“Figuring out who the hit men were took priority over everything else. But now we’ve identified them, we can shift some of our focus and start looking into Daisy,” Ava said. “I did a cursory check, and she’s back living with her parents in Atlanta, meeting with her parole officer the way she should. That’s all I have, though.” She paused, then exhaled. “And that, kids, is all the news that’s fit to print. For now.”
Mantis nodded and rose. “Thank you, as always,” he said. “If I tell you where HICC can send the bill, will that offer land me on my ass?”
Ava laughed. “You’d insult us. Besides, you give us free drinks whenever anyone from HICC visits Rita C’s. Most of us would consider that a fair trade.”
Even if everyone at HICC drank top-shelf whiskey at the bar the club owned, it wouldn’t be a fair trade, but Lovell wasn’t going to argue. Not because he agreed, but because he’d learned it was a waste of breath arguing with anyone from HICC about payment. Stone had tried for ten weeks to convince them to accept some payment for helping him and Juliana catch a couple of killers. Viper and Lina had done the same. Neither couple had been successful. A third try was the definition of insanity. Besides, no one who worked for the company was shy. If they wanted payment, they’d let the Falcons know.
“Not going to argue with you, Ava,” Mantis said. “But I will ask if you can take me to Chad? Charlotte should be here any minute.”
Ava rose, and after telling Daphne she’d see her tomorrow night, she and Mantis left. Leaving Lovell and Wesson with Callie and Daphne.
“I’ll walk you out,” Callie said, pushing away from the table.
“Can you drop me at the office you set me up in? I want to wrap up that chapter I’m almost done with,” Daphne said. She’d mentioned her writing a few times in the past twenty-four hours, but nothing about her comments alluded to what Callie had let slip one night—that her sister and the number-one spot on theNew York Timesbestseller list were well acquainted. Eight times.
“Of course,” Callie replied.
He didn’t doubt Daphne had work to do, but the way her eyes darted to him after her sister responded had him wondering whyshe wanted to avoid his presence. A question he wasn’t going to ponder.
After leaving her in a medium-sized conference room with a beautiful view of the forest, they followed Callie down two flights of stairs, she and Wesson chattering the entire way. Callie wasn’t shy, but she was reserved, and her continuous stream of dialogue raised another red flag. Maybe he was being a suspicious bastard, but something was definitely up.
“I’m sure we’ll talk tomorrow,” Callie said as they reached the door.
“You’ll call if you need anything,” Wesson said.
Callie hesitated, then smiled. “We’ll call if we need anything.”
“What’s going on?” Lovell jumped in.
Callie blinked, then exhaled dramatically. She might be reserved, but she was also a straight shooter. “My sister is being headstrong, but since I’m the same way, I can’t get too mad. Just annoyed.”
Not a hard picture to conjure. Daphne had decades of success under her belt. She lived her own life, on her own time, responsible to no one.Headstrong,independent,drivenwere only a few words that described her.
“What is the specific problem?” he asked.
She shook her head and waved the question off. “We’ve got it under control,” she said, pulling the door open. A gust of freezing wind blew in, sucking the breath from his lungs. In the twenty minutes they’d been inside, the skies had turned from blue to blustery.
He and Wesson pulled on their caps and zipped their jackets. Callie huddled behind the door. “I hear there’s a big storm tonight. Maybe dinner with Mantis and Charley isn’t such a good idea,” she said.
“Could be a good night to stay in,” he agreed.
“Call if you need anything,” Wesson said again, giving Callie a kiss on the cheek before passing through the door.
“Of course,” she said, her eyes on Lovell.
He needed to move his feet. He was Wesson’s ride back to the club. He didn’t want to keep his brother waiting.
But his radar was pinging all over the place and he couldn’t let it go. “What’s going on, Callie?”
She frowned. “Other than the obvious? Nothing.”
“Daphne giving you a hard time about something?”
She narrowed her eyes. “On the contrary. She’s looking out for me like she always has.”
“Why do you need looking out for?”
Callie’s unflinching dark eyes studied him. He’d never backed down from anyone before, and he wasn’t about to start now. He remained silent, waiting, holding her gaze.
