Page 81 of Then Came Love
Relief swept through her. “You are very good with your words.” She leaned closer, whispering, “Among other things.” That earned a sexy smile. “Thank you for looking out for me.” The cab pulled over to the curb, and anxiety prickled her chest.
Jax covered her hand with his. “Remember, you’re in charge, sweetheart. If it gets uncomfortable, we can leave.”
She nodded, too nervous to speak. She grabbed her tote as she climbed out of the cab and took a deep breath. “Before we go in, I want you to know that no matter what Reggie says or what happens, it means the world to me that you set this up.” She went up on her toes and kissed him. “Thank you.”
“We make a good team, babe. I’ll always have your back.” He lifted their joined hands and kissed her knuckles.
Jordan was a nervous wreck as they headed into the restaurant. Jax gave the hostess their names, and she pointed to a handsome dark-haired man sitting at a table by the windows. As they made their way over, Jordan had the strange thought that Reggie looked like a private investigator, with his dark suit and serious expression.
He smiled as they approached, softening his harsh edges as he pushed to his feet, slate-blue eyes meeting first Jax’s, then hers. “Jax?”
“Yes. Thanks for meeting us.” Jax shook his hand.
“Thank you for coming into the city. My schedule’s been hell lately. And you must be Jordan.” He offered his hand, and when she took it, he covered it with his other one. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry for all you’ve been through.”
“Thank you. I appreciate you looking into Casey’s disappearance.”
They settled into their seats and ordered drinks, and Reggie got right down to business. “Jordan, I will do everything I can to find out what happened to Casey, if you want me to. But as I told Jax, this will not be easy.”
He went on to warn Jordan about how difficult opening up the search could be for her and her family. He explained the pros and cons of social media with missing person cases and that Jordan and her family could become targets for people trying to swindle money from them in exchange for information, or worse.
Jordan held Jax’s hand, thankful for his strength. “That’s all a little scary, but everything about Casey’s disappearance has been scary. People don’t just vanish.” Saying it out loud brought all her pain to the surface.
“That’s exactly right.” Reggie’s tone was dead serious. “Which is why you need to prepare yourself for the very real possibility that we could take this public and go through everything I’ve just mentioned and still not find any answers, or find a different answer from the one you are hoping for.”
Jordan swallowed hard. “I have spent almost twenty years without answers. I know Casey may not be alive. But I truly believe she is, and I won’t give up hope until I have an answer.” It dawned on her that she hadn’t asked the most important question. “How much do you charge for something like this?”
“My fees have already been taken care of.”
“I don’t understand.” She looked at Jax. “Did you pay him? Because I have savings. I can pay for this, and I can take out loans if I need more money.”
“I’m sure you do and can,” Jax said. “But this is my gift to you and your family.”
“Jax, I can’t let you do that.”
“It’s already done, sweetheart. Reggie has a no-take-back rule, too.”
She couldn’t help but smile at his rule reference, but Mia had confirmed what Jax had told her, that Reggie was the best in the business, and she knew his time didn’t come cheap. “Reggie, I can pay you directly.”
Reggie splayed his hands. “Sorry. It’s in the contract.”
She gave Jax a deadpan look. “I know you mean well, and I won’t turn your help away, but she’s my sister, and I’m pitching in to pay for this.”
“Let’s not waste Reggie’s time with those details. We can discuss it in private later,” Jax suggested.
“Fine, but I have a good memory, Jax, so don’t think we’re done talking about it.”
He eyed Reggie. “I told you she was sharp.” He turned a more comforting gaze to her. “How do you feel about what Reggie has said?”
“I still want to do it, but given his warnings, I can’t make any final decisions without talking with my aunt and uncle.” She turned her attention to Reggie. “Can you tell me what, if anything, you’ve already discovered? Jax said there was evidence of another vehicle at the crash site, but it was never processed.”
“That’s right, and unfortunately, I don’t have an answer as to why. As I mentioned to Jax, I didn’t want to start overturning stones until I was sure you and your family were ready for the potential fallout.”
“I appreciate that.”
“I did review the case in detail, and if you decide to move forward, I’ll revisit the people and groups who were questioned at the time of Casey’s disappearance.”
“Groups?” Jax asked.
“Yes, there was a religious group that was camping twenty miles from the crash site and a cult that has a compound about fifty miles away.”
“What kind of cult? Are they dangerous?” Jordan asked.
“Neither of those groups has had any run-ins with the law. The cult is called Free Rebellion. They’re anti-government and not religiously affiliated.”
“So, what does that mean?” Jordan asked. “They’re tax evaders? Can’t they be arrested for that?”
“I don’t know the extent of what it means yet, but the compound and the campsites for the other group were searched when Casey went missing. According to the files, they found no trace of her with either group. There are other groups as well as known pedophiles in the area. I’ll check those out too.”
Jordan took a drink, not wanting to think about the latter.
“If you decide to move forward, I’ll retrace the steps of the original investigation and exhaust every possible avenue in case anything was missed, and in addition to using every usual tactical outlet to spread the news, I’ll also have my brothers, Jesse and Brent, who are members of the Dark Knights motorcycle club, get in touch with all the chapters across the country. They’ve got dozens of members in each chapter, and they keep their ears to the ground with seedy operations that have been connected to deleterious activities.”
“Is that the same club Bullet Whiskey is in?” Jordan asked.
“Yeah,” Reggie answered. “Jesse and Brent are in the Harborside chapter. There are a few more things I want to discuss. I told you I won’t do anything publicly until you give me the okay, but I had an updated age-progression photo privately made, and I’m hoping you brought the pictures I asked for. Sometimes we can get a closer representation using an artist who takes the other family members and their age progressions into account.”
Jordan opened her tote and handed him the large manila envelope with the pictures in it. “They’re in here. Will I get them back?”
“Yes, and Jax has already arranged for copies to be made and the originals to be sent back to you within forty-eight hours.”
She turned to thank the man who kept tripping up her heart, but before she could say a word, he squeezed her hand and nodded, as if to say, I told you I’ve got your back. He was always one step ahead, taking care of her before she even realized she needed it. She had a feeling this was how her mother felt with her father, and that not only made her feel good, but it also made her realize that sometimes it was okay to be taken care of. That realization made her feel stronger and even more determined to follow through with the search.
Turning back to Reggie, she said, “Can I see the age-progression photo?”
“Of course, but please take a moment to prepare yourself. It might be harder to see than you expect.”
“I see Casey in my mind almost every minute of the day. I think I’m as prepared as I can be.”
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope. As he handed it to her, he and Jax shared a worried glance.
Jordan took a deep breath, and Jax moved his chair beside hers and put his arm around her, as if he knew she was trembling inside. She withdrew the paper and carefully unfolded it. Her hands visibly shook as she looked at the image of a girl who was as much a stranger as she was a part of her. The girl in the picture had Casey’s almond-shaped eyes and perky nose, but gone was the baby face Jordan had held so dear, replaced with slimmer cheeks and slightly fuller lips. Jordan tried to fit the girl in the picture to the one in her mind, but it was like trying to put a square block into a round hole.
“It’s a little jarring, isn’t it?” Jax asked.
“More so than I expected. It’s like looking at someone that sort of looks like my sister and being told this is her, but it doesn’t feel like her.”
“That’s where I think the artist can help,” Reggie said. “Little tweaks go a long way.”
“Can I keep this?”
“Yes, that’s for you. Why don’t we order dinner and we can finish talking while we eat?”
