“You did?”
“Yeah. I was desperate, I needed a better grade to pass. I’m sorry, man. I grabbed your jacket.”
Chapter Seventeen
Lindsey
Brody’s jaw dropped. “Youtook it?”
The dog bounced into my lap again. I managed to at least hold Max in a position he couldn’t lick my face. His happy panting doggy breath still washed across me, but I couldn’t condemn him for it. This was a seriously friendly dog.
“I’m sorry, man,” Avery went on, his expression miserable. “I did try to find you, to give it back, but you were gone. After a few years, I gave it to some thrift store. Seeing your face again brought all the memories flooding in.”
“Holy shit.” Brody instantly glanced at the kid, then grimaced. “Sorry. Look, that’s why I’m here. Maybe we shouldn’t talk in front of him.”
Avery eyed Declan. “Hey, son, take Max to your room, okay?”
“Kay.”
Declan rose from the carpet and trod across it to Max. Grabbing the dog’s collar, he pulled the mutt with him. Max went with him agreeably enough, obviously used to having a five-year-old haul him around. They vanished up the stairs to the second floor. I heard a door swing closed.
“So what’s up?” Avery asked, glancing between us.
Brody drew in a breath. “Do you remember Austin Rivers?”
“How can I forget?” Avery rolled his eyes. “He and that prick, er, sorry, Lindsey, Greg Harrison were always looking for trouble. What’s up with him?”
“He’s a dope dealer now,” Brody said slowly. “Some dude who looks like me and wearing my old jacket stole millions of dollars of fentanyl from him.”
Avery’s eyes widened in shock, and I knew then he had nothing to do with the dope or Rivers. “No fucking way.”
“I’m afraid so, man. He thinks it was me.” Brody shook his head. “Claims I stole it, then sold it. He’s attacked me, my home.” He gestured toward his braced knee. “This happened when he threatened to kill both Lindsey and me. We fought.”
“Because I stole your jacket.”
Avery averted his head, his jaw clenched. I forced myself to reassess my earlier estimation of his looks. He was an exceptionally good looking man. Heavy broad shoulders, a square cut jaw, well-sculpted biceps. His blue eyes could loosen any girl’s thighs, I suspected.
“I’m so sorry, man,” he said at last. “I grabbed it on impulse. I sure as shit had my own jacket. Later, I wanted to give it back.”
“Until Rivers popped up,” Brody said with a grin, “I haven’t thought about it in years.”
“You had the brains, especially for the sciences,” Avery commented. “I knew better than to cheat, and you didn’t leave your notes behind. I passed the chemistry finals by the skin of my teeth.”
“Had you asked,” Brody added, “I’d have helped you.”
“I know, man. Back then, I was dumber than a brick without much impulse control. I acted without thinking things through. I hope I’ve become a better man for it.”
“I’m sure you have.”
“So what are you doing about Rivers?”
Brody shrugged. “The best we can. The cops are involved, looking for him. Lindsey is an ace with a gun. If he comes around, he may not live long enough to regret it.”
Avery sent me an admiring grin. “Brody, my man, you’re one lucky dog.”
***
“Finding our fentanyl thief is going to be impossible,” I commented as I drove us back to my house. “Your jacket probably passed through several hands since Avery grabbed it.”
