The note was softly worded, but I still couldn’t read much into it, couldn’t tell where his head was at. He’d been staring at the TV screen last night, but he wasn’t really watching it. He looked like he had a million thoughts racing through his head. Was I one of them? Was our increasing closeness cause for concern? I pushed the thought away because yesterday had been unusual to say the least, and it was only expected that neither of us would be ourselves after so many shocking discoveries. Trying not to fixate, I went to make breakfast and get dressed before I settled into work.
It was a normal day like any other. The weather was mild, so I ate lunch out on the terrace, enjoying the autumn colours of the foliage before I returned to my computer. I was almost done for the day, expecting Jace and Zara back any minute, when I had one last peek at my emails. There was the usual work relatedrequests, but there was one from only a half an hour ago that caught my attention. I didn’t recognise the sender and almost sent it to my junk folder when I hesitated. The subject line read “IMPORTANT” in all caps with several exclamation points. At first glance, it definitely seemed like spam, but something in my gut had me opening it anyway.
When I looked at the contents, I gasped. It was from Margie. I had no idea how she’d managed to get access to the internet because she was currently in custody. Then again, my friend was criminally minded in a way I’d never known about, so she surely had her ways.
Hey Shannon,
Sorry for the strange email, but I had to do this fast since I’m not supposed to have computer access. Things are not going so great for me. I should’ve known my past would come back to bite me at some stage.Maybe I was overconfident since I’d gotten away with it for so long, but anyway, you might have heard by now about what I did at my old job. Like a lot of things I’ve done, I’m not proud of it, but I was desperate at the time and had run out of money. Perhaps facing the consequences will be good for me …
Either way, you were one of the only people who was ever genuinely kind to me for no other reason than wanting to be my friend. That’s why I’m sending you the names and email addresses of everyone Samuel scammed using Jace’s identity, along with estimated sums he managed to steal from them. I’m sure he’s done a disappearing act by now, and if he’s fled, I honestly have no idea where he’s gone. There is one way you might be able to track him. It’s unorthodox, but nottechnicallyillegal, as far as I know, so if you really want to get the arsehole, this is how I’d do it …
22.
Jace
Zara ran ahead of me into the apartment, and I set her bag in her room before heading into the living area. Shannon sat crossed legged on the couch with her computer on her lap, and I paused a moment to take her in. The sunlight streaming through the window cast her features in a breathtaking glow, the shine of her dark, glossy hair captivating to my eyes.
I’d spent several hours today with my sponsor, Bren. We’d spent most of those hours working on a bass guitar he was repairing for one of his clients, but when he’d asked me how everything was going with Shannon, it had been like a dam had burst. I’d gotten everything out, about Dixon and Margie, all the shit that had gone down yesterday. Bren had listened quietly, and when I was done speaking he’d simply said, “I’m proud of you.”
“Proud of me for what?” I’d responded. “Having my identity stolen or for not realising Cai’s mother had been masquerading as Shannon’s friend right under our noses?”
“I’m proud of you because you’re handling all this so well. You just told me one hell of a crazy story, and yet you seem solid. I’ve sponsored a lot of ex-addicts in my time, and many of them lost track of their sobriety for much less than what you just told me. Yet you’re sitting here in front of me, a little tired maybe, but still solid as a rock. What’s not to be proud of? It’s also nice to see that none of it’s driven you and Shannon apart. Relationships that can withstand a bit of pressure are the ones that will last.”
“We didn’t last before,” I’d said.
A kind smile shaped the deep wrinkles in his face. “It’s different this time, don’t you think?”
A lightness had filled me, and I’d thought about where Shannon and I had been a few weeks ago and how far we’d come, the closeness we now shared. I almost couldn’t believe it was real. Before coming off my tour, I’d never imagined a reality where Shannon would consider taking me back. The fact that she was willing to try again made me feel like the luckiest son of a bitch in the world, despite all the other bullshit going on in my life.
It was only when my attention went to the taut line of her lips pressing together that I realised she was staring at her computer screen with a perturbed expression.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as I neared her, and her eyes flicked up, face pale.
“Margie emailed me,” she said and my eyebrows lifted.
“How?”
“I have no idea, but she managed to get access to a computer. She’s … she’s sent me the details of all of Samuel’s victims. We’ll be able to get in touch with them.”
The pressure that had been living inside me ever since Alison had showed up to Roan’s art show suddenly dissolved. I rounded the couch and lowered to sit next to her. She was still staring at the email, and as I read it over her shoulder, I realised why she looked so troubled.
“No way. I’m not letting you do that.”
“But we could catch him this way, get him sent to prison where he belongs.”
My hand went to the back of her neck, rubbing at the new tension that had visibly collected there. “Margie isn’t someone we should be taking advice from, especially not in this case.”
“Shouldn’t we at least run it by your dad? See what he says?”
“We can, but I’m sure he’ll be against what Margie’s suggested, too.”
“He asked Oliver King-Clark to do some pretty dodgy stuff to track the owner of that crypto wallet. I don’t think he’s as law abiding as you’d like to believe,” she argued.
I blew out a heavy breath. She was right. My father could be fairly loose where the law was concerned, but it was always for the common good. “Fine, we’ll run it by him at dinner, but I don’t like it.”
Shannon shut down her laptop and stood, stretching her arms over her head, and my gaze wandered over her lithe form. With everything that had happened over the last day or so, I’d barely had time to appreciate her, nor be close to her like I craved. Peering past her, I made sure Zara was still in her room before I brought my hand to her hip and tugged her forward. Lifting my head, I gazed up at her, tracing her features because her face was my favourite thing to look at.
“How are you doing with all this?” I murmured, massaging her hip as I laced my fingers with hers.
