Page 18 of Coming Up Aces

“If he’s not on a case, but since he drove by Delia’s and found me missing, he must be working on something.”

“Thank you. That’s helpful. As for Seth, I didn’t find anything in his financials out of the ordinary. Rayna, can you tell me about Vanessa’s life? I know she owns her salon, but what about after she leaves for the night? And with the kids staying with her parents, what does she do on weekends? Do they go to church? Does Seth normally go into the office on the weekends?”

Rayna gave Bishop all the information he requested plus some he didn’t. It was clear Rayna was close with the McCauleys and knew details about their lives including the name of the older woman who watched the kids while Vanessa and Seth worked. “They don’t go to church except at Christmas when Seth’s parents come visit. As for the office, he works all hours if he’s on a case. I didn’t ask him about his current one when hepicked me up, though. His text said that Hanson is going to be out of town for the next week.”

“Does Hanson use a company jet, or does he fly commercial?”

“A company craft. If it’s for personal use, he’s supposed to reimburse the cost.”

“I was afraid of that, but it’s helpful. Anything else you can think of that’ll dictate whether anything is out of the ordinary?”

“Only if Vanessa didn’t show up for work today.”

“Thank you, Rayna. I can’t imagine this is easy for you.”

“It’s not. Like I told Asher, I’ve never had reason to doubt Seth. If he is involved in any way, it’s under duress.”

“I’ll keep you posted if I find anything suspicious or otherwise.”

“Thanks, Brother.”

Rayna propped her head against her hand. “This sucks. I’m not used to sitting on the sidelines.”

“How long were you supposed to stay at Haven?”

“Two months. At least that’s what I agreed to. When I was still there longer? I became both nervous and pissed off.”

“I’ve heard about being in the cult from those who were there against their will. What was it like for you?”

“It was a culture shock of epic proportions. I had read case studies on The Ministry, so I had some suspicions of what it would be like, but living it… It was intense and hard for me to keep my head down and mouth shut. Women expected to heel, to be silent, to marry a man they have no interest in is ludicrous. It’s like living in the Stone Age. If they were a loving group, only wanting to live off the land in a peaceful environment, it would be easier to assimilate to not having creature comforts like electronics. Being self-sufficient isn’t wrong. When it’s for less than peaceful purposes where the men rule with an iron hand, that I can’t wrap my head around. The hardest part wasinteracting with Glory every day and not being able to help her. She has one of the brightest souls I’ve ever encountered. The night before the Hounds rescued her from the market, she came into our cabin with a mark on her face where Amos struck her. It was all I could do to sit there and not go claw his eyes out.”

“Glory’s safe now. She and Ripley moved into their new house yesterday, and Rip’s parents are relocating from Florida to be closer. Conrad and Regina will more than make up for all the hurt Glory’s parents caused.”

“That’s wonderful. I can’t wait to see her outside of Haven. I feel like we could be good friends.”

“I’m sure she’d like that as well.” Ace would too. If Rayna and Glory became close, it would give him the opportunity to spend time with his own best friend without feeling like a third wheel. He would love nothing more than to have Rayna on the back of his bike. For that to happen… “I need to run some errands. Will you be okay alone for a couple of hours?”

“I’ll be fine. I’m going to go back outside and resume my nap in the sun.”

“Help yourself to anything to eat or drink. I want you to feel at home here.”

“I appreciate that.” Rayna climbed down from the stool and walked outside. Once she was lying on the lounge chair, Ace headed to her room and opened the closet. He picked up a shoe to see what size she wore. Back in the kitchen, he grabbed his keys, then headed to town. His first stop was the bike shop where he purchased a backrest and a few helmets since he wasn’t sure of Rayna’s size. He also bought her some riding boots and a few T-shirts. He was going overboard for someone he’d just met, but it felt right. Still, he wasn’t going to let himself get carried away thinking of a future with the female. That way lay madness, but a male could dream. With his purchases stored in the trunk, Ace turned the car to the grocery store where he filled a cart.If he bought more fruity cereal and several packs of grape soda, that was his business.

He returned home in just under two hours, and Rayna was where he’d left her, only now, she was on her stomach. Ace put the groceries away, then went to the garage to install the backrest on his Harley. It wasn’t as cushy as some, but it would allow her to feel more secure.

“Asher?” Rayna called out.

“In the garage.” He stood when she appeared in the door. “Come see.” Ace gestured to the bike as Rayna closed the distance.

“Is that for me?” She ran her hand over the leather.

“It is. I also got you some riding boots and a helmet. Well, a few helmets since I didn’t know your size. I’ll return the ones that don’t fit.”

Before he knew what was happening, Ace had his arms filled with a happy female. “Thank you. It’s been a long time since anyone did something this nice for me.” Rayna hugged him tightly, her body fitting perfectly against his. Ace returned the embrace, setting his cheek against her hair. His Gryphon rumbled, and Rayna pulled back to look at him.

“Was that your animal?”

Ace ran his finger down her cheek that had an indention from the cushion she’d been lying on. “Yep. He likes hugs.”

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