Page 120 of Morally Gray Daddies

“Mr. Cane,” I replied. Eventually, I’d have ended up standing on Devlin Cane’s doorstep with Aubrey, but this was far sooner than even I’d expected. Circumstances dictated that. There was a tinge of caution in his voice, and I understood why; it hadn’t been that long ago I’d made this drive with a young woman named Lindsey in tow.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked.

I glanced over at Aubrey. “I have something I’d like to show you.”

The line went silent before he responded with, “Interesting. I hadn’t expected to hear from you this soon.”

“An opportunity presented itself.”

“I see. How fortunate for us both.”

“It is,” I agreed. “However, before I share my good fortune, I need something.”

His voice grew cautious once again. “And what would that be?”

“A place to stay. For a week, two at most.”

The call went quiet for two beats before he came back, saying, “That could be arranged.”

“I want it to be someplace preferably off the grid. Where my companion and I can be alone. No company.”

“Now I’m truly intrigued.”

“You provide me what I’m asking for,” I suggested, “you’re going to be more than intrigued. You’re going to be very, very happy.”

“Well, then…”

I waited, listening as he tapped away at his phone. A few seconds later my own phone pinged. “Here. Will this suit you?”

I looked down to find a Maps pin in my messages. A quick look after tabbing it up and I replied, “Perfectly.”

“Excellent. I look forward to hearing from you when you’re ready to show me this… item that’s going to make me so happy.”

I smiled. “It won’t be long, as I said.”

“I’ll be on pins and needles,” he replied, then my phone went silent.

I glanced over to find Aubrey staring.

“Sounds like we have a new place to stay?”

“We do,” I acknowledged with a nod.

“I heard you say no company. Is that possible?”

I pursed my lips before replying. “As much as I have it in my power to control, yes.”

Aubrey said nothing in response, turning to gaze out of the window.

“Are you okay?” I asked after a moment of quiet.

She turned back to look at me. “Weirdly enough… yeah. Maybe it’s shock.”

I chuckled. “Probably, but I also know you’re a much stronger woman than anyone’s ever given you credit for. Including yourself.”

She didn’t reply, and we both sat wordlessly as the miles disappeared beneath the SUV’s wheels. When we reached Klamath Falls, I pulled through a MacDonald’s drive-thru, buying each of us the first full meal we’d had in twenty-four hours. Then we were back on the road, continuing to bear north. Eventually, she began asking me questions about the country which we were driving through, where we were headed, and I answered as much as I was comfortable with and could. There were longer periods where she simply sat gazing out of the window at the passing scenery, and though it could easily have been a sense of tension inside the cab, there wasn’t.

Acceptance. It felt like acceptance, and that was another thing that had come far sooner than I’d expected.

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