Page 51 of Playing My Rivals

“The whiskey is good for now.” My eyes shift toward the bottle. “I’m waiting for someone.”

“I see. In that case, whiskey it is.”

She grabs the bottle off the shelf right as my phone buzzes. A message from Joe slides across my screen. My anxiety shoots through the ceiling as I read it.

Joe Ison: I have the information you need. Can you meet somewhere so I can give you what I’ve found?

It’s not the message I wanted. It means he’s got something I don’t want to accept. I type out a message, knowing my suffering is just beginning.

Me: Come to my apartment building. I’m in the restaurant on the main level, sitting at the bar. When can I expect you?

After a few more text exchanges, I toss my phone on the counter and patiently wait. I’m about to ask for another drink right as Joe slides up next to me. He hands me another folder like the one he gave me earlier today.

“Take a seat and let me have it.” I open the packet and dump out the contents.

He sits on the stool next to me. “That first picture you see is Jamison Stone and Dorothy Fisher at a fraternity party six years ago. The guy on the other side of her is her brother, Aiden Fisher. He and Jamison are best friends. Their friendship dates back as far as social media goes. If you give me time, I can find out more.”

“So Dorothy and Jamison know each other.” I want to erase the image in my hand. I want to deny it and make it go away, but the proof is glaring back at me.

No wonder they’re so comfortable with each other.

A lump lodges in my throat. I glance up and catch Jody watching our interaction. “Jody, could you bring my friend a drink?”

She nods and takes his order. Once she gives it to him, I gesture for her to move away from us with a tilt of my head. She removes herself without protest.

Joe gestures to the photo. “Aiden Fisher is an FBI agent.”

“Hmm. That should make me nervous, but it doesn’t.” I turn the picture of the three of them over so it’s face down.

“Seeing as your business is legitimate, it shouldn’t make you nervous.” Joe picks up another photo. “The next image is something you’ll be interested in.”

It’s a photograph of a stunning brunette with blue eyes. She has the same build as Dorothy and is hot as hell. She even resembles her.

“Who’s this?”

“Lauren Nickels. She and Jamison dated when he first moved here, but no signs of it now.” Joe pulls up a social media account of hers. “In fact, she moved in with him after he bought the place here in this building. It didn’t last much longer.”

I glance at the profile and nod to acknowledge it. I remember Jamison telling Matt and Jerry that a woman named Lauren stopped by recently. It gives me some hope nothing is going on with him and Dorothy.

“What about now? Do Lauren and Jamison still hang out?”

“From time to time.” Joe scrolls through some of Lauren’s posts. “I love when people I’m digging up information on leave their social media profiles open to the public. It makes my job a lot easier.”

I nod, my heart hollow and numb as can be. “What do you know about her?”

“You’ll want to go through her accounts. She posted a lot when they were together. You might be interested in the photos.”

“I will later. What made them split?”

“I’m not sure, but security tapes from your building show Jamison carrying Lauren down to his car late one night. The guy I’m working with from your building told me that Jamison said she was sick and he took her to the hospital.

“She came back a day later and didn’t leave for a week. When she did, she took all her belongings with her. He moved her from an occupant to his approved guest list that same day.” Joe closes his phone and places it on the bar.

I snap the picture up and study her again. “Have you talked with the hospitals?”

“They’re tight-lipped. Nobody will get involved. Lauren still stops by his place but never stays longer than an hour, two max.”

“Does she have a scheduled time frame she usually stops by?”

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