“Sydney? As in Sawyer’s ex-wife?”
“Fake wife, and the marriage was annulled, but yes, that’s her. Her dad and Douglas Shaw are brothers. They aren’t close. Like at all, but they’re still blood.”
“No, I didn’t know that. Wonder if dollface even does?” I muse.
“You have nicknames for one another already. I love it!” I can almost see him doing cartwheels in his living room. “What does she call you?”
“Asshole. Psycho. Crazy motherfucker. Perv. Weirdo. Or any number of similar names. She’s got quite a colorful vocab. It’s all so romantic,” I tag on the end in my best dreamy voice.
“You are an asshole but the lovable kind.”
I roll my eyes. “Tell me you have something for me.”
“I wish I could, man, but it’s not good news.”
“Seems to be that kind of weekend. Lay it on me.”
“So, you were right. The dudes in the photo from the bar are Tobias Salinger, Balthazar Stewart, Jason Stewart, and Knight Carter. All rich kids, squeaky clean, no records, which makes them suspicious as fuck in my mind. I dug as deep as I could, and nothing, nada. It’s like everything that’s to be found has been planted there. I stopped looking because I don’t want to draw the wrong kind of attention. Which leads me nicely on to that thumb drive.” There’s a muffled sound in the background.
“Hunt, I’m on a call,” Xavier says. “Just give me five minutes.”
I lean back and close my eyes as there’s more hushed talking down the line.
“Shit, sorry about that. Ares, are you still there?”
“I’m here.”
“Sawyer is insatiable. He has sex on the brain nonstop.”
“My blue balls don’t thank you for that admission.”
“I so want to know what that’s about on our next call, but I’m under pressure now. I don’t like keeping my man waiting.”
“I was going to say you’re pussy-whipped until I realized the error of my ways. You’re dick-obsessed, dude.”
“I am, but stop distracting me with cock talk. That thumb drive brought me a whole world of trouble, dude.”
I sit up straighter. “In what way?”
“Your guy got a nice clean shot of the man outside the toy warehouse. One minute after I uploaded it to the facial imaging software I use, my whole system got shut down. Like I mean everything. Hunt went ballistic. In a way he rarely does. Had to blow him and let him top to calm him down.”
“What does it mean?”
“It means I got a call from a guy I’ve met a few times telling me in no uncertain terms to drop that line of inquiry.”
“What guy?”
“Sorry, man. Can’t say.” I know Xavier works with a lot of government bodies as well as mercenary groups. “But I can tell you this. It’s got nothing to do with Lilianna. And nothing to do with Ashley either. Don’t bother wasting your time pursuing that angle.”
“And Stewart, Carter, and Salinger?”
“There’s something there, man. I feel it in my bones. I’m not sure what, but there’s definitely something there.”
“That’s what my gut is telling me too. The trail didn’t lead to Baldwin and Stewart for no reason.”
“I’ll see what I can find on Samite. Do a little more digging, but I need to be extra covert, and that’ll take time.”
“I appreciate you, man. Go ride your husband’s dick.”
