Page 105 of Lost Truth
They what? Hayden ran his gaze over his friends’ faces. “Since when have you been thinking about us in that way?”
“Since you two first met,” Reece said. “And?—”
“And you couldn’t quit making googly eyes at each other.” Jude wiggled his eyebrows and laughed.
The team joined in, and even Cady smiled at Jude’s antics, but Hayden didn’t crack a smile. He appreciated that his teammates cared enough about him to want him to find a healthy relationship, but everything was too new right now, and he wasn’t prepared for this conversation.
He planted his hands on the table. “Why didn’t anyone say anything to me?”
“Um, dude,” Gabe said. “We have. Plenty of times. And not subtly, either. But you’ve been too resistant to dating to hear us.”
Hayden thought back to times he’d been with Cady and the team when they were investigating the mayor’s murder. Vague memories of them teasing him came back. He couldn’t remember the details, but as Gabe pointed out, they’d brought it up. When it came to personal matters, there wasn’t a single person on the team who would hold back on their opinions. But now wasn’t the time to discuss his relationship, even if that meant Cady thought he was embarrassed about them getting together. He would explain later.
“Maybe I do remember some comments in the past.” He gave his teammates a deadpan stare. “But now that we’ve got my personal life resolved, it’s time to get to work on finding Kai.”
“He’s right.” Nolan grabbed papers Hayden had printed. “Let’s get started on our review.”
Hayden sat down and leaned close to Cady. “Please don’t think I changed the subject because I’m embarrassed about us. It’s just, this is all too new, and I wasn’t expecting the team to weigh in on our potential relationship.”
She lifted a hand as if she planned to put it over his, but pulled it back. “I totally understand. It caught both of us by surprise, but I’m thankful they support us as a couple.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Hayden nearly winced at the thought of the tension it would cause among the team if one of them started seeing someone the others didn’t care for. “But it’s not surprising they’re on board with us. You’re an amazing woman, and they’ve already bonded with you.”
“And me with them.” She beamed at him. “The way I look at it, I’m not only gaining a relationship with a terrific guy, but five other ready-made friends. Six if you count Mina. I’m sure I’ll like her too, but I haven’t gotten to know her beyond her sheriff persona.”
“You’ll be fine as long as you don’t break the law and she has to arrest you.” He grinned.
“All right, like you said—let’s get to work, find Kai, and finally get this relationship started for real.” She stood to pick up a few of the printed pages.
He drew his computer closer and started searching for properties in their county. The results only held the home Ivers owned in Seaview Harbor. That was it. Not surprising. Ivers could’ve hidden ownership of other properties just as he’d concealed the companies, and discovering them wasn’t going to be easy.
Hayden moved on to surrounding counties and soon got lost in his work. Over and over he located the county websites and typed Odin Ivers into their search engines. Then Ivers alone. Even Ivers’s first and middle initials, which he’d found on the commissioner’s bio. But nada. Nothing.
Frustration built, but he wouldn’t give up so easily. He expanded to counties farther away. Same result.
He slammed his fist on the table. “Not a single property under Ivers’s name other than his main residence.”
“Mina’s team searched that property while you were chasing him,” Nolan said. “So it’s a no-go for Kai.”
“Which leaves us with nothing at this point.” Hayden resisted slamming another fist to the table.
A blanket of silence covered the room.
Abby slapped the documents in front of her. “This guy thinks he’s clever. Let’s work together like we always do. Show him he’s not.”
“I’m with you.” Cady cast a tight smile at Abby, then looked at Hayden. “This might be a long shot, but what if he bought property under the business names?”
Hayden turned to look at her. “Marine Investment Associates or Emerald Scorpion Group?”
She nodded.
“Hold up.” Gabe lifted a finger. “Wouldn’t that be unlikely? After all, he’s gone to great lengths to hide his affiliation to the companies, and it could be a big risk to have a connection to local properties.”
“It’s here.” Jude waved one of the pages in the air. “The abandoned boat is listed under the asset sheet for Marine Investment Associates.”
A lead?Hayden sat forward. “Any properties on your list?”
Jude frowned. “Sorry. No.”
