Page 29 of Nothing to Beat

“I don’t get back at all.”Talk about active avoidance?“I won’t go within a hundred miles of the city.Of the state.”

“Because you and your dad…” As Roxie trailed off, all three of them sat down.“Your sister.Trish?You want to talk to Trish?”

“Yes.I need to know where she is.”

“Because you want to…”

“Hear her testimony.I need to know how this will play out.Is it Joey?Is it Dad?What is she giving up because there are a lot of skeletons…”

“I imagine there’d have to be.Plan to talk her out of it?”

“No!Definitely no.That’s her choice.A brave one, but…”

“Easier with someone like Zairn stacking the deck,” Roxie said, then dropped a bomb.“He won’t tell you.”

That honesty startled her.“He won’t—”

“He won’t tell anyone.”

“No one?”Tripp asked.“He’s told no one?”

“Kinloch, in case he drops down dead, but anyone looking for Trish would have to find Mr.Gramercy-Peake first.Good luck to them.If they find him, they’d almost deserve the answer just as a reward for the achievement.”

“I need to talk to my sister.”

“Why the sudden urgency?”Roxie asked.“She’s been off the grid for—”

“Zairn and I don’t talk much, but I trust him to take the situation seriously.”

“He does.He absolutely does.She’s safe, you don’t have to worry about that.Although…”

“Although what?”Was this going to be a fight?If Roxie stood in her way, Zairn would never budge.“She’s my sister.I love her.”

“And rocking up to her door could draw the kind of attention we don’t want.”

Would a phone call be enough?She couldn’t deny the idea of seeing her sister again was appealing.It had been so long,solong, since she’d been face to face with any Gambatto other than herself.Sometimes it was difficult to look in the mirror for that very reason.

“She’s the only one I can trust.Trish won’t lie to me.”

“Maybe not…” Roxie said, clucking her tongue.

“You sure about that?”Tripp asked.“It’s been a long time…”

“Yes, it has, but—”

“Okay,” Roxie interrupted and bounced to her feet.“I’ve got this.”

“You’ll call Zairn?”

“Nope.I’ll call Dennis.”

The woman dashed to grab a phone from an end table near the fireplace.

“Dennis?”she asked, casting her eyes to Tripp.

“Her pilot.”Tripp’s intrigue-laced words closed around her.“Where we going, Rox Out?”

Phone still at her ear, Roxie tipped her chin toward them, showing a broad smile.“Home.”

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