Page 173 of Sticks and Stones
“Okay, John. I’ll take the notes I smuggled into the bag out, but I’m not taking out all of the extra food that I know he doesn’t need, but it makes me feel better when I feed him.”
He kissed her on the forehead.
“That’s my girl,” he said. “We’ll take it over in a bit. I just want to make sure the lunch rush is over.”
Alice did what she promised, and when she heard her name from someone across the room, she was surprised.
“Oh, boy,” John said when he saw the man heading their way.
It was Corbin’s boyfriend.
And already, he knew who he was looking for, and why he was there.
“Mrs. and Mr. Price, can I ask you something?” he inquired, sitting at the bar.
Shit.
Shit.
Shit.
It looked like John was going to have to trust his wife to stay out of this for Corbin, and keep her mouth shut. What were the chances?
“Sure, Will. What’s up?” she asked. “And I told you, it’s Alice and John.”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Where’s Corbin? I can’t get a hold of him, someone else is answering his phone and laughing, and I think he’s dumped me. Is that his new lover? What is going on?”
Oh, well, this man was asking questions that they couldn’t answer.
Well, except they could bet that the person laughing was whoever hurt their son. They must have taken his things.
Alice could see John watching her, and she knew that the last thing she needed was to make this more difficult for Corbin.
Or piss her husband off.
They’d just talked about this.
“I think he’s working a case,” she said, choking on the other words she wanted to get out. “Isn’t that what he told you, John?” she asked.
The man nodded.
“He’s working on something. We heard from him today. It’s a big case.”
Will looked beaten down.
“He’s dumping me, isn’t he? He’s seeing someone else.”
Alice glanced at John, and let him handle this since he’d just bullied her into staying out of it.
Let him dance with this devil.
She was out.
“I’ll go pack up the rest of this takeout order, John. Help the boy out,” she said, dumping and running.
Oh, he deserved that, and he knew it.
