Or it’s more like Slate didn’t want to say out loud and confirm what Bobby had already revealed. This Iris was Bobby’s casual hookup. They had sex.
I should be jealous, but I’m not. What stands out is that Bobby tried to help her and was wrapped up in her problems. He offered her his comfort, and she took advantage. Didn’t I do the same when I asked for his help with Gwen’s overdue tuition and he offered five thousand in exchange for twenty-four hours with him? Who does that? Apparently a guy with a soft spot for women in trouble.
“I spread the rumors, man.” Miguel stands up. He blows out a breath. Remorse lines his face. “Sorry, bruh. Joey’s my cousin. He told me first that you were the true owner of Crimson, not Dom. I was so pissed I wanted to hurt you. The best way to do that was to say you led Carlos to his death.”
He slumps into his chair.
“Then the crew would hate you more when Joey gave up your identity.” He clenches and unclenches his hand that’s on the table. “It’d be easy to convince José and Ty that violence and not keeping the peace and being patient with the detectives were the answer. We’d trash Crimson and burn it down to the ground. That’s how I wanted José and the crew to get closure.” He hangs his head.
My chest aching, I go to him and wrap my arms around Miguel’s shoulders from behind. “You loved Carlos like a brother. All of you did.” I glance around the room. “Carlos was Bobby’s mentor. He helped him and Dom get the business off the ground. Bobby wants to rebuild and revive East Alexandria in Carlos’s memory. He can’t do it without your help.” I put the pieces from our past conversations together.
“I also have his old cars.”
My head snaps up. I stare at Bobby. “Wha . . . what did you say?”
“All the old cars that were sold for next to nothing after his death by the guy who owned the garage where they were kept. I found them, bought them all, and plan to get them fixed and running. In his memory.”
My eyes tear up. I hurry to Bobby. He meets me halfway and picks me up by my waist. I wrap my arms and legs around him. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” I clasp his face in my hands. His beautiful, sea-glass eyes sparkle like jewels. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Of course I did, sweetness. His cars mean something to you. You need something to touch and look at to remember him by, just like the hoodie you put on when you get cold after dinner.”
“How—”
“It’s the same one he was wearing when he broke down on the side of the road.” He grasps my chin and brings my face near his. “Invisible strings, Ever. The strings have been leading me to you, sweetness.”
He walks us back to our seats with me wrapped around him. “Like a baby koala,” he says near my ear. I smile.
He pulls back my chair and sets me on my feet. Before he sits, he extends his fist to Miguel. “All’s forgiven, brother.”
Miguel nods. “Brother.” They fist bump.
I sit with my hands clasped in my lap. I cannot wait to get home and jump Bobby’s bones.
“Give us what the detectives have,” José asks. He gestures for the servers to clear the table.
“A new detective,” Bobby says. “Fresh blood who can look at the evidence with fresh eyes. He went over the report. Nothing in the report said the cigarette butt they found at the scene of where the sniper would’ve been, from the trajectory of the bullet, was sent for DNA analysis.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
I don’t glower at Ty. I’m feeling the same intense anger and disbelief.
“Believe me, I asked the same.” Bobby unravels a heart-shaped napkin. “Detective Monroe sends his apologies. The cigarette butt is on its way to the lab.”
“But that won’t identify the killer unless his DNA is in the system, right?”
“Right, sweetness.”
“So how will they catch him?”
“I have a hacker friend. I gave him Iris’s and Jules’s numbers.”
I punch him in the arm. “I thought you deleted all the women’s contacts from your phone.”
Slate holds up his cell. “I have them, Ever. For safekeeping in case shit like this comes up.”
I relax in my chair and apologize to Bobby for my burst of jealousy.
“Forgiven, Ever.” He slides his hand under my hair and squeezes my shoulder. “My friend is running a scan on incoming and outgoing calls on their phone. I’ll hand the list of names over to Detective Monroe. I told him about Iris. He talked to her, and she has a solid alibi. The only one left who would hate my guts for taking Iris from him is the ex. Detective Monroe will bring in the guys on the call list and get their alibis.”
