Viking’s back stiffened. “Is Keys patched in?”
Duke pointed up at the monitor in the corner.
Viking lifted his hand, noticing the green light flashing.
“From the list you sent earlier today, he didn’t find anyone who was in the vicinity who could’ve set the fire. Yes, Keys has ways of getting into their accounts, whether it's Amazon, Alexa, Siri, Ring, or whatever device they have, he can get in, see what they did on the day in question, narrow it down by the times and locations, and boom, eliminatesuspects. Now, the ones that were harder to eliminate were the douchebags who harassed your woman. Obviously, they weren’t local, so finding them at home and being able to monitor them wasn’t an option.” King spoke as Viking looked over the list.
“The brother isn’t on here?” he asked, looking up at the large monitor.
Keys image appeared. “Yo, Viking. I’m still searching for some verified information on the Clemons boy. They low-key must have a lot of money or friends in high places. I will be able to find him. Nobody can hide from me forever. The trio of fucks don’t have valid alibis either. There’s something else,” Keys paused, looking off to the side.
Viking clenched his jaw while Keys typed away on his computer. The seconds ticked by while the four of them waited for Keys to speak.
“The three men are brothers from Connecticut. Jinx is originally from Madison, Connecticut. Her parents' home is in one of the most prestigious areas along Warf Rd. All the homes there sit on over an acre of land and are over a million dollars each. From what I found, her family home is worth well overthree and a half million dollars. There’s no sign of loans or liens on the property. That’s huge, man. While we own our property free and clear, for them to own that kind of real estate, you know what kind of gold they’re sitting on. And that’s not all, they have other properties under their family umbrella. The Clemons are mega-rich, brother.” Keys shook his head.
“So, if they wanted to make their son disappear, or make his crime go away, they essentially can, is what you’re saying?” Viking asked.
“I’ve widened my search for missing people, and or crimes that matched the MO that you mentioned he’d done to Blair and her twin. While he’d traveled, he’d had a handler, which was marked in his junior high notes. This handler left the entire US to study abroad, only to wind up dead a year later. Their obituary appeared in the newspaper. Several students left words of kindness and said how they missed her. Not him, a her. I’m sending the doc to the device in front of you. The girl resembles your woman. Coincidentally, her family came into a windfall of cash a few months after her death.”
Viking read through the report, knowing in his gut the woman’s death wasn’t an accident as the paper claimed. Somehow, the Clemons were to blame. “Were you able to track down Benjamin’s whereabouts at the time of her death?”
Keys opened his mouth, then clamped his lips together. “The family was in the same country. Paris, to be exact. However, to point a finger at any of them would be hard since there is no proof Benjamin or his parents had any contact with her while they were there.”
He read the report, seeing she hadn’t been found until her body had decomposed, making it hard to determine her cause of death.
“Do you think the brother is behind the attempt on Jinx?” Viking asked.
“What would be the motive and why now?” Keys questioned.
To that, Viking didn’t know. It had been over ten years since Benjamin killed Clair.
“Maybe he’s just gotten his ability to remember?” King offered.
Duke held up his hand. “It might have nothing to do with him. Has she tried contacting her parents?”
“Shit, that sounds too easy. I’ll see if she wants to try that. Can you get me a line that can’t be traced?” Viking imagined Jinx would rather cut off her own hand than speak to the people who’d betrayed her.
“Way ahead of you. Whenever you’re ready, let me know. I have one on hand at all times.”
“He’s good like that.” King stood and stretched, walking to the bar in the corner where he grabbed a new bottle of Maker’s Mark.
“When I get more information, I’ll get back with you. Let me know when she wants to call.” Keys waved his hand, then his face disappeared from the screen.
“Fuck. I was hoping he’d wave a wand and perform a miracle for me. I don’t see her wanting to call her parents. She’s more of a saying less is more type of woman.”
King looked at Viking over his glass tumbler for a long moment. He set the almost empty drink down and let out a slow breath. “I’ll give you a bit of advice, Viking. A woman’s silence isn’t always a good thing. Hell, in my experience, it’s usually a bad omen. In fact, that’s when you should be scared.When your ole’ lady stops arguing, questioning, or reacting, that’s not peace. It’s emotional detachment. I’ve heard men say they were clueless when their ole’ ladies left them. I told them they were fools. They didn’t just all of a sudden leave, or break, slowly. Viking, if you watch and listen to your woman, you’ll learn what she needs and when she needs it. When you don’t, and your woman leaves, it means you ignored her tears, her pleas, and her exhausted efforts to fix shit. But the silence that followed? That right there is the final state where hope has died. That means she’s no longer waiting for your text or explanations. The fire to fight for you is gone. What you mistake ascalmis actually her falling out of love in real time. We men often miss the warning signs, celebrating the quiet instead of realizing our women aren’t surrendering. They’re walking away without a word. By the time we do notice, she’s already gone or halfway out the door, and the version of her that once cared enough to argue is halfway across the world.”
Viking put his head in his hands. “She said she likes her peace and quiet so she can gather her thoughts.”
“Everyone needs a little space. However, there’s space, and there’s a divide.”
He looked up, meeting King’s dark stare. “How much do you give Ayesha?”
A wicked grin flashed across his Prez’s face. “Ah, she’s different. If I give her too much space, she’ll stomp her way back to me and give me hell. I give her what she needs, which changes. You’ll learn by listening and talking. I know it sounds crazy, but let me tell you, the greatest thing I’ve ever done is making Ayesha mine. When you decide you want a partner more than a fuck buddy, everything changes.”
He nodded. “I want that with Jinx. She’s more than someone I want to fuck. I love being with her during the quiet times. I picture her when I think about riding. She’s the one I want to build a life with. A partnership? Yeah, that’s what I want with her.
“Then get your ass moving and claim your woman.” King downed the last of his drink before getting to his feet. “I have a woman to remind who’s the one in charge.
