Bailey opened the truck door. “We don’t have to go to Carson City. My brother came to Vegas, and I’m going to see him.” He slammed the door and headed to the garage.
It seemed like an instant later, the garage door lifted, and the sound of a Harley engine blasted out and onto the street in front of my place. Bailey kissed his index and middle fingers and winked as he drove by me and out onto South Sorrel.
“Spitzer, I gotta go. Keep me posted.” I ended the call and shifted into reverse, backing into my driveway and heading down the street behind him.
He was going at a pretty good clip, flying through a red light to get onto the highway before I could make it to the intersection. I’d lost him, but at least I knew where he was going.
I had to get there before something happened to get Bailey into trouble. It sounded as though someone was framing him for something he damn well didn’t do. Not on my watch.
“Hey, LT!” It was my old boss, Lieutenant Rupert, the head of the governor’s protection team. He didn’t appear happy to see me step off the elevator on the fourth floor of the Grant Sawyer Building, where the Nevada governor’s satellite office was located.
“Hansen. We’re busy. What brings you by?” Nope, not happy at all.
The guard in the lobby had called to get permission for me to come up to the fourth floor. I wasn’t sure if Bailey had beaten me downtown or changed his mind. I hadn’t seen his bike in the garage.
We both heard shouting through the closed doors behind Rupert. “That the governor’s brother?” Bailey wasn’t the one doing the shouting from what I could tell. His voice was deeper than the governor’s tone, if my memory was correct.
“How do you know the governor’s brother? What are you doing here, Hansen?” Rupert looked suspicious, as he had every right to be.
“I just wanted to catch up with my old friends on the team. When did you guys blow into Vegas?” It was a stall tactic on my part, and Rupert didn’t seem to be buying it.
The door flew open, and Bailey stormed out, his brother behind him. “I’m telling you, you’re wrong!”
The governor was shouting. His face was crimson and the snarled expression was identical to Bailey’s. The resemblance between the brothers—except for Bailey’s beard—was remarkable.
“You won’t give Lindsey the benefit of the doubt. You’ve made up your mind, and you’re unwilling to reconsider. I don’t understand why,” the governor shouted.
Bailey stepped closer to him, his jaw pulsing with anger. “I don’t dislike her, Thomas, but if you can’t see that she’s not looking out for your best interests, I’m going to call Mom and have her come out here to slap you in the head. Have you looked in the mirror, Thomas? Your eyes are sunken back in their sockets, and you’ve lost weight. What the hell? Let me call a private company to come take your blood and test it. What can that hurt?”
I glanced at the governor’s clenched fists to see no bruises or cuts, which led me to believe he wasn’t the one who beat the hell out of Bolls, like Spitzer had mentioned. I wanted to talk to him more, but first I had to keep Bailey out of jail.
“Bailey, let’s go.” My voice was raised a bit, not shouting, but I could tell Rupert was about to step in, and I knew the guy was one tough son of a bitch. He had no problem using force to protect the governor.
Bailey turned around to see me standing in the large outer office, and his face softened. “You followed me?”
“Of course I did. This isn’t productive, the two of you shouting like this. Let’s dial things back before one of you says something you can’t take back.”
“Hansen’s right, Mr. Gregory.” Rupert turned from staring at Bailey to staring at the governor. “Sir, this building isn’t as secure as the Capitol. Maybe you and Mr. Gregory can continue this discussion somewhere more private?”
I glanced over my shoulder, where a few people were milling around, all of them staring in our direction. “Bailey, let’s let your brother get back to taking care of the state’s business. Maybe you could meet each other somewhere private this evening and hash things out.”
It wasn’t my business at all, the relationship between Bailey and the governor, but I was in love with Bailey, and his well-being was my foremost priority. I knew his brother was important to him, and he’d never want to harm that relationship. I was determined to get him to calm down and think rationally.
“Yes, Bailey. Come to the condo at six. Lindsey isn’t with me. We can talk there.” The governor stepped closer and hugged Bailey, who returned the hug. They broke apart, and Bailey breezed by me. “Let’s go. I need a cup of coffee.”
We stepped onto the elevator, and I wrapped an arm around Bailey’s shoulders. “Where’s your bike?”
He grinned. “I got lucky. I found a spot on the street.”
We walked down the block to a breakfast and lunch spot, choosing to sit inside as the temperature was too high to comfortably sit outside, even with the cooling misters around the patio.
The host showed us to a table in the back, and after our server brought us coffee and menus, I studied Bailey. “How’d you find out he was in town?” I knew the brothers spoke on a regular basis, but Bailey hadn’t mentioned anything to me about his brother being in Vegas.
“I called him when I got out of the truck. I hoped he wasn’t in Vegas, but my gut told me he was. Thomas and his security team flew down yesterday afternoon. Lindsey stayed behind because of the charity event she’s planning for October first. I’m telling you, Thomas didn’t kill that man. He’s just not that kind of man. Can’t say the same about myself.”
“Bailey, I’m not gonna lie. It looks like more than a coincidence that the governor is here and Bolls is dead. If any of the news outlets put together that your brother was involved with Newton, and Bolls was Newton’s body double in the videos Newton makes, it could look like your brother was jealous. Maybe he thought something sexual was going on between Bolls and Newton, and it was a lover’s rage that got Bolls killed. Your brother will have a hard time explaining it.”
I hated to belabor the point, but… “Was he alone at the condo last night?”
