16 Rich
I don’t have to ask if Kimber’s mad when I finally get to her house. There was a massive accident on the highway that delayed things for an extra fifteen minutes, so I hit rush hour traffic too. Russell told me that Emilio and Laci left a while ago, so I’m surprised to see them leaning on his truck in the parking lot as I pull in.
Getting out of the car, I eye them. Laci looks more annoyed than he does, tossing his keys between his hands. “You two haven’t left yet?”
“We were on our way out,” Emilio says, reaching into the truck to grab something. The driver's door is open, and when he moves I can see the gun tucked into his side. I didn’t even consider that Kimber might see that if he showed up.
Then again… does it matter? Emilio carries all the time, and so do a few of the other guards at the club.
When he turns back there’s a thick yellow envelope in his hands that he tosses to me. I frown as I catch it, flipping it over to read the front, written in black sharpie.Murderer.
Without a word I dig into the envelope and pull out a stack of papers. It takes a moment to realize that it’s court documents. I only have to look at the top for a moment to recognize the name, and my eyes snap back to Emilio’s questioning gaze.
Brynne Kimber Aldridge.She’s listed as the defendant. I shove the papers back in, without reading anything else, still glaring at the couple.
“I didn’t realize Kimber had legal problems,” Emilio says slowly.
“Did you read these? I ask.
“Well I did want to know if theMurderermail belonged to Kimber,” he tells me dryly. “But she didn’t want us in there, so we hung around waiting for you. Russell said it would be better if you handed it to her.”
I scoff, but to be honest, it’s not like I’m going to hide it from her either. My hand clenches across the envelope, making me wonder who the hell dropped it off here. It wasn’t mailed; someone was at her apartment.
“Well I didn’t read it,” Laci says, uncrossing her legs to stand straight. She balances easily on the uneven concrete, cocking her head as she raises her eyebrows at me. “But I do know two kick ass attorneys. Does Kimber need one of those? Because she sure as shit didn’t want to see me.”
Wincing, I nod. David was already on my mind to talk to, stewing in thoughts about Kimber. From the way she spoke, I kind of thought most of the court side was resolved, at least as far as she was concerned. Now I’m not so sure, and it sets my teeth on edge thinking about someone creeping around the halls of her apartment and leaving messages like this for her to find. She’s torn up about the POS she killed, and as far as I’m concerned he deserved it.
“Why did you think she’d want a girls day again?” Laci snaps, drawing my attention once more. “She looked horrified when we showed up. You didn’t think to give her a warning that you went and picked out some friends for her?”
I bite my tongue before I snap at her. “No. Kimber may have backed out, and I wanted her to be able to do something relaxing and nice for herself.”
Laci looks between us, shaking her head. “If she wants friends, she can come talk to me. Or maybe Anita is more what she needs. I don’t know, Rich. She passed out after staring at me for a while. What’s up with that?”
Meeting Emilio’s gaze, he subtly shakes his head. I glanced at the paperwork enough to know that Jonah was listed, but if Laci didn’t read it, she doesn’t know. I don’t know if she has any idea he might be involved in something heinous with Kimber at all.
“Well,” she goes on, and I drag my gaze back to her, “while you two make secret eyes at each other, I’m getting in the truck. Milo, give me the keys. I want the heated seats.”
I think it’s hot, but I’m not about to try and argue with Laci. She’s another person I barely know at the club, and she seems intense. If she wants the heated seats, she can have the heated seats.
“Something happened with Jonah?” Emilio asks, keeping his voice low as Laci rounds then disappears into the truck with a slam of the door. He’s several inches taller than I am, and is one of the tallest people I’ve seen consistently at Sins. I glare up at him, meeting his dark gaze. “I didn’t read what the pages say, I just saw their names on it.”
My jaw ticks. We shouldn’t even have this. Kimber is the only one who has any business with her own court papers, and I still don’t really want to hand this over. “It’s not my place to say.”
Emilio narrows his eyes, studying me. “You know, I met Jonah a while back. He used to be a dick to Laci. If it is the same Jonah, and I kind of think it is, he’s an asshole. What happened to him?”
Maybe he didn’t read it after all. Licking my lips, I glance away. “He’s dead.”
A beat passes between us. “Did… did Kimber-”
“You have to ask her,” I say tightly, and I get the feeling, given how this is going, that he won’t. “Did you two just run away?”
He shrugs. “Kimber has a grudge against Laci I think. Or maybe Laci has a grudge against her, it’s hard to tell. Who knows. It could have to do with Jonah.”
I’m definitely going to dig into that later, but right now I have other things to do. “Yeah, maybe.”
Emilio looks at me once more before he turns, and I’m jogging across the parking lot without looking back. At this point, I think Kimber might lose her mind when I finally do get upstairs, and I’m still stewing over too many things when I get up to her apartment and bang on the door.
Russell opens it seconds later, holding the cat that I met last time. He gives me a smirk, wiggling his eyebrows as I walk in. “I’m the favorite.”
