“Cool. He’ll have on a cut, a jacket without sleeves, that says Devil’s Patriots on it, but don’t be intimidated. He’s a nice guy. Maybe a bit quiet in public, but he won’t do anything.”
I had to bite my tongue so hard to avoid saying, “I know. I’ve got experience with it.” Instead, I just nodded, thanked Leigh for the information, and went back to my computer, no longer able to focus on the work at hand.
I practically counted down the minutes until half an hour after noon hit, and then when I got the thumbs up from Leigh—on her work meeting as promised—I headed downstairs. Carl didn’t say a word, and neither did anyone else.
When I got to the lobby, it was easy to spot Sonny. Let’s just say in a professional environment like this, anyone dressed in a blue-collar outfit would have stood out immediately; even if Sonny wasn’t wearing his cut, I probably would have been able to pick him out instantly.
“Sonny?” I said.
“What of it?”
So much for being friendly. He wasn’t rude in the way he spoke, but it was clear I was not the person he was expecting. I gulped but quickly regained my composure and walked over.
“I’m Callie. Leigh sent me down to grab the food. She’s in a meeting right now.”
Sonny snorted but bit his tongue from saying anything.
“While you’re here, do you mind if I ask you a question?” I said, the words spilling out of me before I could control them.
“Make it fast; I gotta go soon.”
“Do you know someone name Ash? Or Asher?”
Sonny’s body immediately went taut, to the point that he actually pulled the food back from me. I didn’t think he was refusing to give it to me so much as he was just so surprised that I had said that name that he wound up stepping back, the food in his hand following him.
“What about such a name?” he said, suspicion in his voice.
I couldn’t believe I was not telling Leigh the full story, but I was about to for Sonny. I guess Leigh would find out soon enough.
“He’s my husband.”
It was a true statement, even if such a simple statement grossly undersold all of the details of our…relationship, I suppose, being the best word.
Sonny stared at me, seemingly dumbfounded. I kept my gaze with him, hoping to convey my seriousness. It was no easy matter; he was a handsome man, and though I had no inclination to cheat or even think about it, it did mean he had a way of capturing people with his eyes alone. It was small wonder that Leigh had fallen for him.
“And?”
That…was not the response I was expecting.
For some reason, I was expecting Sonny to ask me a more substantive question, to not be so dismissive of my claim. I didn’t think it was so…stupid. But then again, could I say I had expected any of the shit that had happened today?
“I just wanted to know if you could help us somehow. I saw him yesterday. He was in a hurry, I know there’s some stuff going on, but—”
“Look, I just came here to drop off some food for Leigh. I’m not your therapist. Can you just take this so I can go? When I see Asher, I’ll tell him you said hey, but we’re not getting involved. That’s not our damn job.”
I grimaced. I was getting frustrated. First last night, and now this? I knew everything was a long shot, but did it have to feel like the long shot of long shots?
“Same shit like in Vegas,” I said. “Ash would always tell me I couldn’t be—”
“Where?”
“Vegas, it’s where we’re from,” I said, “but it wouldn’t matter—”
“Actually…” Sonny said.
We both paused. Was this the in I needed?
“Vegas,” he said, repeating the word. “Do you still have connections there?”
