Page 54 of Smoldering Nights
He sent a text back to Jayson.
Let’s meet.I want to review everything again.Salon.Noah.Sadie’s pics.We’re close.
I’ll come to your office in an hour.Bringing full files and surveillance pulls.
Izzy shuffled into the kitchen, wrapped in his t-shirt, her hair a sexy mess of curls and waves.She looked sleepy and beautiful and far too brave for the hell she was navigating.
“You okay?”she asked, rubbing her eyes.
He crossed the room and kissed her temple.“We’re getting close.Fielding’s acting on the salon.Jayson’s bringing more evidence.”
She nodded, trying to be strong, but he saw the flicker of worry in her eyes.“And Sadie?”
“She’s smart.Careful.You were right to warn her.What she found might be enough to take Travis off the board.But that substance is also dangerous.She should get away from there for the time being.”
Izzy leaned into him, resting her cheek against his chest.“I want this over, Mitch.I want to breathe again.I want to go back to my shop and feel safe there.And I want Sadie safe too.”
“You will,” he said fiercely.“I promise you.I'll do my best to make sure Sadie is safe, too.”
His arms tightened around her.In his gut, he knew the final push was coming.But he also knew that promises weren’t always enough.Not in his line of work.
After breakfast, he kissed her goodbye, made sure all the security systems were live, and headed out.
Today, they’d connect every thread.And if things went as he expected, one or both of the men circling Izzy would be facing justice soon.
But as Mitch pulled out of the driveway, a cold shadow settled over his thoughts.
Because he had a sinking feeling that one of them wasn’t going down without a fight.
Mitch pulled into the small parking lot behind his office building, a modest brick structure tucked between the funeral home at the end of First Street.The sign on the door still readDeMario Security Consulting,though lately, his work had blurred the line between private sector and law enforcement.In towns like this, lines had a way of doing that.
Jayson was already inside, seated at the small round table with a laptop open and several folders spread across the surface.He glanced up when Mitch walked in.
“Morning,” he said, tapping the spacebar to wake the screen.“You’re going to want to see this.”
Mitch dropped into the seat across from him.“Lay it out.”
Jayson flipped the laptop toward him.The screen showed three photos side-by-side: one of the duffel Sadie had photographed, one from a past drug bust in Lexington, and one from a DEA file he’d pulled last night.“Packaging match is damn near identical.Same baggies, same colored zip tops, same white residue on the seams.This isn’t small-time dealing.It’s part of a known fentanyl ring operating out of Louisville and Lexington.My guess?Travis is a runner.”
Mitch’s jaw tightened.“And Delilah’s salon is a drop point.”
Jayson nodded.“Looks that way.She’s got the location, cash problems, and motive.If she keeps the front legit, no one thinks twice about the back.And customers come and go in a business like that.”
“And Noah?”Mitch asked.
Jayson pulled another file forward.“This is where it gets twisted.He was let go from his previous employer after a harassment complaint.”
Mitch’s stomach dropped.“Okay.What was the harassment?”
“The pattern fits.Female coworker.Claimed he followed her home.Left her gifts.Nothing technically illegal, but definitely creepy.He was warned, then fired.No charges filed.Since then, he’s been delivering with his own truck as a third-party service and working under the radar.”
“Which could explain the mysterious order.He could have ordered it for Petal Pushers since he'd be picking it up, he could deliver it, see Izzy, and act like he wasn't sure what was going on, he's just the delivery guy.”Mitch rubbed his jaw.“He’s escalating.He’s always watching, always nearby.I think he’s getting bold.”
Jayson nodded."I dug into ancient history on Noah.Harassment doesn't just start.It's a pattern.He's had similar issues at previous jobs.He becomes fixated on someone and can't let go."
"He's fixating on Izzy."
Jayson nodded.He tapped his computer a couple of times and pulled up an arrest record from Washington State."About twenty years ago, he went so far as to kidnap a victim.He waited for her outside her workplace and surprised her from behind.Hand over her mouth, he easily picked her up and carried her to his delivery truck.He tied her to the rails and drove her out of town.Luckily, she'd managed to get her hands loose on the ride and slipped out of the ropes.She found a bat or a large stick in the back of the truck and waited near the door.When he opened the door and climbed in to get her, she hit him on the back of the head and ran like hell.He was arrested and spent only five months in jail due to overcrowding.He was a first timer, no previous record, so he was chosen for release."
