Page 63 of Bourbon and Proof

It hits me square in the chest, taking my breath away momentarily. I don’t fully understand, only that he knows something about Ace and my father that I don’t. It’s another thing Ace is keeping from me.

Ask your husband . . .

Iknewthere was more. Hell, until last night, he’s never talked about the fact that Switcher just disappeared. I feel like a fucking idiot. Again. In the dark and stupid. I rub along mywrist, trying to calm myself down, my stomach in knots.I will not spiral.

There’s a small audience shifting their feet and watching as I try to keep from having a panic attack after being yelled at and embarrassed by a grown-ass man. It’s bad enough that people talk about me behind my back, text me threats, condemn me for being my father’s daughter, while the rest pity me for being caught in the crosshairs. I don’t want any of it. I want answers and to stop being lied to.

Prue and Romey look at each other, and then at Loni. But just before I can rush out of here, it’s Marla who cuts the silence when she asks, “Since when do you have a husband?”

Chapter 27

Ace

“Two dead bodies were found,one floating along the output of Fiasco Falls, and the other by the old tobacco farm,” the governor says, loud enough that it stops Grant in his tracks as he walks out to the porch.Fuck. He passes me a glass and lingers as the governor carries on. I hadn’t expected a call from Governor Hawkins so quickly. I’m not sure if it’s telling, or if he’s trying to sniff out if I can offer him some information. It was presumptuous of him to call me.

“I’m not really sure why this is my problem, Governor. I shared my idea to open up the caverns and hire more folks in parks and rec. If the mayor didn’t do the second part, that’s a fairly big oversight. Quite frankly, it’s a little jarring knowing the intent was to boost tourism, and now there’re people getting hurt because there aren’t the proper hires or signage about safety. The tobacco farm, well...” I pause. I’m not sure how to spin that one, so I settle on, “That place should have been torndown years ago. Again, this is probably a call for the mayor, not me.”

“The FBI brought it to my attention, which means this isn’t simply people falling into a river, Foxx.” I’m waiting for him to share the details that I already know. “I have media calling me, asking for a statement.” I know who those bodies are, but does he? He would have been in their company at least once. Maybe more. But his tone feels more like he’s asking if I have an ear to the ground about it. He doesn’t need to know it’s far more than that.

“Governor, I agree this isn’t the kind of attention Fiasco wants, by any means, but again, I’m not sure what you’re looking for from me?”

“They’re unidentified bodies. The FBI wouldn’t share. Even if I asked, they look at me cross-eyed for the limited funding I had from Wheeler fucking Finch more than a decade ago. I’m asking you if this is something that I should be concerned about happening again.”

I stay silent. Maybe the governor isn’t as embroiled any longer. Maybe the disaster that has become of Finch & King shook him the same way it has everyone else. “I think bad things have a way of surfacing, eventually. Whoever those bodies are tied to, I’m sure that’ll surface too. But if you’re asking me any more than that, I can’t help you.”

He swears under his breath and says, “Appreciate that, Ace. Speak soon.” Then the line goes dead.

I clear my throat and glance up at my brother, who’s now sitting casually on his porch, listening in. He invited me over for a late dinner. Laney and Hadley are working tonight, so it was a good excuse to spend time with him.

Grant folds his arms over his chest and just stares back at me. “Is this something that falls into those gray areas we don’ttalk about?” he asks as we move inside, both taking a seat in his living room.

I rub along the back of my neck. “This is me trying to figure out if my trust has been misplaced.” Leaning back, I glance at the time. “I promise I’ll tell you everything when I’m able.”

He nods once. That’s enough for him. And hell, I respect him for giving me the space to not have to explain more when I’m not ready yet.

“I can tell you that Del is at his wit’s end with the FBI field office trying to interject. They’re scrambling, trying to tie the bodies to Wheeler. But that asshole has an ankle bracelet and hasn’t left his home in months. I swear to god, most of the bad shit that lingers here has to do with him, though.”

There’s truth in that, just not in the way he’s assuming.

“I still don’t understand how he’s on house arrest and not at Montgomery Correctional.”

I always enjoy listening to Grant get fired up about things. It beats the shell of a man he was before Laney.

“Expensive lawyers and likely favors that will never be repaid, or ones that were owed,” I say in response.

I don’t need to bitch about the loopholes Wheeler scurried through to remain in Fiasco. It isn’t a question of if he had anything to do with the threats that Hadley’s received. I now know that he sent people after his own daughter, considering he wasn’t getting what he wanted. I’m still working through how I can make that hurt in a way he never sees coming.

“Brought something for you to try,” I tell him, pulling out a bottle from my private reserve. I wanted to share it with him and Lincoln—hear what they have to say about it. Enjoy it together instead of trying to make it about the bourbon business. I’m ready for them to see that I’m still good at this—making and recognizing great bourbon. I want them to see that I’m more than just the suit and numbers.

He takes a small sip, allowing the alcohol to burn his palate so that on the next sip, he’ll taste the hidden notes. I can tell he likes it by his body language. His shoulders settle and the side of his mouth tips up when he pulls back the glass. That, and the instant change in conversation when he says, “You have a wife.” Smiling now, he shakes his head.

I exhale, thinking about her. “I do.”

“And it’s Hadley.”

I smile to myself before I confirm it. “It is.”

He flashes a smile and then combs his fingers through his mustache.

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