She gave me a weak smile. “Much better.”
“We’re finished with the boxes. Are you ready to go?”
“Yes, I just need to lock up and set the alarm,” she said and got to her feet.
We rode back to the clubhouse in an uncomfortable silence. Once again, Blakely had her hands clasped tightly together in her lap, but Landon didn’t intervene like he had before. He was usually quick to ease her worries if he could. The fact that he wasn’t trying to soothe her made me even more curious as to what was going on.
By the time we arrived at the clubhouse, I’d imagined all sorts of stories she’d tell me, and none of them were good. It was all I could do to keep from throwing her over my shoulder, carrying her to my room, and demanding she tell me everything. Instead, I kept my composure and waited for her to check on Kalen before following her to my room.
She sat down on the bed and clasped her hands together while keeping her eyes focused on the floor. “I need to talk to you,” she started, and I could tell she was nervous.
“About what?” I asked calmly.
She exhaled heavily and took a moment to choose her words. “I guess I should start from the beginning. A few weeks ago, my half brother showed up at Stuff It and asked if he could use a unit to put his stuff in while he served thirty days in jail. He also asked me if I would take care of his son while he was gone.”
“So, Kalen is your nephew?”
“Yes,” she confirmed. “I’m sorry for lying to you. I don’t know why, but he asked me not to tell anyone Kalen was his son. Anyway, I’d just met you, and I had no idea we’d start dating.”
I nodded in understanding. That made sense in a way. He’d asked her not to tell anyone, and I was a complete stranger. “Why are you telling me now?”
“Because the boxes we moved today belong to him. And when I opened the ones that got wet, I think I found something I shouldn’t have,” she hedged.
“What did you find?” I asked.
She visibly swallowed and clasped her hands even tighter. “Guns,” she said so quietly I almost didn’t hear her. “A lot of guns.” She looked up at me with worry-filled eyes. “I don’t know what to do.”
“What makes you think you need to do anything?”
“I know those guns aren’t his. There were thousands of dollars worth of them. Ben doesn’t have that kind of money.”
“You think he stole them?” I asked.
“I really don’t know, but it’s the only thing that makes sense to me. Landon pointed out it wouldn’t be hard for someone to make the connection between me and Ben. What if someone comes looking for them?”
“What’s your brother in jail for?” I asked.
“He said he missed a court date and had to serve thirty days.”
I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Spazz asking him to come to my room with his laptop. He knocked on the door less than a minute later. “What can I do for you?” he asked as he took a seat.
“I need you to find out why someone’s in jail,” I said and turned my attention to Blakely. “What’s your brother’s name?”
“Benjamin Dover.”
Spazz’s head shot up and he started to laugh, but he stopped abruptly when he realized no one else was laughing. “You’re serious?”
“Yes, why?” she asked.
“Because your brother’s name is Ben Dover. I thought it was a joke,” he explained.
“Oh,” she said as realization dawned. “Sorry, I guess I’m used to it.”
“Let me see what I can find. He’s in Ritch County?”
She shrugged. “I’d assume so, but I really don’t know.”
“I can’t find anything indicating your brother is currently incarcerated,” Spazz said after a few minutes of searching.
