Page 101 of Packed Up In Vegas

“As soon as you put on shirts. I already have the cooler in the car for driving snacks.”

The two of them bolted upstairs to get dressed, and I was waiting in the driver’s seat when they joined me.

They read over the report while we drove, and we discussed the best way to tackle everything. The plan of attack was to corner Jerry and make sure he stopped bothering Callie, make sure his wife knew exactly who she was married to, and then give the investigator the go-ahead to report all the uncovered crimes to the appropriate law enforcement. Before Callie had left, we had set up call forwarding. Anything Jerry sent her would come to my phone so she could enjoy her time away with Miles. Part of the reason I’d suggested it was morbid curiosity, but it had also firmly solidified that I was ready to kick this man’s ass over the way he spoke to Callie.

I was a bit reckless on the freeway between Vegas and LA, bringing the trip down to three and a half hours so that we arrived a little before noon.

Kai pushed the button for Callie’s old apartment when we arrived. A woman’s voice crackled over the speaker.

“Yes?”

“We’re looking for Jerry McIntosh. Is he available?”

“He’s out,” the voice replied.

“Is this Katrina or her mother we’re speaking to?” I asked.

Silence hung in the air for a few heavy seconds before the voice answered back. “Her mother.”

“Can we please talk to you for a few moments? We have reason to believe Katrina’s not safe with Mr. McIntosh.”

More silence. Then the buzzer on the door sounded and Diego pulled it open before it could lock again. No more came from the voice, so we took that as her acceptance and made our way up to the apartment. She had the door cracked open when we got there, the chain keeping it locked.

“You’re the horrible people who took everything.” She slammed the door.

With a sigh, I knocked. “I’m going to slip a paper under the door, and after you read it, if you still don’t want to talk to us, we’ll leave.”

I slid one of the summary report copies beneath the door and watched as the edge of it disappeared as she picked it up. We waited awkwardly in the hall and then I heard the scrape of metal from the chain being removed and the door opening fully.

“How do you know all this?” she asked.

“I hired a private investigator to see how much damage he had done during his relationship with Callie. It appears his behavior in that regard didn’t end when he got together with your daughter.”

The woman’s face was a mixture of fury and tears. “He’s lucky he’s not here right now. I warned my daughter. I knew something wasn’t right.”

“Are you aware he convinced your daughter to commit bank fraud?” Diego asked.

She paled. “What?”

“The bank has video evidence,” I told her. “If she doesn’t already know that she’s under investigation, she’ll find out very soon.”

She sat down hard on the end of the couch, likely a brand-new one purchased with Callie’s money. “There’s nothing that can be done? Can’t you tell his ex-girlfriend not to press charges?”

The fucking audacity of this woman. “Your daughter committed a federal crime. Even if I thought it was remotely appropriate to ask Callie not to press charges, it wouldn’t matter. Katrina fucked with the bank, and they show no mercy. We just wanted to let her know who she married. If you could tell us where we could find Jerry McIntosh, we’ll be on our way.”

“He’s at the casino by the airport.”

Fucking Christ. “Tell your daughter to empty the joint account while she still can.”

We left her standing there with her mouth open. Rage pulsed through me. I understood her compulsion to protect her daughter, but that woman had fucked over my mate. It might not be as much as Jerry had done himself, but she had been an active participant and the duty of a decent human being ended at letting her know she’d married a complete snake. Now she could lie in her own fucking bed.

Diego got us the address for the casino and we went straight there, finding Jerry losing spectacularly at the blackjack tables. I sat down next to him and it took him a few moments to recognize me.

“Shit. What are you doing here?”

“We came for a little visit,” Kai said behind us and Jerry whipped around, going immediately pale when he realized he was surrounded.

“Let’s go for a walk,” said Diego. “It’s much too nice a day to spend inside.” It was a bald-faced lie, considering it was over ninety outside.

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