Page 42 of Lone Star Hostage

“I’ve made both coffee and tea,” Joe said, offering them a seat at the colorful tiled kitchen table. “And I debated making lemonade.” He chuckled. “Nerves. I always hoped that one day I’d get to meet you. I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances.”

Presley didn’t address any of that, and he continued to watch Joe with a cool stare. “Did your stepsons know about your relationship with Victoria?”

Joe seemed to shift gears, and sighing, he sat down in one of the chairs. “No. Even my wife didn’t know. Victoria wanted it all kept secret, and I told no one. If I’d thought for one second that Ellis and Craig knew about Victoria, that they’d learned about you and your sister, I would have told the cops when they came out to tell me my stepsons were dead.”

“You should have told them,” Presley insisted.

Joe frowned, nodded. “Maybe. But it wasn’t my secret to tell. It was Victoria’s. I figured once she heard the names of the men who’d kidnapped her and if she recognized them, then she could have told the police.”

Presley shook his head. “She didn’t. And now possibly a very valuable thread of the kidnapping hasn’t been investigated.”

Joe folded his hands on the table and leaned in. “I can’t believe Craig or Ellis found out that Victoria and I had children. It would have taken some serious hacking skills, which neither of them have. And why would they have even gone looking for something like that?”

Billie couldn’t immediately think of a reason to assume their stepfather had had a relationship with an heiress.

“You’re sure you never mentioned Victoria’s name around your wife or them?” Billie asked.

“Positive. If they found out about Victoria and me, then they found it from someone else.”

“Like who?” Presley was quick to ask.

Another headshake. “I don’t know. Jesep, maybe. He could have told the wrong person and it maybe got back to Craig and Ellis.”

Ari had certainly known about it. And he could have been the one to tell the pair.

“Do you believe your stepsons acted alone?” Billie pressed.

“I don’t know,” Joe repeated. “They were trouble magnets. Not leaders, and they always seemed to follow the wrong crowd. So, I guess it’s possible they were working with someone.” He paused, met her gaze head on. “You think Jesep put them up to this?”

“Why would Jesep do that?” Presley asked before she could.

“I’d imagine the usual reasons why a rich bastard wants to get rid of his wife. Money. Because a divorce would be too costly.” He huffed. “I’m just guessing. I have no idea why, and I have a hard time imagining anyone wanting to hurt or kill Victoria.”

Billie couldn’t be sure, but she thought the man still had feelings for Victoria. Maybe even still loved her.

“Craig and Ellis had some serious weapons in their possession,” Presley continued a moment later. “Any idea where they got them?”

“Possibly from Damon,” Joe answered after a short pause. “He always had a thing for guns.”

“Damon has ties to a militia,” Presley told Billie before he shifted his attention back to Joe. “Do you know where Damon is?”

“No. I haven’t seen him in at least two years. All three of them were always getting into trouble, and they’ve been known to sell drugs to make some cash. Maybe they made enough to buy guns to use in the kidnapping.” He paused again. “The news reports said Victoria was hurt, perhaps even tortured. Is that true? Did those bastard do that to her?”

Yeah, definitely some love there.

“She was hurt,” Presley settled for saying. “If you want any details, you should get them from her.”

Joe waved that off. “If she’s happy with Jesep, I don’t want to mess any of that up for her. That was a condition for Jesep marrying her, you know.”

“What?” Presley and she asked at the same time.

“That Victoria never contact me and never tell Olivia that she was her biological mother. Jesep made her sign papers. Sort a pre-nup. If she told Olivia or got in touch with me, Victoria would forfeit five million dollars, and he would immediately divorce her.”

Well, hell.Billie hadn’t been a fan of Jesep before this, but now she despised the man even more.

“If you know about me, does Olivia know, too?” Joe asked.

“She does,” Presley confirmed. “And so does Ari.”

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