by Jamie Begley
She could weather any storm with him. It was only when he was gone that her fears got the better of her.
“You know what?” She rubbed her cheek lazily against his shoulder, like a cat seeking attention.
“No. What?” Using the arm under her neck, he curled it to encompass her into his warmth.
“It might have taken you a while, but you do make a great friend.”
21
The sound of the bedroom door opening had him tightening his arm around Jessie.
The morning sun was just coming through the white sheer curtain, so he was able to see who was standing in the doorway.
Dustin’s eyes met Holt’s. Neither said anything before Holt backed out, shutting the door silently behind him.
Carefully, so he wouldn’t wake Jessie, he pulled himself out from her hold. Sitting sideways on the bed, he then put his boots on and grabbed the hat that he had thrown on the chair before sitting down on it with Jessie.
He quietly left the bedroom, going to the small kitchen, where Holt was making coffee.
Holt was a year older than Tate. His craggy-lined face showed the toll Jessie’s kidnapping was taking on him.
Sitting down on one of the stools at the counter, he put his hat next to the other one. “If you have something to say, say it.”
Holt didn’t turn around as he took two cups out of a cabinet beside the stove. “They identified the body. It’s Miranda Scott.”
“Fuck. Her husband didn’t notice she was missing?”
He had gone out with Miranda before he dropped out of school. She married her high school sweetheart, Jackson, right after they graduated together.
“I’m sure Knox will be asking Jackson that same question when he gets the report from Frankfort,” Holt said, setting a cup of coffee down in front of Dustin.
“He’s going to be pissed you found out before him.”
Holt looked at him from over his cup. “You going to tell?”
“No.”
“Then there’s not going to be anything for him to get pissed over.”
“I’m surprised you’re not going to make sure you don’t get to Jackson first.”
“I don’t want to be the one to tell him that his wife is dead. I’ll give Knox time to notify him.”
“Then …?”
“Then Jackson and I are going to have us a little talk.”
Dustin didn’t envy Jackson. Holt wasn’t a man to lie to get away with it. The only reason that the Porter and the Hayeses hadn’t escalated to physical violence after their fathers had started the feud was because each had known there wouldn’t be a winner left breathing.
Finishing his coffee, Dustin stood up.
“You want me to text you when I’m done talking to him?”
Dustin shook his head, putting his hat on. “No thanks. I better be going. I have an appointment at eight.”
Dustin didn’t expect to get off scot-free about spending the night with Jessie, and Holt didn’t disappoint.
“If you hurt her again, I’m going to do to you what I’m going to do to the man who kidnapped Jessie seem like child’s play.”
Dustin didn’t flinch away from Jessie’s brother’s hard stare. “Fair enough. I wouldn’t expect anything less. G’day, Holt.”
Holt gave him a polite nod back, showing he wouldn’t be nice to give him another warning. “G’day, Dustin.”
Dustin smoothed down the suit jacket he had found on the sales rack at Harvey’s Suits. The business was one of the first ones in Treepoint, in the same lackluster brick building that saw less and less customers entering its door each year.
Everett had given him a deal on the suit for doing his accounting, throwing an alteration in for advising him on his money. The old man was the grandson of the original owner and was barely making ends meet, so Dustin had carefully chosen something for him to invest in with what money he had.
Staring at the fancy print on the door, Dustin opened it and went inside, putting on a charming smile when he saw the office was empty.
“Morning, beautiful.”
The woman behind the large, expensive desk preened when she saw him. “Good morning, handsome.” She gave him a beaming smile that Dustin knew she had paid for after working three months as a receptionist at his competition’s accounting firm.
He hooked a leg over the corner of Shelly’s desk, giving her a flirtatious wink. “Thought I’d stop by and see if you wanted to do lunch this afternoon?”
Shelly turned in her chair to lay a bold hand on his upper thigh. “Why didn’t you just text me?”
Dustin leaned forward, using his knuckles to brush the generous cleavage that she was showing above the seductively unbuttoned black blouse. “Because I only have time for lunch, not the two hours it will take to meet you at the hotel.”
Her lush, lipstick-stained red lips pouted up at him. “We could meet for thirty minutes to take the edge off, then finish tonight,” she suggested, moving her talented fingers higher toward his dick.
Dustin took her wrist, moving it back down from his thigh to his knee and placing his hand over hers to keep it in place. “Can’t meet you tonight. I have a late appointment.”
“You’re no fun anymore.”
“Been busy.”
Shelly moved her hand away. “Is one of the things that’s been keeping you busy Jessie Hayes?”
Dustin leaned toward her, taunting her with his mouth but stopping before making contact with hers. “Have I ever had any problem keeping more than one woman satisfied?”
Shelly hungrily licked her lips. “No, I can’t say that you have.”
Dustin teasingly straightened on the desk. “Behave. Your boss will be in at nine, and I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble again if he sees me here.”
“That old coot complains about everything anyway,” she complained but straightened in case someone did come through the door. “If you don’t have time to meet me at the hotel, then I guess I’ll have to take what I can get. Twelve good?”
“Works for me. You have anything in the breakroom to tide me over until then?”
“I stopped at the diner and brought in some Danishes. You want one?”
“Please. Have you made coffee yet?”
“No, but I’ll make some just for you.”
Rising, Dustin dodged Shelly’s kiss by turning his head. Her lips landed on his cheek instead.
“You’re a lifesaver.”
Smiling, she hurried out of the office.
Dustin fluidly went to the files that were kept in the cabinet behind her desk. It took him precious minutes to find the one he was looking for. Seeing it, he slid it out of the cabinet, closed the drawer, and slipped the folder under his suit jacket, tucking it into the back of his pants. Sitting back on the desk, he made sure the back of his jacket covered the folder.
He was idly swinging his foot when Shelly returned.
Rising, he took the pastry and the Styrofoam coffee cup. “I’ll stop by at twelve and walk with you to the diner.”
“Make it five after. Mr. Day leaves at twelve.”
“Good to know.” Giving her a wink, he took his goodies and left.
Eating his pastry on the way to his car, he saw Day driving into the parking lot as he was driving out. The old buzzard gave him a snooty wave as their cars passed each other. Dustin would rather flip him off but returned it with one that wouldn’t make trouble for Shelly.
In his office, he locked the door before taking out the files he had nabbed from Day’s office.
Taking a seat at his desk, he opened Jackson’s file, unashamedly going through his information.
“Dumbass would do better hiring me,” he snorted, flipping over to read another page.
Jackson and Miranda had no money problems. Scanning the numbers quickly, he calculated the sums before he even reached the total on the bottom.
They had a healthy bank balance for Jackson’s middle-class job. The couple didn’t have many expenditure
s and lived frugally, but not enough that it would affect their relationship.
Memorizing their home address, he closed the file and put it in his drawer. He would smuggle it back into Day’s office when he took Shelly to lunch.
Picking up his cell phone, he called Greer. He had told his brother about Miranda’s body being identified when he had gone home to change.
“Yeah?”
“Has Knox talked to Jackson?”
“He’s in the interview room with Jackson now.”
“Why aren’t you in there with them?”
“Maybe because I wasn’t asked.”
Dustin let Greer’s snide remark slide over his head. With his brother’s irritating personality, he had learned to do that at a young age. Otherwise, he would have gone to jail for killing him a long time ago.
“How are we going to find out anything if you’re not listening?”
“I didn’t say I wasn’t listening, just that I wasn’t in the room with them. I’m listening in the office next to the interview room.”
“Jesus, why didn’t you just say that?”
“You didn’t ask.”
Dustin had to bite back what he wanted to say. Picking up a pencil on his desk, he broke it in half to make himself feel better before he was able to spit out his next question.
“What’s he saying?”
“That Miranda was supposed to be with her mother and father in Florida. She was supposed to be back this coming weekend. He just thought she was busy with her parents and hadn’t called.”
“They have a kid. He didn’t think it was strange she hadn’t called?”
“Apparently not. Says she goes to visit them a couple times a year, and she never called then either. She always says that’s her mommy break—whatever the fuck that means. I don’t know.”
“Didn’t her parents call when she didn’t show?”
“It was a surprise visit for their twenty-ninth anniversary.”
“Kaley didn’t think anything of not talking to her sister for so long?”
“Miranda and Kaley have been on the outs for a while. They didn’t speak or see each other anymore.”
“Wonder why?”
“Don’t know. If you shut the fuck up, I can listen.”
Dustin broke three pencils while he waited for Greer to come back to the phone.
“They had a falling out over Kaley fooling around with The Last Riders,” Greer said when he came back to the phone.
“Has Jackson already given a DNA sample?”
“Yep.”
“It didn’t match the sample found on Jessie?” He didn’t think it had, or Knox would have brought Jackson in for questioning before now.
“Nope.”
“Do you happen to know where their kid is now?”
“I’d imagine in school.”
“Thanks. Text me when Knox is done with Jackson.”
“Will do. Make damn sure you don’t get caught. I ain’t paying for Diamond to get you out of a breaking and entering charge. I’ve bought that woman the last pair of shoes she’s getting from me.”
“I’m not a kid anymore. Don’t forget I’m the one who got you into Diane’s apartment.”
“Ain’t forgetting, just telling you to be careful. It takes one nosy neighbor to call it in to the police about someone snooping around, and the next judge you go in front of might not be so nice.”
“Sutton’s father was never nice,” Dustin countered.
“Nice-ish.”
Dustin disconnected the call. He was out of pencils.
Taking the file from his desk drawer, he locked his office, then walked down the steps, making his way out of the building. As he walked toward his car, he saw Shade sitting on his motorcycle.
Dustin spoke first when he was close enough. “Hey, Shade.”
“Dustin.”
His curiosity was aroused when Shade got off his bike and said, “Got a minute?”
“Several,” Dustin answered, opening his car door and putting the file inside. Then he closed the door before turning back to Shade.
“I heard that Frankfort identified the woman who was found.”
“Really? Who was it?” Dustin feigned surprise.
The cold Last Rider’s eyes turned glacial. “I’m trying to return a favor. Don’t waste my time. You know it was Miranda Scott.”
“You’re right. It’s old news to me.”
At his ready admission, Shade reached into his jacket pocket and took out an envelope. “Miranda’s son isn’t Jackson’s. He’s Charles Wells’.”
He didn’t have to feign his surprise this time when he opened the envelope, seeing the pictures of Charles and Miranda together.
“Just because they were together, that doesn’t necessarily mean he was the one who got her pregnant.”
Shade arched a mocking brow at him. “He’s Charles’. I don’t make mistakes.”
Dustin put the pictures back in the envelope. “Thanks. I appreciate the information.”
Shade lowered his sunglasses as he got back on his bike. “I didn’t do it for you.”
His curiosity was further aroused. “Then why did you?”
“Two reasons. One, to pay back the favor that Greer did for Penni. He still looks like shit, so I don’t want him wasting his energy to help you. Secondly, for Jessie. I’m giving you a head start. If I see you aren’t getting anywhere, then I’ll find the person who did it myself.”
“I wasn’t aware you’re friends with Jessie.” Dustin wasn’t embarrassed at the tinge of jealously that Shade could hear in his voice.
Shade’s expression remained the same impassive mask he always wore. “I’m not. I just don’t want the sick bastard who killed one woman and hurt Jessie anywhere near my wife. And until you find out who it is, neither Lily nor any other women in town are safe.”
“I see. I’ll tell Greer you repaid Penni’s favor.”
“Don’t bother. He’ll deny he did anything.”
Dustin laughed. “Don’t I know it? He’ll brag about how big of an asshole he is, but when he does something nice, he’d rather chop off his tongue than admit it.”
“If you find out who it was, and you need anything, let me know. I don’t mind getting my hands a little dirty, and none of the brothers would either.”
Shade started his motorcycle. Guessing the friendly rapport was over, that he had done what he set out to do, he drove off as Dustin was getting into his car.
Checking his cell phone, he saw that Greer hadn’t texted him while he was talking to Shade. He then drove to the neighborhood two blocks over from Miranda and Jackson’s home.
Opening the glovebox, he took out the pamphlets he had printed up for his accounting service. Making his way through the neighborhood, he went from door to door, tucking them under the doors or inside the screen doors. When he reached the block that the Scotts lived on, he paid attention to if TVs were playing inside, or if they had cameras on the outside.
Thankfully, Jackson’s house was at the end of the block, and he recognized the names on the neighbors’ mailboxes who hopefully were at work and not paying attention to the house he was stealthily sneaking behind.
Once he was out of sight, he took out the gloves he had in his suit pocket and jimmied up the window. Climbing inside the laundry room, he gave a quick scan as he made his way out. Seeing an open bedroom door, he walked inside.
Searching through the dresser, he made sure to put the items back in place before looking through the nightstands and then the closet. He didn’t see or find anything out of the ordinary, so he went through the rest of the house.
They had Bibles throughout the house. One was even on the side table beside the couch.
Going to a shelf beside the TV, he browsed through their DVD titles. There wasn’t even a computer or tablet that he could find.
“Psh,” Dustin scoffed through his teeth. “Damn, these two wouldn’t know what fun was if it bit them on the ass.”
The
y had been married for years, yet the most exciting thing they had in their bedroom was a guitar. They spent their life at home, reading the Bible constantly and only watching Christian movies. Hell, the only alcohol in the whole house was the cooking wine he found in the back of one of the cabinets. He was bored to tears just searching their house.
Climbing back out of the window, he made his way back to his car.
Driving toward Day’s Financial Services, he made sure the black BMW of the arrogant prick wasn’t in the parking lot before he parked.
Hiding the purloined folder, he went to meet Shelly. As soon as he walked inside the office, she took her purse out of the desk.
“I’m ready.” Smiling, she came from behind the desk, running a familiar hand down his chest.
Dustin gave her a critical glance. “You sure you don’t want to go to the bathroom to freshen up? Your lipstick is gone, and that shade of red you had on this morning had my dick hard as a rock.”
“It did?” She flattened her breasts against his chest as she tried to wind an arm around his waist.
Dustin pulled back. “Yep.” He lowered his lashes, giving her a seductive look that had her thinking he was hungry for more than food.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time. You can’t hurry perfection.”
Dustin nearly gagged at himself at that one, but he managed to keep his expression composed until she was out the door.
Hurrying toward the filing cabinet, he replaced Jackson’s folder, then immediately started searching for Charles’. He was counting the seconds off in his head when he found it. Removing the folder, he was about to close the drawer when the folder behind it caught his eye. Snatching that one, too, he put both folders behind his back and used his shin to close the lower drawer in one movement.
He was standing in the same position when Shelly came back.
“Is this better?” Giving him a sultry air kiss, Shelly wiggled her finger for him to come closer.
Dustin knew exactly how she planned to spend the rest of her lunch break.