Page 93 of Just My Luck

It was scary how easily I could have been talking about my own father instead of Sloane’s ex-husband.

Royal frowned. “Prison calls are recorded. Any contact with the inside doesn’t look good for you. Didn’t your parole officer recommend you cut all ties?”

Frustrated, my hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I can’t just sit around and do nothing.” I glanced at my brother. “I know a guy on the outside I can talk to. It’s worth the risk.”

The rest of the trip back to Royal’s tattoo parlor was spent in strained silence. It would be only a matter of time before the news of what happened spread like wildfire through our small town. It wasn’t every day the Sullivans and Kings rallied together and got into a fight with someone else.

When Royal exited the truck, I sat in painful, tortured silence. I weighed my options. Finally, I unlocked my phone and typed in a number from memory.

I need information.

Unknown number

’Bout time.

Now?

I sat back against the seat. My head throbbed. I pressed my thumbs into my eye sockets and willed the pressure to release. When my phone buzzed, I glanced at the message and sighed. The meetup was happening.

I sent Oliver the location, then flipped my phone onto the passenger seat and left Outtatowner fading in my rearviewmirror. On the outskirts of our quiet little town, I pulled to a stop near a hidden clearing nestled within the dense thicket. Impatiently, I waited for my unexpected reunion with the past I thought I’d left behind.

The setting sun slanted golden light over the tall grass. The air hummed with the soft whispers of the wind. I had chosen this secluded spot to escape prying eyes and communicate without judgment. The scent of pine mingled with the earthy fragrance of damp soil.

The crunch of gravel under tires announced the arrival of my former cellmate, a man I once shared a confined space with, but never truly knew. Dressed in unassuming gray slacks and a white button-down shirt, Oliver appeared more suited for a corporate boardroom than the depths of a prison cell. His slender frame moved with an agile grace, the setting sun revealing sharp features. A cascade of dark hair fell over his forehead, framing a pair of intense blue eyes that betrayed the man beneath the polished facade. It was no wonder that at one time, he was practically the mayor of the Muskegon Correctional Facility.

Despite the time spent apart, his handshake carried the same controlled strength, a silent testament to the resilience we both clung to in our separate worlds.

He leaned against my truck. “What do you need?”

I leaned next to him, looking out onto the open field, and exhaled. “There’s this woman...”

Oliver’s barking laugh cracked through the air. “It’s always a woman, my friend.”

I shrugged him off. “We’ve got some issues with her ex.”

“Need him to disappear?” The seriousness in his tone was chilling. I looked at Oliver as he grinned.

I shook my head. “Jesus. No. I need information. A while back the house she was living in burned down. An investigationruled it arson. Trouble is, this guy—her ex-husband—isn’t really the hands-on type. I have a theory that he hired someone—someone willing to take the fall if the price was right.”

Oliver dragged a hand across his clean-shaven jaw. “I got you. That would be a lot of money. A payday like that is hard to keep quiet.”

I nodded. “Exactly what I was thinking.”

Oliver kicked off my truck and faced me. “Well, you’re in luck. I can ask some questions personally. I’m headed back.”

I frowned at him. “Again?”

He rolled his eyes as if going back to prison was simply interrupting his weekend plans. “I got pinched for intentionally damaging by knowing transmission. Apparently putting a tiny little bug on a public official’s personal computer to prove he’s into kiddie porn is frowned upon.”

His exaggerated eye roll and air quotes were almost comical if it weren’t for the fact he wasn’t taking his upcoming sentencing seriously.

He leveled me with his steely stare. “I tried to stay straight, but those bills don’t pay themselves, you know what I mean?”

I held out my hand. “Call me when you know anything. And when you get out, I’ll have a job at the brewery waiting for you.” I pointed at him. “I expect to hear from you.”

He nodded rhythmically, and his lips pressed together in a small smile. “You will. You will.”

I pulled him in for a quick hug. “Be safe and be smart.”

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