Page 110 of I Stop Somewhere Waiting For You

My head snaps to the side, eyeing Nicky with a scowl at this recent revelation.

“I know.” He nods. “He claimed it was consensual, she claimed he drugged her. At the time, had it gone to trial, the piece of shit probably would have gotten off. She waited a few days to report it and never sought medical attention so there was no forensic evidence backing her claims. However, Daddy Dearest was never going to allow their family name to be dragged through the mud, so he paid her off and had these records buried… deep.”

Nicky then locates another paper, holding it up for me to see. It’s some sort of medical record. I take it from him, reading through as he explains.

“Fast forward a few months, she finds out she’s pregnant.” My eyes locate the positive pregnancy result just as he says it. “There’s phone records between her and him after this report is dated. I obviously can’t tell you what was discussed, those messages are long gone, but it’s my best guess based on the sheer number of calls and texts exchanged between them in an incredibly short period of time that she informed him of said pregnancy and was looking for either justice or another payout.”

Nicky then hands me a printout of a phone log from the same time period. About halfway down the page, much like the charge on the bank statement, a single number is circled in red. I double check, it’s the only time this number appears on the page.

He continues. “Luc’s dad never issued another payout, and this never went to court. In fact, shortly after she contacted him again, she went missing.” Nicky looks to me, his expression somber. “She’s never been found. So, I started looking at what could have happened and that’s when I found this.” He points to the circled phone number. “This number only contacted him one time. Ever. She disappeared two days later. I thought it was weird, so I checked into it further. It’s not in service anymore, which piqued my interest even more. Then I remembered who owns the house they were in with Val.”

I feel my brows pull together in confusion.

“Yuri gets a new cell phone number every month, Mav. He’s done it as long as I’ve worked with him, which I was when all of this was happening. As a way to cover my own ass, I’ve kept a record of every number Yuri’s ever had.”

“Son of a bitch,” I whisper.

Nicky nods. “Yuri got rid of Luc’s problem. Though, I’m willing to bet he kept more than enough evidence to ensure he owns him now.”

“You think Old Man Devoreaux is in on this, too?”

“I don’t think so.” He shakes his head. “I don’t think Elliot Devoreaux is particularly righteous, but I haven’t found any connection to him whatsoever. If anything, I bet Luc took this option so his father wouldn’t have to find out.”

Suddenly, another thought hits me. “Was he with Daph when all this was happening?”

“No.” Nicky eyes me cautiously. “Which brings me to my next concern. Luc started dating Daphne less than two months later. Who Yuri has apparently been aware I’ve been fucking all this time.”

“I think what you mean to say is, who Yuri’s known you’ve been in love with all this time.” Nicky doesn’t acknowledge my observation surrounding his feelings for Daph, and considering we’ve got bigger issues at play than his inability to man up and claim his girl, I let it go for now. “Okay, so what do we know?” I assess. “We know Yuri owns Luc. We know Luc most likely started dating Daphne as one more way for Yuri to fuck with you.” I pinch the bridge of my nose as my mind does a quick review, trying to keep my facts straight. “So how does Amber rope into all of this?”

“While I was doing a review of Luc’s phone records, I noticed a new number that started texting him pretty regularly within the last few months. I’ll give you three guesses who it belongs to, but you’ll only need one.”

“Amber?” I ask.

“The one and only. I hacked his phone through the cloud. The messages from Amber are still in there; he hasn’t deleted them. Mav, they’re fucking.”

A deep-rooted annoyance takes hold as I snap. Not at the discovery that they’re fucking, I couldn’t give two shits, but rather that she’s still harassing me. “So, then what the fuck is that bitch stressing my ass for if she’s got him on lock?!”

“She doesn’t. It’s a relationship purely out of convenience. It’s pretty evident from the messages that she’s fucking obsessed with you. And regardless of how he and Daphne started, it morphed into something real for him.” I don’t miss the way Nicky’s jaw tightens as he shares that little tidbit. “Amber’s used it to her advantage. She baited him, taunting him with claims that Daph was still fucking me. It’s why he helped her blackmail Val into being their own personal little surrogate stalker. Amber and Luc have launched their own personal vendetta against me and my sister.”

“Okay, but why would Yuri let them use his property for this shit? Why would Yuri care about any of th—” My voice trails off as my mind drifts back to the file Kellerman shared with me. The reason why they were raiding my club. Someone had supplied them with financial reports that highlighted discrepancies, which while they initially caught me off guard, didn’t worry me because I knew Old Man Devoreaux had that shit fully sorted. Nothing of substance would come from those claims. However, that was before I knew that cunt Amber was fucking the son of the man who helps me bury all my shady business secrets. The son who just happens to work for his father and could theoretically access all my shit if he was looking to fuck me. “Yuri’s trying to get me to take the fall,” I voice my suspicions out loud.

“I’m gonna assume you’ve made it perfectly clear that even if my sister wasn’t in the picture, you’re never going to be with Amber. Would I be correct in that assumption?” My eyes meet his, and though I don’t respond, my answer is evident. “That’s what I thought. Yeah, Mav. I think it’s safe to say that crazy bitch has sailed right past trying to win you over and is now firmly planted in if I can’t have you, no one can territory. She’s just trying to cause as much damage as she can on her way out. That includes sending photos to Jonsie’s boyfriend to ruffle those feathers as well.”

“Ex-boyfriend,” I interject.

“Regardless. Then, if all that wasn’t enough, cue Yuri who—thanks to Enzo’s claim—can’t kill you and is looking for the next best thing. Why not twenty years in prison?”

“Fuck!” I bark out, swiping the papers onto the floor. “So, Yuri helps the psychos out in their little romantic vendettas in exchange for them setting me up to take the fall for his money laundering.” I scrub my hand over my face. “You know what this means, Nick?”

Nicky offers up a slow nod. “Our timeline just got fucked. There’s no more playing the long game. We need to bring this to a close, Bishop. The laundering isn’t going to be enough. If we can’t deliver before this shit goes south…”

“I know. I know. Shit,” I hiss. “Jesus, is there anything else we need to worry about?” A sarcastic scoff escapes my throat.

Nicky’s gaze finds mine once more, his expression stoic.

“Seriously?!” My eyes widen as I lean forward. “What the fuck else could there be?”

Nicky swallows, hesitant in his response. At last, he speaks. “This shit with Luc had me searching every aspect of his life. I mean, there is not one rock I have not overturned with this douche. That included looking into known associates. Mav, up until two years ago… Caleb Price didn’t exist.”

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