Page 60 of Jack of Hearts
She sat on the bed, legs stretched out in front of her, and he settled next to her, stuffing a pillow behind his back. While he was gone, she’d dressed in what he thought of as her bookstore clothes—a blouse and pants—and he was sorry for that. It was probably for the best, though. Those little boxer panties messed with his concentration.
“I have about forty-five minutes before I have to go downstairs, and I want to catch Lauren before we open. What did you want to talk about?”
He leaned to the side so that their heads were touching, inhaling her lemony scent, wishing all their problems were dealt with and in the past. All he wanted to do was spend time with her when there were no lies between them, no investigation happening with her family, and no one spying on her. When this was all over, if she was still talking to him, he wanted to take her away for a few days. Just the two of them someplace romantic where they could talk about mundane things instead of drugs and all the other shit they were both dealing with.
“It’s about your father.”
She sucked in a breath, pulling away. “What about him?”
Already, her eyes were pooling with tears, and he’d give anything to not have to tell her. “After you told me it was a hit-and-run, I did a little investigating.” He reached for her hand, enfolding it in his. “Did you ever read the police report or ask for details?”
She shook her head. “Uncle Jose and Ramon came to the house to tell us. The news was devastating, and my mom fell apart. Between my own grief and taking care of her, I never thought to ask. I just knew it was a hit-and-run when he was crossing the street.”
“Who told you that?”
“Uncle Jose. Why?”
Tears rolled down her cheeks, and Alex wiped them away with his thumb. “Because he wasn’t crossing the street. The accident investigator was able to pinpoint where he was on the sidewalk. He was several feet away from the pavement. There isn’t proof, but the investigator concluded that the car aimed straight for him without trying to stop. There was also a traffic camera, but it was pointed down the street. All it picked up was a fast-moving dark car, could have been green, blue, or black. The license plate was missing, meaning someone removed it so no cameras would pick it up.”
She gave a violent shake of her head. “No. No.”
“I’m sorry, baby. Come here.” She crawled onto his lap, and he held her while she cried. If he had to guess, she’d been too caught up in taking care of her mother to grieve properly. As her warm tears soaked his shoulder, he considered her uncle’s reasons for hiding the truth from her. It could be as simple as protecting Madison and Angelina from knowing someone wanted Michael Parker dead. Or he didn’t want them looking into it too closely, which Alex instinctively thought was the case. And how had the Alonzos known about the accident before Madison and her mother found out? The police would normally contact the next of kin, not their relatives. Another avenue to investigate.
“I drooled on you,” Madison said, her voice muffled as her mouth was pressed against his shoulder.
He smiled into her hair. “Maybe you should give me a bath?”
She made a giggling, sobbing sound. “Men.”
“Yeah, we make inappropriate comments at the worst times, but Mad?” He waited for her to look up at him. “About that bath?” As he’d hoped, she giggled. It was at that moment—when her beautiful green eyes were both teary and sparkling with amusement, and her fiery red hair curled around her face and down her shoulders like some kind of mythical goddess—that his chest ached with the knowledge that he loved her. Knowing that hurt, because his lies were going to tear them apart.
“How did you get the accident report?”
“It’s public record. Anyone could have gotten it.”
“I should have thought to do that.”
“You were told it was a hit-and-run. Why would you question that? You were also grieving. I do wonder how your uncle knew about it before the police notified you.” His theory was that her uncle or Ramon had somehow found out her father was writing a story about them and had ordered a hit.
“I don’t know. I never thought about it.” She leaned back, furrowing her brows. “Alex, I have to know what happened to him. An accident, I could ... accept. Is that the right word? Is there a right word for losing your father?” She drew circles on his thigh. “But murder?” She looked up at him, her eyes glittering with rage. “I’m going to find the person who killed him.”
“Weare. Together. Okay?”
“Why? I mean, I’ll take all the help I can get, but I don’t even know exactly what you can do.”
“As to the why, because I care about you, Madison. I want to help if this is important to you.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“It’s maybe the most important thing I’ll ever do.”
“I know. As to how I can help, my brothers and I deal with a pretty rough crowd on a daily basis, men who know things most people don’t. We’ve picked up a trick or two here and there. If you’ll allow it, you’ll have the Gentry brothers on your side.”
“I don’t know what to say except for thank you. Are you sure your brothers are okay with you volunteering them?”
“I’m sure. Do you know what your father was working on?”
“No. Like I told you, he was being very secretive. How can we find out?”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
