Page 30 of Lies Beneath Secrets

“I really don’t think so…” I trail behind her and toss my clothes into the dryer along the way.

“Oh, I do,” she says when I reach her room, and she’s holding up a dress.

“It’s raining out!” I complain, getting an eye-roll from her. She must have already started to get ready because her makeup is perfectly done, with some bright red lipstick to top everything off.

“That’s no excuse! I’ll pay for a cab to bring us. There’s no reason you can’t wear this.” Reluctantly, I grab the dress and hold it up to me. It seems long enough to where it should go down to my knees. “I need some tights or something if I’m going to wear this.” She points at me with a smirk on her face.

“I got you, boo.” She prances off toward her closet and comes back with what I had requested. “These are so cool. They look like you’re wearing some sheer pantyhose, but they’re like leggings.” I’m skeptical but instead of arguing, I take them from her and go to the bathroom to completely dry off and change. To my surprise, the leggings she gave me really do look like I’m wearing a pair of pantyhose. The dress though? It’s strapless and so tight. I’m nowhere as thin as Piper, but I do my best to wiggle into the slip of material.

“I’m never going to get this to zip,” I complain as I walk out of the bathroom and into her room. She doesn’t hear me though. She’s looking at her phone, tears nearly taking over her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Lucas isn’t very happy we’re going out.” I resist the urge to tell her to tell him to fuck right the hell off.

“Do you want to stay here instead?” I almost hope she says yes, but there’s also a part of me that wants to make her stick it to Lucas. Who is he to tell her she can’t go out when he’s at his brother’s bachelor party? Probably being nothing but a complete scoundrel.

“No.” She shakes her head. “No, we’re going. I’m not going to let him ruin another night.” I want to ask what she means by another night but instead, I walk over to her and give her a hug.

“Let’s have some fun.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT

Con

Gabe’s old lady, Maria, owns a house on the opposite end of town where several new homes were built a few years ago. I do my best to stay unseen and not draw attention as I walk down the sidewalk to her place. It’s already dark, so the night provides a little cover for me in areas that aren’t brightened by street-lamps. I know from Knox that she works the night shift at a nursing home, so she’ll be gone tonight.

I quickly check around the area and run across the lawn to the back door of the house. She makes breaking in easy. When I try the door, it’s unlocked. I let out a relieved sigh as I step inside, but the relief is soon dashed away when I’m greeted with the most vicious fucking fur-ball known to mankind. A little dog about the size of my damn boot stands there, barking at me, hair on end like a cat. “Shut up, you little bastard,” I whisper and close the door behind me. It keeps its distance but doesn’t shut the hell up. The high-pitched barks scratch against my eardrums as I make my way into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, I do a quick look around until I find a package of lunch meat in a container. As soon as I pull out the bundle of sliced meat, the little yapper stops all noise and sits, wagging its little bushy tail as best he can while sitting on his ass.

“You want this?” He hops up at my question, and I toss the food on the floor. He goes to town on it, and I take off out of the kitchen, then look around.

Not knowing what I’m even looking for, I begin in the bedroom first. There isn’t a whole lot of evidence of another person living, or had lived, in here, and the place is too fucking dark to spot anything that might have been left out in the open. I pull out my phone and turn on the flashlight feature Lauren showed me not too long ago. I haven’t seen her in weeks since I moved out. I’ve been doing what King ordered and have been back at the club. Gabby has been seeing Kendra much more than me, and I feel like a prick because of it. She has at least been going to school and seems to be adjusting well.

I open drawers one by one. Everything is folded so neat and placed in the drawers with such precision, I question if I have the wrong house. No way was this woman involved with Gabe; the guy could be a damn slob. With my flashlight, I go through each drawer, then through the small closet. Not seeing much until I notice something underneath the bed.

A small blue shoebox.

I get down on the floor and reach underneath to grab it, only to hear that damn dog barking again. “Fuck,” I mouth to myself and snatch the box up in a flash. I’m thinking Maria must have come home early or something until I hear the dog yelp and someone shout “Shut the fuck up!” I know that damn voice.

Len.

“You take the bedroom. I’ll see if there’s anything out here,” he says to whoever is with him.

I take a brief survey of the room and nearly jump for fucking joy when I notice the long curtain covering what I hope to be a sliding door. I push it aside and let out a relieved breath when I see moonlight coming through. I turn off my flashlight and quietly slide the door open, then squeeze myself through the small opening. Clutching the box in my arms, I take off at a brisk pace back to my truck.

I don’t waste any time when I get there and drive off as quickly as I can without drawing attention, all the while glancing at that damn box, hoping to fuck it has something in it that will help answer some questions.

CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE

Con

Gabby is happily coloring while Kendra sits on the couch next to her, looking at her phone. She laughs a little bit now and then before she taps away. “Hey, Uncle Con,” she greets me, not looking up from the screen.

“Hey, kid.” Gabby looks over at me, gets up from her spot on the couch, and brings over the sheet of paper she was coloring.

“Daddy,” she whispers and comes over to hug me. It will always stop my heart when she calls me that. Gabby holds up the picture she drew for me to take. Looking down, I smile at the bike she drew.

“Is this you?” I point to the small person sitting on the bike. She gives me a nod, then I point to the one driving the bike. “Me?” She gives another nod and smiles. “Want me to take you for a ride on my bike?” Her smile gets even bigger, and she nods. “Little daredevil, aren’t you? Okay, Gabbs, you got it. I need to find a helmet that fits you first though, okay?” The thought of having her on my bike both scares the hell out of me and makes me proud.

“$100 if I can request your sitter services for the remainder of the evening,” I say to Kendra and hold up a crispy hundred-dollar bill. She hesitates for a split second, then goes to snatch it from my hand, but I pull it back. “Possibility of me being gone all night,” I add, and she pulls her hand away.

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