by Cora Brent
Curtis hesitated by the door. I got the feeling he wanted to say something. I knew he didn’t believe me when I said there was nothing strange going on. But even though we’d always gotten along great we didn’t have a pattern of spilling our guts to each other. Besides, Curtis had a lot going on. He worked hard and he was trying to raise one little brother while trying to figure out how to get his other brother out of the gang life he’d chosen. The guy had his own problems. Sharing mine with him would have been a selfish thing to do.
Curtis crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe.
“Look, this is gonna sound corny as fuck,” he said, “but I’m around, Dalton. I’m around if you ever need anything. All you’ve got to do is ask.”
He looked me right in the eye and I didn’t doubt he meant what he said.
For a second I thought about telling him. About John Jones, about the warning from Cami’s reporter friend. About all the things I may not have known about Hale.
But all I said was, “See you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow,” Curtis said and I thought he sighed after he walked out.
The rest of the day went smoothly and I could almost forget about the visit from Jones or whoever he was. I didn’t plan on telling Cami. She’d worry. Worse, she’d investigate. An old buddy of mine was on the Phoenix police force, a detective. It wouldn’t hurt to give him a call.
But all the while in the back of my mind I kept thinking about something. Hale had always walked on the edge. Even when we were kids. Always pushing the envelope and earning his reputation as a troublemaker.
Yet there was also another side to him. The side that helped me nurse a fallen falcon back to health and tossed endless pitches to me in the backyard so I could practice my swing. He did that even though he never liked baseball.
Hale was never an open book. There was always so much he kept to himself. I knew he was no angel but all things considered I also knew that beneath the layers of toughness he’d built up over the years there was a good heart.
Yet I was still afraid.
The worst had happened and I’d lost him but I was afraid of his secrets. I kept asking myself the same question over and over.
What did you do?
CHAPTER SEVEN
CURTIS
Cami and Dalton arrived right as Cassie was placing a big bowl of spaghetti on the table. Dalton carried a bakery box filled with iced sugar cookies and Cami made a point of telling us she had not been responsible for their creation so therefore they were quite edible.
Dinner conversation was light hearted and cheerful, mostly thanks to the combined efforts of Cassie and her twin. They finished each other’s sentences and shared amusing stories about growing up under the overprotective thumb of Cord Gentry. I’d heard most of these stories before and I’d bet that Dalton had too but I appreciated that they were trying to keep the mood upbeat. And twice their tales made Brecken laugh so hard that he snorted his milk out of his nose.
Across the table, Cassie caught my eye a few times and I could tell that underneath her bubbly attitude she was uneasy. There were no secrets between us so I’d told her everything I’d seen and heard at Dalton’s office yesterday. She didn’t know what to make of it any more than I did. All we knew at this point is that there was more than one sketchy dude sniffing around for rumors of Hale Tremaine’s activities.
Cami found me in the kitchen after I volunteered to get the dinner dishes cleared up while everyone else went outside to enjoy the sudden breeze in the air.
“Hey there, married lady,” I greeted her.
She flashed a smile and pointed to the sink. “I’m not the best cook but I know how to stack a dishwasher.”
I moved over to make room. “Be my guest.”
“There’s a thunderstorm in the distance,” she said, taking the dinner plate I’d just rinsed and sticking it in the lower shelf of the dishwasher. “They’re all out on the patio watching the lightning get closer.”
I handed her another plate. “Did your sister talk to you?”
Cami nodded. “She briefed me on the phone earlier about what happened yesterday.”
“Did she also tell you that someone was asking around about Hale at Scratch?”
Cami’s long hair concealed her expression as she stacked another plate. She didn’t answer the question. Instead she closed the dishwasher and looked up.
“Yes.”
“Any ideas?”
She grimaced. “I think that guy who showed up at Scratch might have been a reporter. Not one from my paper. But I knew there were questions being asked.”
“Why?”
“There’s something I haven’t told Cassie yet. I barely knew how to bring it up to Dalton and when I did he seemed so sure it couldn’t be true.” Her mouth twisted into a frown. “I don’t know what to think.”
I switched the faucet off and met her gaze. “I’m listening if you want to talk.”
Cami looked down at her hands and twisted her new wedding band. “I love him so much, Curtis.”
“I know you do.”
“I can’t stand the idea of anything else hurting him.”
“What is it, Cami?”
She stopped twisting her wedding band. “Hale might not have been a good guy. He was Dalton’s big brother and Dalton loved him so I did too. I knew there were a lot of things he kept to himself but I always figured maybe Hale was kind of like Uncle Deck, rebellious and nonconformist in some ways but strong and compassionate in the end.” She rubbed her eyes. “Now I think I just made that part up. In reality I might not have known him after all. Maybe Dalton didn’t either.”
That had been hard for her to say so I didn’t interrupt. I listened while she kept talking.
“The Phoenix area has had problems with human trafficking for years,” Cami continued. “I know a lot more now that I work for the paper. A few high profile sex traffic rings have been busted lately, all tied to the drug trade. I got a tip from a colleague that Hale’s name was linked up with some pretty brutal people. The businesses they own are really just a front for illegal and altogether reprehensible activities. They get young women, many of them underage, hooked on drugs and then trapped in a gruesome cycle of dependence and prostitution. These girls are basically turned into sex slaves. My god, it’s so horrible and heartbreaking and I can’t blame Dalton for denying that his brother could have been part of that.”
I digested Cami’s words. I’d known enough lowlifes in my time to be unsurprised by anything people were capable of. “And what do your reporter instincts tell you?” I asked.
She shuddered. “I think there’s a lot of ugliness in the world. And I hate to think it might have been so close. But right now I’m worried about Dalton.” She scrutinized me. “You’re worried too, aren’t you? I can tell. Cassie always said you’re not good at hiding your feelings.”
I didn’t want to lie to her. Anyone who would victimize young women in the manner Cami described would be capable of anything.
“I think Dalton ought to keep his elbows out and face the possibility that these fuckers his brother was involved with might not be going away.”
She winced. “Okay. But Curtis, can you do something for me?”
“Name it.”
“Please don’t say anything to my dad yet.”
I didn’t like that request. “Don’t you think Cord would want to know what’s going on?”
“Naturally. My dad always wants to know everything that’s going on with us. But he’ll make himself sick with worry and these days he’s got his hands full. He’s trying to run the business so Uncle Deck doesn’t have to think about anything while also trying to help Uncle Chase keep his family from falling apart.”
“What do you mean? Did they find out what kind of charges Derek will be facing?”
“No. His attorney is still thinking he’ll be able to plead down. But it’s more complicated than that. Kellan told his parents he thinks Derek’s an alcoholic. Dere
k was between apartments so he was staying at home for the summer and Aunt Stephanie found some empty bottles in his room. Uncle Chase is especially crushed. I’m sure Cassie’s told you about our family, about the struggles with addiction. My grandparents, my uncles, tons of extended relatives from Emblem. Those battles run deep through our bloodline. I guess there was hope it had passed this generation by.” She slumped against the counter. “But it didn’t.”
Cami looked so miserable I felt like I had to say something.
“Look at it this way,” I told her. “Now Derek can get the help he needs.”
“I’m not so sure.”
“What do you mean?”
“Derek’s not doing very well right now. He hates himself for what he did, for what he’s putting his family through. He says he’s not going back to school. He knows his legal fees are costing his parents a fortune. And then on top of that there’s the possibility he’ll be going to prison.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, thinking again about how I might have prevented these events from unfolding.
“It’s not your fault,” Cami said. “My sister told me what happened at the wedding. Don’t blame yourself.”
There were voices as the sliding glass door to the patio opened. Dalton and Brecken were talking about the current major league baseball standings and discussing which team had the best pitching rotation.
Cami grabbed another plate. “We should get these dishes loaded.”
A moment later Cassie found me industriously loading the dishwasher beside her sister. She and Cami exchanged a look and I saw Cami nod in response to whatever silent question her twin had asked her.
“I think it’s time for dessert,” Cassie said, forcing a smile. “Let’s crack open that box of cookies.”
Cami dried her hands on a dishtowel. “That sounds great,” she replied in a perky voice that betrayed no hint of worry. “I’m ready for a sugar rush.”
Thunder rumbled outside while we sat around the table with coffee and cookies.
“I told Thomas I hit a homer with his favorite bat,” Brecken said with pride. “He thanked me for taking good care of it.”
Dalton hadn’t touched his coffee or taken a bite of dessert.
“How is Thomas?” he asked and I remembered how Brecken had mentioned his best friend, who lived and breathed baseball, hadn’t been attending the intensive summer camp training session he’d signed up for. I noticed Cami leaned forward as she waited to hear the answer.
Brecken swallowed an entire cookie whole.
“He’s okay,” Breck said in a funny voice and when he glanced my way I realized he was holding something back. If Thomas had told Brecken something in confidence he’d be unwilling to spill his guts.
Dalton stared at my brother. “If you talk to him, please let him know we miss him on the field.”
Brecken squirmed. “I will,” he said.
Cami and Dalton didn’t hang around for much longer. I was half hoping Dalton would pull me aside to explain more about what happened yesterday but he’d been quiet tonight. Not rude, just preoccupied. I felt like we were all dancing around a forbidden subject and nobody wanted to be the first one to stop moving to the music.
“What’s up with Thomas?” I asked Breck when Cami and Dalton were gone.
My kid brother let out a sigh. “He feels weird about going back to play at Dalton’s field when his brother is technically the one who killed Dalton’s brother.”
Cassie gathered the coffee mugs. “Dalton doesn’t hold a grudge, especially not against Thomas. He had nothing to do with what happened.”
Brecken shrugged. “That’s how he feels. The whole thing’s fucked up. Sorry, I mean messed up.”
I wiped the table down with a damp dishtowel.
“No, it is fucked up,” I said.
Brecken yawned. “I’m gonna head to bed. Good night, Cassie.”
“Good night, Breck.”
“Good night, kid,” I said.
Instead of heading to his bedroom, Brecken suddenly swerved and grabbed me in a ferocious hug. He was getting pretty strong, this baby brother of mine.
“I couldn’t take it,” he said, his voice cracking.
I was alarmed. “What?”
“I couldn’t take it if something happened to you, Curt.”
I patted his head and hugged him back “Nothing’s gonna happen to me, Brecken.”
“And Tristan?”
Hearing the name of my other brother always set off a bunch of conflicting emotions. Ever since he dropped out of school and returned to Emblem, Tristan was rarely in contact and the last time I’d heard anything from him was four months ago. And even that was just a ten minute check in call. Tristan was out of my reach and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. But I couldn’t say that to Breck, not when he was feeling so vulnerable over lost brothers.
“Tristan will be fine too,” I said and hoped like hell it wasn’t a lie.
Brecken backed off and wiped at his eyes, obviously embarrassed by the surge of emotion that would be considered totally uncool by fifteen-year-old boy standards. He muttered another good night and closed the door to his bedroom.
Cassie watched him go and set down the coffee cups in her hand. I held out my arms and she came to me without a word. When I kissed her she kissed me back with hungry eagerness and we said nothing more as we moved to our bedroom and shucked our clothes off.
We had things to talk about. We had to talk about Cami’s suspicions and Dalton’s possible danger and Brecken’s fears and the sad realities hanging over the Gentry family.
But we could deal with all of that later. Right now we just needed to get lost in each other for a little while.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Dalton
She was still upset. That bothered me more than anything else. More than Hale’s criminal past or the menacing visit from John Jones.
Last night on the ride home after dinner Cami asked me if anything strange had happened at work the day before. I didn’t have to be a genius to figure out what happened. Curtis must have told Cassie about walking into my office as I muscled that sleazy Jones character out and Cassie had obviously shared the story with her twin sister. I understood. Curtis was no fool. He came from a dangerous background and could recognize a problem when he saw it.
Cami was quiet this morning as she picked at her breakfast muffin. I set a few slices of newly fried bacon on the table as a truce gesture and she managed a slight smile.
“Is Izzy still supposed to get out of the hospital today?” I asked as I sat down across from my wife.
She chewed a crisp bacon slice. “Hopefully. I’ll call my mom later to confirm.”
“I can have some flowers sent to welcome her home.”
“That would be nice. Get her daisies.”
“Camille?”
She looked up, her green eyes troubled. “Why didn’t you tell me, Dalton? Why did I have to hear from Curtis and Cassie that some goon showed up at your office and started handing out threats?”
“I didn’t want to worry you.”
“Didn’t want to worry me?” she mocked as she pushed her chair back in a huff. “I’m your wife, goddammit. If you’re worried, I’m worried. We’re a team.” She reached over and tapped the wedding band on my left hand. “That’s what this means.”
“I know.” I picked up her hand and kissed it. “I’m sorry.”
Cami softened and moved to sit in my lap. I wrapped my arms around her, enjoying the feel of her body.
“I put in a call to Andy yesterday,” I said.
“Your detective friend?”
“Yeah. He took down the information and said he’d see what he could dig up. Since there were no explicit threats and the guy almost certainly didn’t give me his real name it might be hard to pin him down. Andy said the whole thing sounded like a fishing expedition, some low rent con who probably knew Hale a little and is looking to cash in somehow.”
She snuggled agains
t me. “He might be right. Organized crime bosses probably don’t pop up at baseball fields and speak in riddles.”
I held her for a long moment as the clock ticked away the seconds and then Cami squirmed and raised her head, staring out the window.
“The quail family is back,” she said.
“I’m glad to see the coyotes haven’t gotten them.”
She swallowed. “Dalton, there’s still a distinct possibility Hale was tangled up in something horrible.”
I’d been trying really hard not to think about that. It was hard enough to mourn my brother without facing such possibilities.
“We don’t know anything yet,” I said.
Cami sighed. “Anita approached me yesterday. She came across some new leads on that story about sex trafficking in the valley. It’s bad stuff, Dalton. Drugs, underage girls, forced prostitution. She’s found more than one connection to Hale.”
“Wouldn’t the cops know more about that than a reporter?”
“Maybe not. Or maybe they do and they were building a case. I don’t know. I have limited information because it’s not my story.”
I brushed my hand across her cheek. “It’s not just a story, Cami. It’s my brother.”
She closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them they were bright with tears. “Maybe it’s not true. You probably knew Hale better than anybody. Sometimes things aren’t what they seem and this certainly doesn’t seem possible, does it?”
I would have liked to tell her no, that it wasn’t possible. A few days ago I would have been able to do so without hesitation. Now I wasn’t sure. And the conflict was eating me up inside.
How do you deal with the possibility that someone you loved and trusted your whole life might have done terrible things?
I didn’t know the answer to that anymore than I knew how to answer Cami’s question so I kissed my wife and said, “I’ll wrap up your bacon so you can eat it on the road.”
When Cami was gone I tried to call Andy but it went straight to voicemail. After ordering daisies to be delivered to Cami’s cousin in celebration of her homecoming, I pulled up another contact on my phone.