What the fuck is that? Mr. Bill?
His voice soft, Bill said to the waitress, “Not now, Red. But bring me a cigar, doll.”
Red?
Doug ordered a drink and a cigar, then turned to me when the waitress left. “As you know, your dad’s been having me watch Bexley.” Cocking his head toward Bill, he said, “And he knows you’ve been watching her.”
I stared Doug down, hoping he promptly washed his mouth out with soap. I didn’t even like her name rolling off his tongue.
“Your dad has an interesting theory,” Doug said.
I scoffed. “All the way from his vacation in Hawaii? The ass picked up and left the day after I was arrested.”
“Well, he and I have been talking. Yes.”
“Please enlighten us.”
Red appeared with the drinks and smokes, making a big show of cutting Bill’s cigar (not Doug’s), and lighting it for Bill (again, not for Doug).
After taking a puff, Doug continued. “Your dad thinks Bexley is somehow involved with the drugs. Her and that cheap whore, Milly.”
Furious, I glared at him. “Hey, no need to call anyone a whore, Doug. She’s happily married to Mike. Remember him? You two used to be friends a long time ago.”
Mike let out a dark chuckle. “Since when are you Mr. Reasonable? She’s been fucking a guy up in Reno for a year, Aston.”
“What?”
“Yep. She’s unhappy, underserviced or unsatisfied by your man, and she’s porking some medical sales rep every day and freaking night she can. Every chance she can get it, she’s hopping on it.”
“How do you know this?” I asked, not wanting to believe it.
“She meets Bexley for coffee and then hightails it out of there to fuck this dude.”
“Okay, enough,” I said sharply. “There’s no way either of them did this.”
I denied their involvement, even though Milly had crossed my mind. But he was talking about Bexley, and she wouldn’t do this to me.
Memories swept over me of Bexley crying ...
At Milly and Mike’s wedding. When I let her go for good.
When Piper needed surgery, tears streamed down Bexley’s face as she waited at the hospital all alone.
For just a moment, the idea had legs. I’d hurt her, more than once. Was this a revenge scheme? After all, I didn’t know Milly was screwing around, so how could I be so sure about Bexley?
“It’s likely, Aston,” Doug said smugly over his cigar.
Looking at my guy, I said, “Bill?” but Doug interjected.
“What the fuck does this guy know? He’s been eye-fucking the redhead for ten minutes.”
Bill glared at him. “I’m hearing every single bullshit word coming outta your trap. How the hell would two bitches turn Federal into a drug trafficking operation?”
“I never said they were dumb,” Doug said with a smirk.
I didn’t correct Bill’s use of the wordbitchesbefore he abruptly stood.
“I smell a rat. Text me when you have a job for me, AP,” Bill said, then stalked out.
