“First, clarify for me whether you’re related to the guy or not.”
“Definitely not.” Reese focused on cooking the eggs. “He was a friend of my father’s. Back in high school. They drifted apart when they went off to college, then reconnected after my dad married my mom. He hung around after that. I don’t remember how old I was when he disappeared again. Probably eight or nine, I guess.”
“He was close to your folks?”
This was the part Reese really didn’t know how to explain. Wasn’t sure he even wanted to if he could.
“It’s like pullin’ teeth here, Reese. At least feed me while you’re mullin’ it over.”
Reese tossed some bread into the toaster, pulled the butter out of the fridge. He remained silent while he plated the eggs and bacon, then buttered the toast when it popped up. The entire time, he could feel Brantley’s full attention heavy on his back, but he refrained from speaking, buying as much time as he could before he tackled the most difficult subject in the history of difficult subjects.
When he turned around to pass Brantley his plate, he could see the concern in Brantley’s steel-blue eyes, knew he had to get this out if for no other reason than to ease Brantley’s mind.
“Tobias Land, a.k.a. Toby, was my father’s best friend growin’ up,” he explained, pouring himself a cup of coffee while Brantley started chowing down. “Based on the stories I heard, he spent a lot of time at our house after he met my mother. He … uh … I think he was in love with her.”
Brantley stopped chewing, his eyebrows slowly rising toward his hairline.
Reese hurried to clarify. “It wasn’t exactly mutual. She was in love with my father, but she had a fondness for Toby. And yes, my father knew. He…”Ah, Jesus.He swallowed hard and continued with, “Well, he kinda approved of their relationship.”
“Whatrelationshipdid they have exactly?”
Reese took a gulp of coffee, let it sear his throat before answering. “It was a … um … a threesome-type deal.”
God, just saying it out loud made his skin crawl and his ears heat.
Not that he had anything against those sorts of relationships. To each his own and all that shit. However, thinking about his parents in that manner … he would rather eat razor blades dipped in cyanide.
“So your mother and Toby were intimate? And your dad knew about it?”
Reese cringed. “Yeah.”
Brantley processed for a minute, devouring a piece of toast before saying, “I’ve met your mother. She seems like a good judge of character, so I’m gonna assume Toby’s not a bad guy.”
Exhaling heavily, Reese set his mug down. “He’s not. A little out there, maybe, but he’s not a bad guy. Or he wasn’t back then. People change, so who knows.” He met Brantley’s gaze. “I believe Z when he says what happened to Toby was a misunderstanding.”
“So he’s not a drug-pushin’ thief who mowed down a cop on purpose?”
Reese laughed, some of the tension easing. “No. God, no. Knowin’ him, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Hittin’ a cop with a car … not sure that’s happenstance.”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“So youdoknow what happened?”
He nodded, leaned back against the counter, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Toby has a thing for strip clubs. More specifically, fully nude cabarets.”
“Cabaret?” Brantley’s smile was slow and wicked. “As in singin’ and dancin’?”
“Exactly.” Reese forged ahead. “It’s my understanding he frequents one specific club. Got himself in a bit of hot water when he borrowed some money from a guy he met there.”
“Borrowed money?” Brantley picked up another slice of bacon. “For?”
Reese shrugged. “No idea. But we’re talkin’ the kind of loan with interest that defies calculations. To hear Z tell it, Toby went to work out a deal ’cause he couldn’t repay the entire amount. I figure they didn’t agree to his terms since he ended up makin’ a fast getaway. In doin’ so, he stole a car. Turns out, the car belonged to the guy he got the loan from. Found himself in a high-speed chase. Some crazy voice in his head told him to ram a police car to save himself. The cops weren’t in the car, thank God. However, they were nearby. When they searched the car he stole, there were drugs in it.”
Brantley’s eyes were wide, a grin splitting his face. “He stole a car filled with drugs and rammed a police car to escape the bad guys?”
“In a nutshell, yeah.”
