Page 71 of Hard Evidence
“And then we had President Biggs,” Brax said, grimacing.
“That fool got himself elected with a promise of small government, which he kept.Shame he didn’t understand more about what the government actually did.By the time he finished gutting every agency, the whole damn shebang was ready to collapse.And now we have President Harrison.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”Justin asked.“He’s always struck me as a man of principle.”
“Exactly.”Sykes pointed at him with a cookie.“Harrison is fundamentally honest, and how can big business work with a man like that?Backroom deals make the world go around, and he refuses to play the game.”
“Linus, remember your blood pressure,” the barista said.“And breathe.”
“Right.”Sykes took a deep breath and let it out slowly.“That’s all in the past.I’m a new man now.”
“A coffee magnate?”Brax asked.
“The coffee’s just a hobby.Do you realise how hard it is to get a decent espresso around here?”
“We only flew in this morning.”
“Are you staying at the Bohemian?”
“No, we’re heading straight back to Virginia.”
“Shame.They serve a great surf ’n’ turf.”
“About Levi…”
“Forget Levi.I have.Moving on was the best thing I ever did.”His face softened as he smiled at the barista.“Mary’s life insurance policy paid out, then I met Alejandro in rehab, and we decided to move here for a fresh start.”
“He’s finally living his truth,” Alejandro said, smiling back.“Now we serve coffee in the mornings and sail in the afternoons.”
Uh…
Sykes gestured toward a sixty-foot yacht parked just beyond the coffee stand.Three flags fluttered from the top deck—the Stars and Stripes and the Colombian Tricolor Nacional, with a pride flag between them.Well, fuck.
“I’m experiencing freedom for the first time.Freedom from past mistakes, freedom from society’s expectations.You should try one of the cantuccini—they’re made to an old family recipe.”
“Whose family?”Brax asked.“Not yours, surely?”
“Heavens, no.The Riccis live a couple of miles away, and Lucia bakes the cookies to supplement her social security.I cycle over each morning to pick them up.”
“The doctor says he needs to take more exercise,” Alejandro told them.
Alejandro had to be at least fifteen years younger than Linus.Was that part of the reason for the health kick?Whatever, they seemed happy together, and unless Linus was lying through his teeth, he wasn’t involved in Levi’s latest bid for freedom.
“Thanks for talking with us,” Brax said.“If Levi gets in touch, will you let us know?”
“Sure, if you leave a number, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.Levi was his mother’s son.I had a brief moment of hope when he moved in with you people and began focusing on his studies, but…” Linus shrugged.“We all know how that turned out.”
Yeah, they did.With a funeral, a police investigation, and a nightmare that refused to end.It was time to head back to Virginia.
And to Jessie.
CHAPTER27
JESSALYN
“Well, Florida was a bust.”
Justin had already said as much in a text message, but it was still harder to hear the words in person.But he was back, and he was safe.I hadn’t been prepared for the way my heart flipped when he walked into the kitchen.With Ridge, I used to feel the weight of dread as I waited for him to come home from the office, but when I heard the front door open this evening, relief overwhelmed me instead.
