by Jill Sanders
“Thanks.” Addy grinned. She’d always liked Rea. There had been a time when the entire town had gossiped about the woman. How she’d married a white man and had a bastard son, then how she’d driven her husband to kill himself and how Brian had turned into a psychopath. Addy knew that her mother had taken part in most of that gossip. Still, Rea had been nothing but kind to Addy and everyone else. Addy had grown up knowing that most of what her mother gossiped about wasn’t true. After all, hadn’t her mother said as many terrible things about her?
Trent rubbed the dirt and grease from his hands and straightened up. “All done. But just to be safe, I’ll follow you back to your place.”
He heard a soft chuckle from Tom and glanced over in time to see the man turn away.
“That won’t be necessary,” Addy said, walking to her Jeep and getting in. “Thank you both.”
“If you’ll stop by the station tomorrow, you can fill out and sign the paperwork for your insurance claim,” Tom told her.
“Thank you,” she said again, then shut the door.
“You’ll have to work harder for that one,” Rea said, patting Trent’s shoulder lightly as Addy drove away. “You know I’ve always thought of you boys as my own.” Her brow crooked as she looked at him. “So I’ll be frank. She’ll be worth it. Women like that only come around once in a lifetime. If you’re lucky enough to catch her, never let go.” Rea had always been there in the office when they needed her. If their folks had been busy, Rea had always had time for them. She gave his face a soft pat before she walked away, holding Tom’s hand in her own.
Trent made his way to his truck and, on a whim, decided to follow Addy home anyway to make sure nothing was wrong at her trailer. If someone went to the trouble of puncturing her Jeep tires, a feat impressive on its own, he wondered just how far someone would go to prove to her that she wasn’t wanted.
When he arrived, her Jeep was parked next to her trailer and the lights were on inside her small home. He sat across from her spot for a few minutes until he noticed her lights go dark, then pulled away slowly, keeping an eye out for anything that seemed out of the ordinary.
As he drove back to his mother’s house, he thought about the private meeting he’d had the day before. It appeared that the case against Dennis Rodgers was halted, due to the fact that all the evidence was now lying in a pile of black ash in the NewField building.
He’d been told that there were only a handful of invoices left after the fire and that most of the proof against Dennis had gone up in smoke.
It appeared that NewField’s computer systems had been hacked about a month ago and most of their data for the past few years had been wiped clean. Even the corporate office was relying on paper copies at this point.
Rea had hard copies of the invoices that were due, but the proof that Dennis had embezzled money was gone. There was proof that Dennis was a partner in a business called R&R, which had made an offer for McGowan Enterprises. But that wasn’t enough to lock him up. After all, it wasn’t against the law to start a business and try to buy another.
They had the keys from Dennis’s key ring that matched the padlock which had been used to keep Kristen locked up in the cave. Mike had informed them that Dennis was claiming that they coerced a confession from him. He was recanting everything, claiming his confession was beaten from him.
The whole ordeal made Trent sick to his stomach. Kristen and Tyler were taking it better than he would have thought. Especially after they found out that Dennis could be out on bail in less than a month.
Trent parked his truck behind his mother’s sedan, making sure to leave plenty of room for his brother’s truck to leave.
Somehow, he had known that there would be a family powwow after the town hall meeting.
“Well?” Trey said the second Trent stepped inside.
“Well?” he responded, hanging his jacket up and placing his shoes on the rack he’d made in seventh-grade shop class. “What?” He turned to Trey.
His younger brother crossed his arms. “You’re not getting past me until you tell me . . .” The rest of his words were drowned out as Trent tried to push his way past his little brother.
Okay, so they were pretty equally matched now as far as size went, but the fact that he would always be the older brother gave him the upper hand. Once they wrestled their way into the living area, both of them felt the sting of having their ears pulled until they separated.
“Enough.” Their mother glared down at them as she held their ears in either hand. “If I remember correctly, I set a rule when Trey was eleven that there would be no more wrestling in this house ever again.”
She released their ears and they fell apart.
“Sorry,” they said in unison.
“Now, if you’re done pretending to be eleven, why don’t you both sit down so we can talk about our next move?” She narrowed her eyes at them.
“Move?” Tyler chuckled from his spot across the room. “Why do we have to . . .” His words dropped away with one look from their mother.
“Okay,” Gail said after she finally sat down. “Now I saw you change Addy’s tire tonight, Trent. Was it slashed?”
He glanced over at Trey and knew that’s what his brother had wanted to know before everyone else.
“Yes ma’am.” He leaned back in the chair. “Whoever did it didn’t have time to finish the job . . . they left her spare and the three other tires alone.” His voice trailed off and he sighed. “I made sure she got home okay.” His mother nodded with approval.
“I can ask Mike to add a few more drive-bys this week at the park where she’s staying.” Tyler leaned forward.
“Okay, now that that is handled, how did word get out about our deal with the Lenz land?” Gail looked around the room as if she were looking for the leaker.
“When I went to North Dakota to pick up Bessy, I overheard Addy’s boss, Beau, talking about it with her. Apparently he’d been approached by a few men here in Haven who passed the information on to him.”
The room was silent. Then their mother spoke again. “Did she mention who it was that told her boss?”
“No,” Trent sighed.
“Okay, who knew about the deal?” Gail asked.
For the next hour, they went through a list until they had it narrowed down to a handful of workers. Then they talked about the fire at NewField and speculated who could be behind it. Everything circled back to Dennis and his goons.
“It is important to our plans that this purchase fly under the radar as much as possible so nothing goes wrong. Thankfully Addy was enough distraction that no one focused too much on it. But you can guarantee that someone will put two and two together and start asking questions.”
“Until we know something further, maybe Trent should keep a better watch on what’s going on in the camp?” Trey rubbed a suspiciously smirking lip. “Besides, he doesn’t seem to mind too much hanging around Addy.”
This earned Trey an elbow in the ribs from his mother.
“Hush,” she scolded and turned to Trent. “As I was about to suggest, I know you’ve been doing your part to keep an eye out, but is there any way you can get some more information from Addy on who the leak would have come from? We need to know exactly how much they know and their source.”
A chance to hang out with Addy more? And all under the guise of doing his job? Hell yes.
“Sure,” Trent said, as if it were no big deal. “If we’re done, I have an early-morning meeting with a moose.” He stood up.
“What would it take for you to bring that beast over my way?” Tyler asked as Trent started for the door.
“A case of beer,” Trent called back. “And your firstborn named after me.”
As he left the room, he heard Tyler chuckle and Trey respond, “That price is too high.”
CHAPTER SIX
Addy stayed busy the following few days. She had arranged her team and divided them into groups, appointing heads to each department.
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p; Minnie, a retired schoolteacher turned activist, organized meals. Helen, another retiree who had been an RN, took charge of lodging, making sure everyone had a place and enough blankets and wood for fires.
Addy figured Helen could keep everyone in line as far as making sure the men and women weren’t bouncing between tents. Helen had a strong view that “her camp” not turn into one big orgy. Addy knew she’d chosen wisely.
She’d put Estelle, a young former legal assistant, in charge of banners and signs and organizing events.
Doug would handle the men’s housing needs since most of them seemed to bunk together.
Having this small team lightened Addy’s own load so she could spend more of her time doing research.
Early Monday morning, she stopped off at city hall, an old faded-pink building that had once boasted a public swimming pool, playground, and a small library. Now, however, the building was in disrepair, and the pool had been filled to make a giant parking lot. A new public library had been one of Martha’s first achievements. The new building sat only two blocks away and was a beautiful sight to see with its massive two-story walls of dark glass and rows and rows of books. Addy wished it had been there when she’d been in school. She would have spent most of her evenings there instead of locked in her own room, trying to avoid her parents.
She knew there were plans to redo the old city hall building as soon as the new elementary school was finished. But where was the town suddenly getting new funds from?
She spent almost three hours locked in a back room at the city building, scouring files until her eyes hurt. She pulled out her reading glasses, which she only used when her eyes grew tired, and continued to go through the financials of several businesses in town. Including McGowan Enterprises. The city only had tax information for the past year, before the brothers took over. They were set to file this year in the coming month. But she could glean some information to build her case.
She knew that Thurston McGowan, Trent’s father, had been a good businessman. It was evident with the profit noted on the taxes he’d filed that last year.
Still, with the rumors floating around town that the brothers had easily doubled their father’s prior-year profits since taking over, she wanted to get her hands on the most recent documents. She knew that they had purchased one local competitor’s business and forced another out of business.
The McGowans were okay guys—she’d trust them with most things—but something just wasn’t feeling right. They had some big secret they were keeping from the population of Haven. And Addy was determined to figure it out.
“Doing some homework?”
She jerked her head up and peered over her reading glasses at Trent, standing in the doorway of the tiny room. His arms were crossed, stretching his crisp white T-shirt tight over his chest and shoulders. His longest layer of hair now barely brushed his collar and the shortest hung just below his dark eyebrows. He must have gotten it cut. He was wearing a pair of jeans that should have been illegal in their worn, snug fit. He still looked dangerous, but . . . not as much as before.
“No.” She glanced back down at the stack of papers and shifted them so he wouldn’t see she’d been looking into his business.
“What are you doing, then?” He walked over and took the folder before she could tuck it away. “Oh, that’s what. Snooping.” He tapped the oaktag against his hand.
“I am not!” she said indignantly. “I’m doing my job.” She watched his smile grow as she shook her head. Her eyes moved to that sexy dimple, and she noticed it was deeper when his face was clean-shaven.
“Your job requires you to snoop on my family’s business?” He leaned against the desk beside her.
“Yes and no.” She pressed her forehead. How was it possible her mind turned to jelly when he was close to her? “I’m not snooping.”
“Right.” He drew the word out and set the folder down in front of her. “If not snooping, then . . .” He waited.
“Research.” She crossed her arms.
His eyes stayed glued to hers. When he finally shifted, he tapped her glasses lightly with his fingertip.
“You’re sexy as hell in these.” This threw her completely off-balance.
She reached to remove her glasses, but he stopped her.
“Why the fear?” he asked, and this time, he hooked her glasses with his finger and pulled them from her nose. “Every time I compliment you, I see it deep behind those crystal-blue pools.” He leaned closer until they were almost nose to nose. “See, there it is again,” he said, almost under his breath.
“I’m not . . . I don’t . . .” She blinked a few times. He was too close. Too big . . . Too . . . perfect.
“I wonder . . .” He dropped off and his eyes traveled down to her lips. “What would replace the fear if I kissed you?”
Her breath locked in her lungs, and she was thankful she was still sitting down, because she doubted her legs would have held her up.
Her eyes slid closed and she leaned closer to him, only to be left waiting. When her eyes snapped open, she saw that he had moved back a few inches and his eyes were roaming her face.
“When I kiss you, I want to watch your eyes fill with passion,” he said softly. “Another time.” He stood up and flicked the folder. “If you want to know more about our company, come in and talk to Rea. She’ll be happy to give you some updated info.” He turned to go but stopped at the door. “Addy.” He looked over his shoulder at her. “Don’t be fooled. I will get that passion from you. Soon.” He left the room, leaving the door open behind him.
She sat there for almost a full five minutes until she could get her heartbeat back to normal. Wow, her mind kept saying over and over. Just wow.
After she left city hall on still-shaky legs, she made her way to the grocery store. She was running low on supplies again and desperately wanted a gallon of mint–chocolate chip ice cream.
Addy had her cart almost full when she bumped solidly into Darla. She was pretty sure Darla had swerved her cart toward hers, but didn’t have the energy to fight her old best friend. She knew way too much about Darla. What kind of person she was and what she’d do to gain attention. Addy could tell that her old friend wanted to cause a scene.
“Adrianna.” Darla’s smile told Addy she used her full name just to get under her skin.
“Darleen,” Addy replied and watched the heat behind her former friend’s eyes. “I see your eye is better.”
Addy smiled when Darla reached up and touched the spot she’d blackened. “If I had a witness, I would have sued you. You and your parents.” Darla’s smile unfurled further. “It’s not as if your daddy doesn’t visit the Spot enough when he’s in town. That is, when your tight-ass mother isn’t running him ragged.”
Addy eyes narrowed at the woman. “There is nothing you can say to me about my parents that would ever hurt me.” She moved her cart around Darla’s easily. “You should know that about me by now.”
“Oh.” Darla turned her almost-empty cart around and followed her. “I guess that’s true, seeing as they don’t think you are good enough for them. Tsk, tsk.”
Addy knew better than to take the bait, but she was curious to find out how far Darla would go to get at her.
“Good enough?” She glanced over her shoulder as she picked up a carton of ice cream from the freezer.
“Yup—that rich out-of-towner took Tyler right from you. Not good enough there either. I heard they’re getting married.”
Addy smiled, remembering that she’d made Darla believe she’d been interested in Tyler only to help find out what had happened to Kristen when she’d been kidnapped. It was funny, but in all her years of dealing with the McGowan brothers, Trent had been the only one she’d had eyes for. “Yes, I’m very happy for them.” She placed her favorite ice cream into her cart and moved down to the frozen veggie section.
“And Trent.” Darla made a tsk noise again.
“What’s wrong with Trent?” Addy asked, placing a f
ew bags of frozen broccoli into her cart.
Darla leaned closer and, with a stage whisper loud enough for the whole store to hear, said, “Oh, just that he was telling me the other night that he’s moving out of his mother’s house.” She rattled her cart for emphasis. “I think he’s going to move into the apartment above the Spot. You know, to be closer to me.”
Addy chuckled as she thought about Trent having to deal with Darla every day as he went home. “Have fun with that,” she said and pushed her full cart to the front counter.
“You don’t believe me?” Darla followed her. “You never did believe anything I had to say.” She jogged in front of Addy, leaving her cart in the aisle. “You won’t believe me when I tell you that I’m pregnant either.” Her loud statement caused several eyes to pivot their way.
Addy looked deep into her old friend’s eyes and saw the truth. “No, I do believe that. Congratulations.” She almost patted Darla’s shoulder but caught herself. “I wish nothing but the best for you.”
That seemed to stop Darla in her tracks, but if there was one thing you could say about the woman, she recovered quickly. “It’s a McGowan.”
Several gasps sounded behind Addy. “Now that I don’t believe.” Addy turned back to the checkout. “You should have stuck to the truth.” She started unloading her items to be scanned.
“You’re right. It’s actually your father’s,” Darla hissed, but not so low that others couldn’t hear.
Addy jerked her head around and searched the woman’s face. Suddenly her stomach rolled and her vision grayed. Her hands went boneless against the soup she’d been holding. The heavy metal can hit her square in the toe as it fell, but she didn’t feel the pain. Her father’s? Her parents weren’t perfect, but her father cheating on her mother? Never! But the certainty in Darla’s eyes . . . she felt her world tilt.
Turning back to the clerk, she shook her head as her vision blurred. “I . . . I’m sorry, I have to . . .” She rushed past the group of people who had gathered to watch Darla’s show. When the fresh air hit her face, she bent over the nearest bush and lost her lunch.