I handed him the phone before cutting the engine. “Keep digging. And have the cocaine on full lockdown.”
“What are you going to do?”
“That is solely dependent on if my guest tells me the truth.”
He shifted in his seat. “Do you want me to hang around?”
“Go home. We’ve both had a very long day.”
“I’ll have another detail arrive to watch the house.”
“Fine,” I said and climbed out. While a part of me was angry with her, the fact she needed an emotional support animal meant whatever she was hiding was extremely personal. My instincts about her had been correct. And it was entirely possible someone was using her paranoia or her past against her.
And in turn against me.
Just another form of utilizing a weakness.
But she needed to tell me herself. I couldn’t allow her to lie to me or keep anything hidden no matter how painful. How toencourage her to trust me wasn’t in my wheelhouse. That’s why walking inside my own house felt so damn awkward.
When I did, I was met by Jaxon almost immediately.
“Any issues?” he asked, studying me as if expecting I’d have a limb blown off.
“One of the easiest gigs I’ve had.”
“I hope you did the right thing.”
I scanned the hallway on both sides. “Discovered our missing cargo.”
He laughed incredulously. “Brazen, stupid or calculated. Either way, it confirms our suspicions.”
“Yeah, but I don’t like where this is going. Any issues with my guest?”
“No, we had a heart-to-heart talk. She’s quite the fascinating woman. Opinionated.”
I had to laugh. “And what did she say?”
“It was more about questioning how I could tolerate the life I’d been born into.”
“Well, apparently it’s possible she knows more about a difficult family life than she wanted to admit.”
Jaxon lifted his eyebrows. “Jesus Christ. You had a dossier run on her.”
“Of course I did. Anyone who comes into my life is subject to one.”
“No wonder you don’t have a goddamn girlfriend. Shit. You’re too much like Alexander. Why don’t you lead with your heart for a change.”
“You should know the answer to that as well as anyone. Leave my life alone.”
“Stop living in the past.”
“And stop meddling, little brother.” There was rarely any awkwardness between us, but today it was thick. Maybe because I knew he was right. “However, thank you for dropping everything. Maybe keep it to yourself when Alexander cracks your head open.”
“You dug your grave. You’ll need the ladder to climb out yourself.”
Huffing, the quiet inside the house was unnerving. “Where is she?”
“At this point, I’m not sure. I don’t think she went upstairs to take a shower. Don’t worry. She didn’t escape. The truth is she didn’t seem to want to.”
