Page 55 of Ache
“Tage?” Everly waves her hand in front of my face. “Whata’ya thinkin’ about? You got scary quiet there for a second.”
I shake off my internal analysis. “Just hoping the guac is good.”
Everly arches an eyebrow. She’s questioning my bullshit. It seems Alec shares her suspicions, but he doesn’t care enough to question me, too.
Alec and I are going to have to have one serious heart to heart. Just the two of us. Mano y mano.
He looks pretty on the outside, but I get the feeling Mr. Alec M. Prescott, Esquire, doesn’t mind getting dirty one bit.
“Ever,” I address her seriously. “There is something all three of us need to discuss over dinner.” I hate to be the party pooper, but there is still the issue of her mother, what she wants, and exactly what lengths she’s willing to go to get it.
For the last several years, Vicki has been off the grid, popping up here and there when she tanked out of rehab or ended up in jail. I’ve always kept tabs on her and Gunner, but this recent appearance has me concerned. It looks like she has some money and power behind her, but I can’t be completely sure. It could all be an act. I’m going to find out either way. And I’m going to keep Everly as far away from her as possible while I do.
“About what my mom wants?” She was never a stupid girl.
“Yes. You said you might know?”
She chews on her lip. With her hair a mess and the freckles on her nose, she looks like a scared little girl. But she’s anything but. Her appearance doesn’t reflect the person inside. It never has. I often wondered if that’s why Gunner was so obsessed with her. He saw how rare she was. As fragile as a petal on the outside but as fierce as a lion within.
“I heard them fighting that night. Before everything happened. Outside my bedroom door. My mom, she was screaming about a key. That she wanted it. It belonged to her, not him,” Everly recalls painfully. The scrunch of her nose and dimples between her eyebrows scrape at my heart. “She sounded crazy. Not that that was too far off for my mom. She was always a little unstable, but she was extra upset that night.”
“And what was Gunner saying?”
“Not much, just yelling, ‘Shut up, bitch. You’re high.’ But I heard her say ‘key’ clearly. She wanted a key.”
“A key?” I pace the tiny kitchen. “Key to what?” I wonder aloud, racking my brain. It was a long time ago, but I don’t remember Gunner ever mentioning any kind of key or lock box or car. What else can a key be used for?
“Tage?” Everly calls my name, worried.
“I’m just thinking.”
“What I want to know is why she approached me?” Alec chimes in. “If she wants Everly so badly, why go through all the trouble to use me? Why not just grab her and be done with it?”
“Because just grabbing her would gain too much attention.Myattention. But grab both her and her boyfriend. They could do a lot with that.”
“How?” Alec is pessimistic.
“Manipulating social media, for one. Create an alibi for the two of you. Pretend to be on vacation? A romantic getaway. Who would question that?”
“Our bosses, for one,” Everly scoffs.
“Maybe, but that’s the least of Vicki’s worries. Once she had you, and then got what she wanted, neither of you would go back to work, I’m sure,” I insinuate the inevitable. A six-foot-deep ditch in the ground and two warm bodies.
A phone begins to ring, and we all pause. “That’s probably dinner.” Alec swipes his phone off the coffee table and then curses.I don’t think it’s dinner.
“Who is it?” I rush over to him.
“Her.” He holds up the screen. Caller unknown flashes.
“What do we do?” Everly directs the question right at me.
“Don’t answer it. Let her call. She’s not getting anywhere near any of us.”
The buzzer rings, and Everly nearly jumps through the roof. “Relax.” I place my hands on her arms and try to soothe her as Alec answers the door.
“I thought this was over,” she nearly cries.
“Me, too, but I’m here, and I’ll end it once and for all. I promise.”
