Not without some serious underhanded fuckery, anyway.
Not unless he contacted my own PI.
揥ait. What??She holds my gaze. 揧ou抮e serious??
揧ep.?And even if I抎 told him, Troy has no business whatsoever talking to my daughter about her mom抯 death, especially without my knowledge.
What the fuck game does he think he抯 playing梐nd why?
I抦 not waiting around to find out. I find the jackass in my contacts and hit Call.
His line rings until it goes to voicemail.
揇ad??Destiny squeaks.
I抦 already dialing him again as I glance at my daughter. 揧es??
揥hat did the investigator find? Talk to me!?
Gut punch.
I can抰 tell her it was a definite suicide in the man抯 opinion. I don抰 think he had all the facts, and now I wonder if he was actually working for me at all.
With Troy creeping around behind my back, I don抰 know what the fuck to think.
揑 haven抰 had a chance to assess his full report,?I say. Close enough to the truth.
She nods.
I call Troy again as my blood boils.
And again.
Again.
No matter how many times I try, I keep getting his damn voicemail.
Finally, I pound out a text without giving a single shit how it sounds, Coward, pick up your phone. Did you think I wouldn抰 find out about these little therapy sessions you抳e been having with my daughter?
I try calling again. This time, a loud ping interrupts, announcing an incoming text.
Snarling, I jerk the phone away from my ear and glance at it.
Eliza. She just texted me with the world抯 worst timing.
I open it anyway and it抯 just梐 picture of this hellish rainfall and a mile marker heading out of town?
I can feel my face darkening as I glare at the screen.
揇ad? What抯 wrong??Dess asks nervously.
揑 don抰 know.?I put the privacy screen down again and lean forward. 揅hange of plans, Tom. I need to get to mile marker 237. Can you take me there??I hold out my phone for him to see.
He deftly looks at my phone and then back at the road.
揑 can take you, boss, but in this soup, it might take a solid hour.?
Not what I want to hear.
揓ust get us there as soon as you can.?
揥here are we going??Destiny asks, exasperated. 揥ill someone tell me what抯 going on??
揘owhere,?I growl.
揅抦on. You just gave Tom new directions. We抮e going somewhere and you don抰 want to tell me. Are you ever not going to treat me like a kid??
She抣l always be my kid. I just don抰 tell her because I don抰 have the patience for another longwinded argument right now.
揥e抮e going to a mile marker.?
揥here??
揝omewhere south toward Olympia, hugging the coast. I don抰 think Eliza抯 heading for SeaTac International like she planned. She抯 going the wrong way and I have to help.?
揥hat did she say??Destiny clenches my arm, her eyes wide.
揝he just sent a picture of the mile marker in the rain. Nothing else.?
揟hat抯 it??
I level a look on her that says yes, and question time is over.
揑 don抰 get it. Why some random sign??Her little brows knit together.
揧our guess is as good as mine.?
I don抰 care to spin theories when none of them are good. You don抰 just butt dial a photo of a random sign in the rain to a man you loathe.
Then you have Troy, calling up my kid and playing with her memories. He抯 not answering his phone and Eliza is sending cryptic texts.
It doesn抰 make sense.
It抯 probably all random acts of bullshit, but my gut screams there抯 a connection I抦 not seeing.
Not yet.
I抦 just terrified that when the pieces snap together梬hen it all finally makes sense桰抣l wish like hell it didn抰。
Worse, my options are so fucking limited.
I have Tom gunning it as fast as he can in this torrential rain. All with my daughter in the car and this gut-churning inkling that something is hideously wrong.
Eliza needs my help, dammit. But if I抦 right and I抦 dragging Destiny into something I shouldn抰？
What do I do with my kid?
I grit my teeth, staring out the window while Destiny scans her phone. I swear, I could move this ride faster than Tom is right now. You never forget dealing with water in all its forms when you抮e a Navy man who served on the open sea.
I also did my fair share of training with tactical driving once.
揇ad, can I ask you something??So much for the phone stealing her attention.
Before I can answer, Tom says, 揌ey, I抦 sorry, Mr. Lancaster. I抳e got no choice but to pull over. I can抰 even see the road, and I抦 not risking us running off of it.?
Shit, shit, shit.
Not what I want to hear right now.
Sighing, I look at Destiny.