get together later. Talk to you soon.” She waved and walked toward the exit.

  As soon as Faith walked off, Drake turned on Gavin. “No one looked remotely close to that in law school. Please tell me she’s not the friend who refuses to date attorneys. She’s hella-fine with those long legs, banging body, and sweet smile.”

  Gavin grinned. “She’s the one.”

  Drake dropped his head and shook it slowly while Gavin chuckled. “You’re wrong to laugh at my discomfort. What if she’s the one? What if she’s my soul-mate? I may never be happy in life again. Who knows what’ll become of me? I could roam the earth like a vagabond searching for relief or her body double for years.”

  Gavin’s laughter rang out.

  Drake smiled and slapped his friend across the shoulder as they walked toward the elevator. “Thanks a lot, now I know how you really feel.”

  “You’re a clown.” Gavin continued smiling and nodded at a gorgeous woman who caught his eye. “Lunch before you go?”

  “Yeah, it’s the least you can do,” Drake said as they stepped into the elevator. Since there were others inside, Drake waited until Gavin slid his card into the slot leading to the top floor.

  “I’ve got something for you.”

  Gavin nodded but didn’t say anything as they passed security and entered his suite. Drake looked around and headed for the kitchen for something to drink. He grabbed a bottle of water and returned to the living area where Gavin spoke to the concierge regarding their lunch.

  “Should be here in a few moments,” Gavin said as the man left.

  Drake sat on the sofa and checked his phone for recent messages. There were none. “Where do you want the update?” he asked Gavin.

  “Here?”

  “Asher’s going to give it to you on a conference call when you’re ready,” Drake clarified.

  Gavin nodded. “I forget how high-tech that man is. If only he’d consider a consulting gig with my company, I’d be a happy man.”

  Drake snorted. “You already use him as a beta-tester, that’s consulting. Don’t be greedy, Asher’s happy.”

  “That’s right, he’s got a family I heard. A son?”

  Drake nodded. “Colin’s a small genius who’ll win your heart the first time.”

  “Imani talked to Bonnie about the twins entering Higher Dimensions, but Theo’s against it. He’s not willing to move to Colorado, and that’s what would happen if the kids were accepted.”

  “It’s a tough school to get into.”

  “They scored high enough to get in,” Gavin said in a hard tone.

  Drake held up his hands. “Didn’t say otherwise. Lots of people want their kids in Higher D, that’s all. Bonnie’s really strict about maintaining the entry requirements.”

  “I don’t blame her,” Gavin said sounding mollified. “Theo plans to hire tutors that will replicate what they have at Higher Dimension.”

  Drake was done talking about the school and Theo’s kids. He liked Gavin, Theo, and Imani and refused to argue about pre-school admissions. “Sounds good.”

  “You can contact Asher,” Gavin said.

  “Before you’re interrupted with lunch?” Drake asked. The food would arrive at any moment. Someone knocked on the door. Drake looked at Gavin who stood to answer it.

  A waiter rolled in a cart with several covered dishes and placed them on the dining room table. Fragrant aromas filled the air. Drake’s stomach growled in delightful anticipation as he moved in the direction of the table. “Looks good.”

  Gavin thanked the waiter and locked the door behind him. “Have a seat.” He went into the kitchen and washed his hands.

  Drake looked at his hands, they looked clean. He followed Gavin and also washed his hands at the sink and returned to the table. Once seated, he filled his plate with lasagna and warm breadsticks before calling Asher.

  Asher answered on the second ring. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes, we just sat down for lunch. I’ll put you on speaker so he can hear you,” Drake said. He placed the phone on the table. “Go ahead.”

  Asher’s voice was crisp, succinct and to the point. “Ms. Blake hasn’t used any of her credit cards in the past week. Her cell phone of record has no outgoing calls or text messages. I think she has more than one phone and I’m searching for them. There have been no expenditures in any of the bank accounts we’ve identified. Not even a large withdrawal of cash which she would’ve needed in lieu of credit. My preliminary suggestion is to have boots on the ground to search her home, neighborhood, and places she frequented for additional information. We cannot guarantee flags won’t be raised. Based on past experience, when someone hasn’t accessed their finances or utilized their cell phone in three or more days, generally it’s because they can’t.”

  “She’s smart. A planner. I’m not ready to do more than search her home and only if it can be done without raising flags. Maybe she’s on a trip with a dead phone in the middle of Fiji with her lover or something.”

  “That’s a possibility,” Asher said, his tone neutral. “I’ll keep searching records but if she has credit cards in another name or access to funds through other means, finding her will be difficult and won’t happen in three days.”

  “Right. Right.” Gavin looked thoughtful. “Send someone in to search her house, scan, and videotape it. In and out without the neighbors being aware and no flags raised.” He looked at Drake. “I want you to go with them.”

  Drake nodded as he continued eating. He had planned on going anyway, but it was nice being asked.

  “How soon can you do it?” Gavin asked.

  “Tonight,” Asher said in that same smooth, neutral tone.

  Gavin looked at Drake.

  Drake nodded. “I’ll be leaving for the jetport when we’re done here. Plenty of time to hop a flight to Maryland.”

  “See you when you get in,” Asher said and disconnected.

  Gavin narrowed his gaze at Drake. “Don’t ever say I didn’t do something for you.”

  “What?” Drake looked at him in surprise.

  “I didn’t tell her you were
an attorney. You might have a shot.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Audrey Gaines opened the door and welcomed Faith inside. Tall and willowy, with a long neck and legs, she moved with elegant precision. As a natural redhead with porcelain skin, high cheekbones, large green eyes, and a slender frame, Audrey had been in high demand during the days she modeled while a student at MIT.

  “Something smells incredible,” Faith said taking a deep breath while looking around. All her clients were in relationships with extremely wealthy men who provided for them in various ways. Audrey had owned this home in an exclusive Atlanta neighborhood before she and Claude entered their relationship 6 years ago, but he completely renovated and refurnished the house to her exact specification.

  “I’ve been trying my hand at baking and thought I’d make scones for this meeting. They’re hot. Would you like coffee or tea or something stronger with yours?” Audrey moved with fluid grace as if she were still on the runway as she turned toward the kitchen under the assumption Faith had agreed to sample her baked goods.

  “Tea’s fine,” Faith said following. “You’ve got to tell me how you remain in such good shape baking and cooking like this. I’d be big as a house if I did any of this.” Faith took a seat at the large granite island and inhaled deeply. “Those smell really good. If you could box that scent for an air freshener, it’d sell millions.”

  Audrey stopped pouring hot water into a large mug and stared at Faith. “You think so?”

  Faith smiled. Audrey was a model client and a good person with a large heart who donated thousands to charities. She rarely complained and took Faith’s advice as gospel. When she wanted something, she made sure she had everything Faith would need to get the job done, especially with some of the patents on her inventions.

  “You’re always tinkering on some new invention. Honestly, I don’t know. What I do know is I’d love my house to smell this good without turning on the stove,” Faith said. The aroma reminded her of her childhood when her mom baked cookies and cakes for the church bake sale and would allow her to lick the bowl. Her lips curved at the memory.