York Ellis, another family friend, sipped his drink. “If that’s what he told Tiffany, he lied.”
Everyone turned to stare at York. “Why would you say that?” Jonas Steele asked.
“I did a background check on him right after Tiffany introduced him to me,” York said.
“You’re kidding, right?” Sebastian Steele asked.
“I am not kidding,” York replied.
“What made you do that?” Mercury’s best friend, Jaye Colfax, asked.
“I have an uncanny ability to read people. The guy seemed to get a little nervous when Tiffany introduced us, especially after she mentioned what I did for a living,” York said. He was a former police officer who currently owned a security and private investigative firm.
“How did you do the background check so quickly? Did you contact someone in your network?” Sebastian inquired.
“No. That would have taken too much time. The information came to me through this,” York said, holding up his wrist to show an expensive-looking gold watch. “Don’t let all this gold fool you. It’s high-tech. All I have to do is pretend I’m touching my nose to angle the face of my watch to a person’s eyes. Bingo. Some people don’t realize that facial recognition on devices is the way of the future. My watch told me everything I needed to know.”
“So, what did you find out?” Morgan Steele asked, a deep frown settling on his face.
When York hesitated, Donovan Steele said, “If you know anything else, spill your guts.” He placed his cue stick down on the table and stared at York. “Tiffany is my niece.”
“Ours, too,” Sebastian and Morgan said.
“And she’s our cousin,” Galen, Mercury, Jonas, and Gannon Steele chimed in.
York stared at the men. “And if I had any more information, what would you do with it?”
“Tell Chance and demand he end their engagement,” Morgan said.
“Do you honestly want to do that?” Xavier Kane, another family friend, asked. “Tiffany isn’t a kid anymore. She’s a twenty-six-year-old woman. She might not take too kindly to anyone sticking their noses into her business. Besides, young people are known for stretching the truth about their wealth. That’s nothing new. Cameron and I did it all the time in college,trying to gain entry to certain parties on campus. Those were the parties with the best food. You guys need to chill. If Palmer hasn’t killed anyone, I don’t see why there’s a problem.”
“That’s the opinion of a man who has sons and no daughters,” Virgil Bougard−the father of two daughters−said, shaking his head.
“Yeah, those of us with daughters definitely think there’s a problem. The guy’s dishonest. I say we tell Chance,” Donovan said.
“I say we don’t,” Tyson Steele said, speaking up for the first time. “I agree with Xavier. I hear it’s not cool to let anyone know you’re broke these days. Young people make up stories about their wealth all the time.”
“But they don’t lie to the woman they intend to marry,” Galen Steele said, disagreeing with his brother.
“I agree with Xavier and Tyson. Gary Palmer hasn’t broken any laws. His financial status and social class are between him and Tiffany, and we should mind our own business,” Bronson Scott, race car driver extraordinaire, said as he lined up his shot.
As if the majority had decided to follow Bronson’s advice, a conversation between the men started up again. Everyone was listening to Mercury, a sports agent, discuss a high school kid he was keeping an eye on for a potential future NBA deal.
When there was a lull in the conversation, York grabbed another beer and added, “Oh, and just so you all know, Gary Palmer isn’t his real name.”
**
The room got deathly quiet. No one moved, and all eyes stared at York. Finally, Sebastian spoke. “What do you mean, Gary Palmer isn’t his real name?”
“Because it’s not,” York responded. “I’m not sure if it’s an alias or if he changed his name at some point.”
“Why would anyone want to change their name?” Reese Singleton asked.
“Trust me, I intend to find out,” York said, taking another sip of his beer. “My men are on it.”
“The fake name is a game changer,” Bronson Scott said. “I was trying to cut Palmer some slack, but this smells fishy.”
“Listen, guys, I suggest that we not jump to conclusions until York finds out more. The guy might have had a reason for changing his name. We need to know all the facts,” Xavier said.
