Page 118 of Veil of Lies

“That’s my cue to leave. I’ll be in the lobby if you have any other problems. Please don’t hesitate to come and find me.”

My smile was more of a grimace, but Clint didn’t seem to notice. The other guy placed the metal box on the table and closed the metal security door behind him. The silence left in his wake was deafening. It felt like I was locked in a tomb. Thank fuck I didn’t suffer from claustrophobia.

Minutes passed and I stared at the box. It looked innocuous. Not big enough to hold much of anything, so whatever Dad had left me, it wasn’t a stack of files. I took the small key we’d found at the cemetery, pushed it into the slot on the top of the box, and twisted it. For one heart-stopping moment, nothing happened, then the lid popped open.

The box was empty, apart from a small USB drive no bigger than my thumb. Part of me had been hoping Dad had left a letter or something personal, but nope. Just a USB drive. I sighed. At least there was something. It would have been galling to have found nothing.

Hopefully something on the drive proved useful. Whether it was enough to win my father his freedom remained to be seen. I pocketed the small drive, closed the box, and pressed the buzzer.

It was time for coffee and cake.

Chapter 90

Brax

If only I could block my grandmother’s number, life would be so much simpler. Instead, I rejected the call. Let her think I was too busy. I knew damned well that if she wanted to talk to me, it wasn’t going to be anything good.

The three of us sat in a coffee shop a block away from the bank where Stella was attempting to access her safe deposit box. None of us were convinced the key would even fit, but Stella was determined to chase the lead down. I knew she believed her father was innocent. I hoped for her sake he was, but frankly, I wasn’t convinced.

My grandmother’s number reappeared on my screen. Since my phone was on silent, all it did was buzz like an angry wasp. By the fourth attempt, I realized ignoring her wasn’t on the agenda, so I hit accept.

“Yes?”

“Brax, darling, I don’t appreciate that tone of voice.”

“Sorry, Lily.” Not sorry.

“Well now I’ve finally managed to get hold of you, I’d appreciate it if you would have dinner with me and your mother this evening.” Appreciate being her way of saying you will have dinner with me and your mother.

Kill me now. “Where and what time?” It was pointless refusing. My grandmother never accepted any excuses. Arguing only delayed the inevitable and led to a greater punishment.

“The Capital Grille. 8 PM. Oh, and bring your girlfriend. Your mother would like to meet her.”

My blood ran cold. This was not good. If I took Stella, my mother would likely recognize her. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“Come now, if she’s your girlfriend as you claim, then surely you’d want her to meet the family?” The way she phrased the question told me nothing I said would change her mind.

“OK, fine, we’ll be there.” I ended the call and closed my eyes, frantically running through all the possible scenarios whereby I could extricate Stella and me from this dinner. Short of throwing myself off the suspension bridge, there were none.

“What’s wrong?” Quinn asked.

I explained and he sucked in a sharp breath. “Shit.”

“Yeah, shit.”

“What if you say she’s ill or something?” suggested Harley.

I raised one eyebrow. “You really think my grandmother will accept that as an excuse?”

“Yeah OK, maybe not.”

“What’s wrong?” Stella took a seat at the table and stared at the three of us with concern.

“We’ve been invited to have dinner with my grandmother and Mom.”

“What, all four of us?”

“No, just you and I.”

---