Page 16 of Secrets and Lies

“Shit.” Lacy tossed the pen down and ran a hand over her hair. “Is there any way to find out who it was?”

“That’s just it. Derek said Perkins took a call and then headed directly to his office and closed the door. But he heard Perkins say, “Yes, I’ve got the cops and the Met on it. A search warrant is in the works for Callahan,” before he shut the door. Derek said the whole thing spooked him because he saw the screen on Perkins’ phone when it rang. The name on it was Austin Davis.

“Oh, my God. What the hell does he have to do with any of this?” Lacy demanded.

“I have no idea, but Lace, be very careful. That man is very powerful.”

“Ty, thanks for this. You are a lifesaver.”

“No worries. Gotta run. Talk soon,” Ty said and then clicked off the call.

Austin Davis. Ty was correct. He was a very powerful man. Her stomach rolled, all that coffee suddenly turning to acid. Whatever was going on, it was far bigger and much worse than she expected.

Much, much worse.

CHAPTER SIX

REMY

“Lacy! This is a surprise. I thought you would be all in wedding mode since the big day is only forty-eight hours away,” Remy Tanger said, her voice full of warmth.

She and Lacy had been friends for a while, sharing a common friend group and bonding over the stressful jobs they both worked. But Remy was surprised to hear from her today, seeing as she was marrying the love of her life in two days’ time.

“I am in wedding mode, and everything is in hand. But we’ve run into a small snag.”

“A snag?” Remy leaned forward over her desk. Lacy sounded stressed, which was very unusual. “Is there something I can help with?”

“Not thing, but who.” Lacy sighed. “Austin Davis.”

Remy closed her eyes and cursed silently. That man was a cockroach. Opening her eyes once more, she asked, “What about him?”

“He seems to be behind a phone call that’s causing us trouble.”

“Maybe you’d better start at the beginning.” Remy glanced over at the small cabinet in the corner of her office.Was it too early for a drink?

Remy spent the next ten minutes listening to Lacy’s story, her heart sinking closer to her feet with each word. She cleared her throat. “So… you think Davis supplied Gage’s name and then engineered the push to get the warrant to search his place.”

“That’s my understanding. Hell, he might have even started the warrant process by activating the ‘Good Ol’ Boy’ network and calling the judge himself. I have no idea, but he seems to be behind the push to say Gage is behind the theft.”

Remy leaned back in her chair. “Again, how can I help?” Davis had been a thorn in Remy’s side since the day she’d become aware of his existence, and his pull on the membership of the secret society she belonged to.

Lacy sighed again. “Honestly? I have no idea. I would love it if you could find out why he thinks it was Gage, or even just why he’s involved.”

“That’s unlikely. Mr. Davis and I dislike each other. He is responsible for my grandfather’s death,” she said, her voice cold and stilted.

“Oh my God, Remy. I am so sorry. I didn’t know. My sincerest apologies. Of course. you can’t deal with the man. I just remember Logan saying he was a member of the Lock and Key Society, so I thought you might have insight.”

It was Remy’s turn to sigh. “It’s not your fault. I just loathe him for many reasons, and I hate the thought of dealing with him, but it is odd that he’s involved with the Gage situation. Honestly, the more I think about it, the less it makes sense. He is spending all his time in D.C. these days, trying to rebuild the power he lost after the bomb debacle at the hotel. Certain people made his role in the whole incident known and now he’s a damn pariah. He’s doing his damnedest to rebuild his credibility. Notsure why he would bother with the theft at the Met, especially since it’s some inconsequential piece of art.”

“You’re right. It doesn’t make sense. None of this makes sense.” She groaned.

Remy’s heart squeezed in her chest for her friend. She was supposed to be getting ready for the wedding, and instead, she was worried that her brother-in-law was going to jail. Gage had been nice to Remy and had helped her when she needed it. They all had.

“You know…” She tapped the arm of her chair as she thought out loud. “It sounds to me like Davis was doing someone a favor. He probably thought nothing of it. Not sure he remembers the Callahans from the D.C. thing, but even still, he would have dismissed them as flunkies for the Society. Let me talk to Hawk. He might have some ideas about how we can find out.”

“How is Hawk? I should’ve asked before. How’s married life treating you two?”

Remy wasn’t sure how to answer that one, considering the upcoming wedding. “Hawk is great,” she said finally, trying to keep her tone light.

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