Shit.
“The Sapphire Lodge, yes,” I reply. “No, I wasn’t there. A friend of mine took his wife in for the weekend, though. They were so delighted, they sent me photos of every dish, knowing we are considering Raina for the position at our new restaurant.”
Kaleb laughs lightly. “Look at you, already bragging about my sister. That’s really nice of you, Alex. I appreciate it.”
“Doesn’t cost me anything. Besides, it’s the truth. Raina is one hell of a chef. Those idiots at The Kane will rue the day they tossed her over Jeremy’s BS; I’ll tell you that much.”
“I heard he’s been looking for her.” He frowns, a muscle ticking furiously in his jaw.
I can feel my shoulders tightening, too, as I straighten my back and meet his gaze. The occasional clanking of another mechanic’s tool reminds me that the shop is still working, still busy, but anything related to Raina has my undivided attention.
“How’d you hear?” I ask him.
“The guys said he stopped by the shop,” Kaleb says and nods at one of the other mechanics, Joey, currently tangled in the entrails of another custom bike in need of a better electrical system. “I wasn’t on shift when he came around, but he hasn’t returned either. Maybe he flaked.”
“Jeremy came here looking for you?”
“Yeah. I was surprised when Joey told me, to be honest. Jeremy must’ve been suicidal or something.”
Or just testing the waters. Either way, he hasn’t been heard from since his visit to our office when Vincent shooed him away. The nerve on that piece of trash astonishes me to this day.
“Honestly, I’m just glad he’s out of Raina’s life,” Kaleb sighs. “He was bad for her, even when she couldn’t see it.”
“Hey, Boss,” Joey says with a slight frown as he walks over to us. “A courier dropped this off earlier. It’s addressed to you.”
He hands me a manila envelope with my name and the Hillsdale address on it. It’s sealed, with the details printed on a white sticker. No return address. My stomach churns. I don’t like getting any sort of mail from an unknown sender. Maybe it’s just my military instinct. Back in those days, any package that came to our base had to be screened as a potential IED.
“Almost forgot about it,” Kaleb says. “I asked Joey to put it somewhere safe ‘til you got here.”
“It’s alright,” I tell him. “How’ve you been, Kaleb? Aside from work?”
“Oh, I’m great. Thank you for that seminar thing in Los Angeles. I can’t wait to go!”
I almost forgot what he was talking about. “Right, the custom chopper seminar. They’ve got Orange County and Harley reps coming in.”
“It’s going to be huge and a great opportunity for me to meet some real geniuses in the industry. So again, thanks for that. The tickets must’ve cost a pretty penny.”
“You’re worth it, brother,” I say as I rip open the envelope.
The contents of the envelope startles me as I take out one of many printed photographs. The photos are off a hidden camera, shots of Bancroft going into Haus of Sin, accompanied by Delia, the Doe. His hand is on her ass, and he’s smiling.
“Fuck,” I whisper.
“What is it?” Kaleb asks and moves closer.
Instinctively, I take a step back. “Nothing to worry about, trust me,” I lie again and look at another photo. This one was taken from inside the estate, also showing Bancroft in an even more compromising position. The other photos are even worse. But it only takes a glimpse of the shots at the bottom for me to realize I can’t delve deeper into this problem right here under Kaleb’s nose. He’s already concerned and suspicious, waiting for me to say something.
“I’m sorry, brother, I need to go,” I tell him.
“Alex, come on, something’s wrong. Talk to me. I can help.”
“You can’t, I promise. It’s Haus of Sin business, nothing pertaining to the shop. We’re all good here, so I’m going to take my leave.”
“Are you sure?”
His empathetic nature is yet another thing I love about this guy. I hug him and pat him on the shoulder, then give him a reassuring smile for good measure. “I’m sure. We’re golden. I’ll see you early next week. Just keep me apprised of each order’s progress, as usual. I’ll have a few more to schedule in for March.”
“Sure thing.”
