Page 95 of Secret Squirrel
“Carolyn,” Cash nodded. “I remember.”
“She’s dead,” I cut in. “And it’s connected to the syndicate.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Duke added, frowning slightly.
“If it’s not directly connected, it’s pretty damn close,” I retorted.
“Okay, start from the top,” Cash interrupted.
“The boyfriend that she left me for is Michael Williams,” Duke said glumly. “I should have checked him out when I got home, but I was…relieved.”
I didn’t let that sit between us. There was no point in letting Duke feel sorry for himself right now. What happened was in the past, and the only thing we could do now was move forward.
“He’s a lawyer. His biggest client is Draven Wixx.”
Cash swore, immediately recognizing the name. He would since it was directly connected to Eva. He was probably more versed in the players than I was at this point. Taking out the syndicate was directly linked to keeping Eva safe.
“What do we know so far?” Cash asked, getting down to business.
“I’ve started running searches for her son. He went missing at the same time as Carolyn, but since Williams didn’t report her missing, we have no way of knowing what’s happened since then. It was nearly a month ago.”
Cash turned to his computer and started typing. “I want you down there today,” he said to me. “I’ll get you booked on a flight. You need to find out everything you can from the neighbors. I doubt Williams will talk to you, but you have a way with men,” he grinned.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Duke asked.
I rolled my eyes at Cash. “It means that men constantly underestimate me. I have a way of pulling information out of them.”
“I do too,” he grunted. “It’s called using my fist.”
“If you kill him, you’re not going to find Theo, and that’s the most important thing right now. Besides, you’re not going.”
“Excuse me?” he snapped.
“She’s right. You’re too close to this. You’ll fuck it up,” Cash said as he continued to work on his computer.
“I know what he looks like,” Duke argued.
“So do we,” I said calmly. “Duke, he doesn’t know you. Going down there won’t help in any way.”
His jaw tensed the longer he stared at me. “You can tell me I’m not going, but I’d like to see you stop me.”
I sighed, turning to Cash. It was his call. And on something as important as this, I couldn’t see Duke backing down.
“Alright, I’ll get you both on a flight. Lay low. Don’t do anything to raise suspicion. If whoever has the kid knows you’re down there snooping around, it could make things more dangerous for him.”
If he’s still alive.
The implication was left off. Neither of us needed to say it out loud. We all knew what was at stake here. A five year old boy couldn’t defend himself in any way. He was vulnerable, and who knew what his life had been like over the past five years.
“Make whatever arrangements you need to,” Cash told Duke. “It could be a while.”
He nodded and stood, holding out his hand for me. Cash shot me a grin, but smothered it at my glare. I slipped my hand into Duke’s and headed for the door. I was going to have to get better at this whole separation thing.
21
DUKE
Rae was on her way home to pack, but I had to stop by the garage and fill Bowie in on what was happening. Except, when I pulled up, no one was there. The garage was closed up tight and his truck wasn’t there. Swearing, I got out and walked to the front to check inside for a note. Just as I was opening the door, my phone rang.