“He abandoned them at the hospital after Ben was born.”
Carson sat forward, forearms on the desk. “Jesus.”
Pope gritted his teeth at what she’d told him about her ex. “I want to see if he’s holding a grudge or has enough resources to mess with her life now.”
“If he walked away years ago and she never had problems with him before now, this could be unrelated.”
“Could be, but neither of us like loose ends.” His statement made Carson nod.
The office door opened before he could say more. Theo walked in holding what was probably his tenth cup of coffee that day. The man ran solely on caffeine and grit some days.
He took a seat on the sofa. “I miss something fun?”
“We’re talking about Summer’s ex. The father of her child who abandoned them at the hospital.”
“Jesus,” Theo echoed the same sentiment as his brother.
“We need to find the guy and someone has to go talk to him,” Pope said.
“Actually, I already took the liberty of looking into Summer’s past. Her parents, all distant relations. And her ex.” Carson shoved a printout across the table. “He’s in New York City.”
Pope snatched up the paper and studied it. His gaze flicked up to Carson. “Do we have the manpower to send someone question the guy?”
Theo took a sip of coffee and set the mug on the desk. “I can handle it.”
Pope’s brows drew together. “You can go to New York City?”
He dipped his head in a nod. “Juliette’s been wanting to go look at wedding dresses anyway. I’ll make a side quest to paythis ex-boyfriend”—he picked up the printout and read the name—“Michael Stanley a visit.”
Carson made a sound closer to amusement than agreement. “You’re going wedding dress shopping?”
Theo nodded.
“I thought you weren’t supposed to see what the bride’s wearing until the day of the wedding.”
Theo gave his brother a flat look. “That’s for people who aren’t famous enough to need a bodyguard at the grocery store in the middle of nowhere, let alone in downtown Manhattan.”
Theo’s fiancée Juliette was a famous violinist who toured the world, and the man had almost lost her to a stalker. Pope could see why he glued himself to her side. Summer wasn’t famous and he was breaking out in hives just leaving her in a small-town bar under the guard of a man he trusted with his own life.
With another sip of coffee, Theo looked between them. “I have official Black Heart Security business there anyway. I’m interviewing someone for the team. I’ll leave tomorrow, go to seven or eight dress shops pretending I care about white lace and ribbons, then be back in a week.”
Pope huffed out a laugh. “Seven or eight? You’d better take a flask, my guy.”
Theo flashed a grin. “If I feel like the person I’m interviewing is a good fit, I’ll take another day to negotiate the contract details.”
Carson nodded. “Seems like you’ve got it all worked out.”
Theo met Pope’s stare. “Point is, I can spend the week digging into the ex when I’m there. Employment records, financials.” He picked up the printout again. “Criminal background check looks clear, but that doesn’t mean I won’t find a reason why he’d have it out for Summer now.”
Pope’s jaw tightened because that was the thing clawing at him. Why now? Why the groceries? Why the tire? And why Summer?
Theo seemed to follow the same line of thought. “We’ll look for anybody who would do his dirty work too. Friends. Connections. Anybody he could use to bother or hurt her without showing his own face.”
None of it sat right in his gut.
Summer wasn’t wealthy. She wasn’t famous. She worked long shifts and stretched grocery money and drove a vehicle that desperately needed tires. The more he thought about it, the less this felt like bad luck and the more it felt personal.
A knock sounded briefly before Willow stepped into the office. “Truck’s here for the cattle.”
