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“But we do have a lead. Which is more than what we had yesterday,” I try to encourage him.
But the pained look in my brother’s eyes has my stomach tightening ever so slightly. “We can’t prove a connection to Charlene yet. Owen Yates seems to be a drifter passing through Lincoln County who stuck around, either because he didn’t have any money to move forward or because he found a good meth supplier here. But there is absolutely no overlay anywhere with Charlene, nor with any of her former, known associates.”
I don’t like hearing that. Then again, there are a lot of things I don’t like about the very existence of Charlene Maddox. I was foolish enough to want her in my life once. There’s no way I’m making that mistake again, not after the lies, the deceit. Not after everything that happened between us. And especially not since Avery came into our lives and changed us all for the better. I want her as far away from us as possible. Behind bars for life would be ideal.
Yet we can’t pin anything on her, and I’m not a fan of fabricating evidence. We do this right, or we don’t do it at all. I take a seat in the guest chair in front of Kellan’s desk, letting my whole weight sink into the plush cushions until I can feel the pressure seeping from between my shoulder blades. I’ve been holding on to too much for too long.
“I don’t believe in coincidence,” I tell my brother. “Charlene getting out of prison, these attacks and Marcus’ death, there has to be a link somewhere. I’ll bet my life on it. But if we can’t prove anything, what other choice have we got at this point?”
“We keep digging,” Kellan says. “We keep digging but we accept things for what they are. Whoever was gunning for us, they weren’t in it to kill us. Whoever attacked me could’ve easily put a bullet in my head back at the drug den. He had a clear shot. Point blank.”
“Come to think of it, mine tried a little harder to stab me,” I grumble, replaying the whole incident in my mind’s eye. “But Luke’s car, that was fully intended to obliterate the driver. And they knew it was Luke’s car. That was clear intention to kill.”
“Either Luke is at the top of somebody’s unsavory list, or each of the attacks was a buildup to the explosion.”
“Why?” I ask.
“To instill terror and uncertainty, maybe?” Kellan shrugs. “Either way, we need motive. And we need to figure out what role Owen Yates played in all of this. Like you said, I don’t believe in coincidence, either. Yates was at the drug den, and he had contact with the knife used in your attack. There has to be a reason for him to pop up on our radar, and the fact that he was killed before we could find him is telling.”
I nod slowly. “Somebody didn’t want him talking.”
26
Avery
Although Charlene offered me sixty days to change my mind, I decided to contact her before the deadline. I’ve thought long and hard about everything and it wasn’t an easy decision to come to. The reasons behind this move are more complex than financial—the guys are more than happy to help me with finances, to support me through every day and make sure my girls and I have everything we need. But they also understand and respect my desire for financial independence.
I started this project and I intend to see it through, start to finish. I don’t want to quit in the middle of my creation and besides, I could use more photos of a finished home for my portfolio. I want another satisfied customer added to my roster, more examples of my work that I can show to potential clients.
“Thank you for having me over,” Charlene says as I open the door for her. “You’ve got a lovely little place here,” she adds with a warm smile.
“Oh, I didn’t decorate this,” I reply.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s nice and homey,” Charlene says. “Here, these are for you.”
She hands me a box of Belgian chocolates, neatly wrapped in transparent foil and bound with red ribbons. My mouth is already watering, my cravings be damned. “How’d you know? I’ve been thinking about chocolate and hazelnuts since I woke up.”
“Oh, it must’ve been a stroke of luck, then,” she laughs.
I guide her into the kitchen, grateful to be home alone for this meeting. Helen is driving my girls to school, and she will be stopping by the farmer’s market before heading back here.
Charlene waits for me to start, quiet and polite, her gaze constantly wandering up and down my growing figure. I’m wearing jeans and the largest knit sweater I could find, but I don’t think I can hide my baby bump for much longer.
“Charlene, I’ve thought about it. Long and hard, might I add, and I’ve decided to come back to finish your project, if you’ll have me.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful news!” She lights up like the sun, a beaming smile dancing across her face. “You won’t regret it. And I’ll keep my word, Avery. I’m doubling your fee for this. You deserve it.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I reply. “It’s bad enough I stalled the project for so long.”
“Nonsense. Besides, you’ve got a little one on the way, and you’re living here alone,” she says, knocking the air out of my lungs. “You need all the help you can get, Avery.”
“Hold on, what?” I manage.
Charlene laughs lightly, then pops a chocolate into her mouth, steam slowly rising from the coffee mug in front of her. “I wasn’t born yesterday. You keep trying to hide it, but a woman knows. Your posture, your bump, your glow… I can tell. Plus, you’re drinking decaf. I see those prenatal vitamins over there, too,” she adds, pointing at the bottles I keep near the fruit basket. “Two and two makes four, doesn’t it?”
“Oh.”
“I guess congratulations are in order,” she says, her smile never wavering. But she’s only smiling with her lips, not her eyes. I could be reading too much into it, letting her history with my men cloud my perception, but I don’t think I am. “Do you know which of the three strapping gentlemen is the daddy yet?”
