“Fuck.”
Kane ran his hands through his dark hair. “Yeah. But no one came back last night. I set a few things in place before I left, and none of them were disturbed. Same with your place in town. I’ve got cameras on the doors to monitor there, too.” Knowing Kane, after I’d gone to bed, he’d probably started setting things up. “What’s your plan, Drake?”
I thought for a second. “Hayden, can you call Ewing and ask how long Milano has been offering?”
“Sure. Let me check really quick.” Hayden walked a few steps away, his phone to his ear.
Mariah sat at Kane’s feet, and my brother looked at me, waiting for the plan. I started with the obvious. “I need to flush this bastard out. It’s not just letters and bank offers. They came to my house. For Lex.”
“How are you going to do it?”
Hayden walked back to us. “Ewing said he’s been getting offers for about three years. Until about six months ago they weren’t worth entertaining.”
“That would have been when Lloyd was still alive.” I needed to find Dad and see what he had found out. “Do you know where Dad is?”
Hayden said, “He’s in the shop out back. He mentioned he wanted to speak with the princess when he woke up.”
I shoved my brother, and Kane chuckled, adding, “More like the pissy princess, if you ask me.”
As I started to the back, I shot them both the birds again. Mature, I know. But that was all I had at the moment. I mean, come on… prissy princess? We still acted like we were right back in high school. Some things never changed. I called over my shoulder. “You guys might want to hear this if you’re done being immature assholes.”
They caught up with me, and I explained. “I asked Dad to look into Lloyd’s accident.”
“You think it might not have been one?” Kane asked. The fact that he hadn’t made a joke about it told me he probably agreed with my thoughts on the subject.
Glancing back at the house, I saw Lex at the window. She waved and gave me a smile.
Kane hit me on the back of the head. “You’re an embarrassment to the Foster name. Stop getting that stupid-ass grin on your face, or I may have to disown you.”
To really aggravate him, I put my hands in the shape of a heart then pointed to Lex. I could see her laughing in the window. Kane muttered and stalked off to the barn. Hayden just shook his head. I said, “I can’t wait till that dipshit falls for someone. I’m going to make so much fun of him.”
“Yeah… me, too.” We’d walked a few more steps when I asked, “You thought any more about that girl?”
“I’ve tried not to.” Hayden’s entire demeanor changed. If anything, he probably hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. There was a new intenseness about him.
Of course, I had to press on. “And how’s that working out for you?”
“Not good. I got an address for her.”
Whoa. That was a serious step for him. “And…”
“I don’t know.”
This time I shook my head, wanting to bang his head against the wall. I had been in this miserable purgatory not too long ago. And I should have gone after Lex. It would have saved us a lot of heartache. Instead of reminding him of that, I went at it from another angle. “Well, she must not be that great considering how much thinking you’re doing. Was probably just a piece of ass to tap for the summer.”
In the next second, I was ducking to keep Hayden’s fist from connecting with my face. “Don’t say that about her,” he spat.
“That’s what I thought.”
That made Hayden stop, and he stood there with his fist cocked, ready to deal another blow. “What?”
“My advice? Go after her before it’s too late. You obviously care about her. Don’t deny it. Just don’t get into a situation like I was in with Lex. You can’t go back in time. I should have gone to her and talked things through when I was in New York. Not just assumed she was with Hollis. We wouldn’t have spent the last two years miserable if I had. And if something had happened to keep us apart forever, I would have spent my life regretting it and wondering what if.”
His mouth opened and closed a couple of times. And I kept walking. “Think about it. But don’t think too long.”
We made it to the shop, Hayden still deep in thought, his brow creased. Hopefully he wouldn’t dick around.
Kane had left the door wide open and was sitting on a chair, looking at blueprint plans. “Are those the final ones for Hollis’s cabin?”
“Yeah, it looks simple enough. We’ll be able to knock it out in no time.”
Dad was standing at the table, measuring some wood for some piece of Hollis’s furniture. “Hey, Dad.”
“Morning. How’s Alexa?”
“Good. Better today. We’ll see.” I was still worried how this was going to affect her. Considering she left the bed this morning, I assumed she wasn’t ready to talk in depth about it. And I understood her needing time. She had always needed time to process things.
He nodded to himself. “I think that’s about all that can be expected.” He set aside the freshly cut cedar and took off his work gloves. “I talked to Roy. I assume you brought your brothers up to speed?”
I nodded.
Dad finger-combed his hair, displacing some wood shavings in the process. “Well, I told Roy we were working on safety manuals at the lumber yard and forgot the details of Lloyd’s accident. I thought that wouldn’t raise suspicions. When he went to locate the file, it was gone.”
“Gone?”
Dad nodded, his face solemn. This wasn’t sitting well with him, either. “Gone. No record of the digital or paper file. It’s got him poking around now.”
Shit. That wasn’t good. “So… Lloyd’s investigation mysteriously disappears. Someone is hiding something.”
Dad’s eyebrows were drawn in concern. “I agree with you. I honestly didn’t believe it to begin with. But it gets more suspicious. After Jim left your place, we had lunch. We’d planned to meet up after we talked at the Fall Festival. He told me about dropping off the box for Alexa. So, I asked nonchalantly what had ever come of the investigation into Lloyd’s death. I remembered that one moment his office had been swarming with investigators, and the next, his name had been cleared.”
“What’d he say?”
“They’d been combing through his files, making sure everything was in order. Things like whether the machine had been serviced properly or had any of the men been over their allotted hours. The normal. One thing in particular they’d focused on was the maintenance. Jim couldn’t understand why. The next day, they came in, packed up shop, and closed the case.”
“That seems abrupt.”
“Jim thought so, too. But he figured they realized he’d followed all the laws and exceeded any requirements. The guys told him the machine had been out of oil and seized up. He figured there’d been a leak in the line somewhere.”
A machine that size would have left a sizeable puddle if the oil had been leaking. Lloyd would have noticed it. “Did Jim think it was odd?”
“Son, when you’ve been in the industry as long as he has, you understand that machines stop working. It was a logical conclusion. Why would he think someone might be after anyone? When those people packed up and left, he probably thought good riddance. A guilty man wouldn’t share that type of information. He’d sidestep the question.”
Maybe.
But none of this was sitting well with me. And by the looks on my brothers’ faces, they agreed.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Drake
Kane and Hayden left to head to their houses, and I sat on the back porch, trying to organize my thoughts. Mom walked out on the back porch with a plate of food and a cup of coffee. She handed both to me. “Hey. Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all. Thanks, Mom. I needed this bad.”
“Alexa thought you might.”
I smiled into the cup as I took a drink.
She took the seat beside me.
In the distance, I could hear the saw in the shop as Dad kept working on the furniture. It was oddly comforting since it was a childhood sound I’d heard all my life.
“So, how are you doing?”
I took a deep breath. “Honestly, Mom, I feel like I’m barely keeping my head above water. It seems like trouble is coming from all angles.”
“Well, I’ve given the same advice to Alexa. Make sure you’re making time for you.”
I sat back, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I’m trying.”
“I know.” She placed something on my knee, and I opened my eyes. Shit. The ring. I’d forgotten about it last night. “I went into your room to do a load of laundry and found this. I didn’t think you’d want Alexa to find it.” She paused, and I turned to face her. “Don’t waste a lot of time waiting for the perfect time. Do it when it feels right.”
I stared back at the ring. It felt like a beacon on my knee. I wanted nothing more than to give it to her. But I wanted the moment to be something that she would cherish for the rest of her life. And with all that we had going on, nothing felt like that moment.
“Drake, why don’t you take a walk, clear you head? Just take some time to breathe.”
My head was a mess. Maybe some normalcy would help clear it. But I couldn’t leave Lex. I stood and gave Mom a kiss on the forehead. “Thanks.”
Walking into the house, I found Lex in the kitchen sifting flour. I slipped my arms around her waist.
“Hey.” She sweetly greeted me with a kiss.
“Hey, how are you doing?”
“Good. Better than I thought I would be. I’ve been baking to help with the church cookie walk this week.”
As I stared into her gorgeous eyes, I didn’t see any signs of distress. Lex squeezed me tighter. “I promise I’m doing okay. I mean I’m not to the point where I want to stay at our place by myself, but they didn’t get to me. And we’ll just have to be smart while we figure this out.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket, but I didn’t take it out. Lex raised an eyebrow. “Check to see who that is. Make sure that you’re not missing something.”
I checked my phone. It was from Moochie.
Moochie: Impromptu card night at my house. You in?
I must have taken too long because Lex asked, “What is it?”
“Just Moochie wanting to know if I’m going to play cards. I’ll let him know I’m not coming.”
One of her eyebrows raised. “I think you should go.”
I gawked at her. “I’m not going.”
“Oh yes, you are.”
There were times I thought she was certifiably insane. And the determined look on her face had me stopping this in its tracks before it started. “Lex, last night someone tried to break into our house.”
“Tried. They didn’t. And I’ll be here with your parents tonight.” She took a step away from me. “Drake, you need to go. I’ll be fine.”
It was then I realized it wasn’t me she needed to convince. I saw it in her eyes. There was some fear there, but she was trying to face it, to believe the words she was telling me.
“Okay, how about a compromise. I’ll play a couple of rounds of cards, but I’m not staying late.”
Leaning up on her tiptoes, she gave me one of those sweet kisses I could never get enough of. “Good. Have fun. Win lots of money.”
“I will, baby. Love you.”
“Love you, too.
I grabbed my keys and headed out the door. As I walked to my truck, I got another text from Moochie.
Moochie: You coming?
Me: I’m on my way.
Moochie: Good. Bring beer.
* * *
I took another sip of my beer, pacing myself to make sure I could drive home. Moochie and I sat on the back porch, shooting the shit. His wife, Amber, had gone to Ketchikan with their two kids. The rest of the guys hadn’t been able to make it. As it turned out, Mom and Lex had been right. This had helped clear my head and get my thoughts back on track.
Moochie held his beer to mine. “So, you and Alexa still good?”
“Yeah, it seems like we were able to pick up where we left off.”
“Good. I’m glad. You guys always seemed good together.”
I tossed my bottle in the trash. “Thanks. I better be going. Next card game is at my place.”
“Perfect. I’ll let the guys know.”
In my truck, I rolled down the windows and headed back to my parents’. Tomorrow, we’d try to get back to our normal lives; me at the Red Onion and Lex at the clinic. It was going to be tough being away from her. Somehow, we’d have to work out a system that gave her independence but let me know she was safe at the same time.
I pulled into my parents’ driveway. My brothers were there, too. It felt good to have us under the same roof, united against whoever was out there.
I walked in the house and followed the sound of a movie coming from the living room.
Lex turned around from her spot on the couch. “Hey. We’re watching Die Hard. Your mom and I were outvoted.”
Hayden threw popcorn at her. “You wanted to watch Pretty Woman. No way in hell.”
“Might as well take my manhood away before I watched that sh—stuff,” Kane added.
I chuckled, joining Lex on the couch. “I’ve got to say, I would have voted for Die Hard, too.”
“Traitor,” she teased and gave me a quick kiss as she snuggled into my side. This was perfect. Through all the craziness, we could still find our normal.
But I knew the darkness wasn’t far away.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Drake
It had been a hell of a long day. I swore, everyone I knew came into the bar to talk about the recent Fall Festival debacle. Hell, the entire city council was up in arms about the complaints. Thank goodness, we had Hollis’s welcome party to diffuse the situation.
I dragged my feet up the stairs. So far, Lex hadn’t asked much about what Kane had found, so I hadn’t volunteered the information. We did agree that for this week, I would follow her to work and Hollis would follow her home. And the following week, we’d reevaluate the situation. It was a joint agreement to help keep us all living our lives but being cautious at the same time.
I opened the door to find Lex sitting on the couch with a glass of wine. Tonight, we were staying at my apartment over the Red Onion. “Hey, honey, I’m home.”
“Hey, how was your day?”
“People were bitching about the Fall Festival. You are my hero for suggesting the welcome party. Otherwise, I think all the council members might be in trouble.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, the patients complained to me, too. Since I’m Raquel’s sister, I guess they think I have some sort of sway over her. But then they hugged me and Hollis for saving the town.”
This town and the Fall Festival. Who would have thought? It was then I noticed the white box that had been in my room at my parents’ house now sat on the ottoman. “You still debating?”
“No, I don’t think so. I’m going to open it tonight. I feel ready, but I wanted you to be here with me.”
This got my attention. The last time Lex wanted to read something from her dad she did it alone, which had led to a whole mess of issues. This time, we’d face it together.
I joined her on the couch as she lifted the lid from the box. On top were several framed pictures. Picking up the first one, Lex smiled. “Look at this.”
She turned it toward me. It was a picture of the three of us fishing on the dock. “That was a good day.”
“It was.”
It had been the first decently warm day of spring. We’d gone fishing on the dock on the piece of land Raquel had inherited. It had been a day full of laughter. That night, we’d eaten fresh fish cooked over an open campfire and just enjoyed each other’s company.
With her index finger, she traced the image of her dad, her breath growing a little shakier. I remained silent, allowing Lex to guide the conversation. She set the first pictur
e aside and picked up the next one. It was a family photo, which she quickly put down. As was the next, and it was put down immediately. The rest of the box held awards Lloyd had won. At the bottom of the box was a file folder.
She opened the folder and began to read, and I waited to see what she said. Her eyes grew wider and she gasped. “Why does he have this?”
“What is it?”
She showed me the paper. The first page held test results. Paternity test results. Alexa’s name was written on the top.
99.99% probability of paternity
“He did a paternity test on me? Why?” She took the paper back and continued to read. She turned to the next page. “It was from a hair sample. A hair sample? When did he take a hair sample from me? I was in college when these were done.”
“A hairbrush would have samples they could use.”
Lex stared at the paper, her expression unreadable. “Why would he doubt I was his child?”
“What does the rest of the paperwork say?” Hopefully there were answers. What in the hell had Lloyd been thinking? It was obvious she was his, considering how much Lex favored him, physically. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.
She kept flipping the papers and suddenly stopped. She let out an audible gasp, and her hand flew up to her mouth.
“What is it?”
“Raquel isn’t Dad’s. If I’m reading this right, he’s not her father.”
She handed me the paper. On the top, Raquel’s name was printed just like Lex’s had been.
.01% probability of paternity
The date on the report was four weeks before the accident. “Did you notice the date?”
Her eyes blinked a little more rapidly. “Yes, mine was two weeks after Raquel’s.”
“So your dad tested Raquel and then checked you?”
“Yes. This makes much more sense. So much more.”
The pieces were fitting together for Lex, but so far, she wasn’t filling me in. I let her work through it. At some point, she’d clue me in.
Intoxicated By You_An Exposed Hearts Novel Page 19