“I’d have to agree, princess. I’m just a little surprised.” Axe was a good guy, and he would do anything to help out a friend, or a stranger, for that matter. There wasn’t a more perfect guy for Kenzi.
“Why don’t you join us?” Reyna took hold of my hand and started to lead me toward the living room. When I resisted, she pulled harder. “Davian, what is it?”
“As much as I love you and want to spend time with you, this is your time with the girls. Besides, I’m kind of out of tune with girly things.”
“Okay.” Reyna released my hand, but not before giving me a sweet kiss on the lips. As she walked away, and I thought I was in the clear, she stopped and twisted her body enough to face me. “Has Patton had any luck finding out who the driver is on the security footage?”
“Not yet, but he is running several apps to find out. Hopefully, we’ll soon know who it is.”
My explanation must have been enough because she crossed her fingers on both hands and headed back to the living room. As I watched her leave, I wondered what I did to deserve such a gorgeous woman. But then, I remembered she didn’t know the truth about how we came together.Why the hell does that thought keep tormenting me?
Closing the door behind me, I walked over to the dresser where my laptop was sitting. I needed to get my mind on something else, and going through hundreds of unanswered emails seemed to be the perfect distraction. Taking a seat on the bed, I stretched my legs out in front of me and crossed one over the other. With the high-speed Internet, the laptop was up and running within seconds. I had to smile at myself when it came to life. I had allowed Reyna to use my computer for her online college classes. What I didn’t expect was for her to change the background picture. It was of the two of us in the Caymans at my villa. Her sun-kissed skin was gorgeous. The thought of her using a picture of us as the background hit home in such a way, I knew I had to tell her the truth before she heard it from Crosby.
When my cell rang, it was a welcome break from looking at my emails. My father’s contact information showered the screen. I hadn’t spoken to him in some time, and I wondered why he would be calling.
I ran my hand across the screen. “Dad, this is a surprise. Is everything okay?”
“It’s your mom, son. I’m afraid she passed away last night sometime during the night. If it’s any comfort, she went peacefully in her sleep.”
I felt numb, I should have been heartbroken, but all I could think was that Reyna didn’t have the chance to meet my mom. I thought I had more time, or rather my mom did. “Her life the last fifteen years wasn’t how she should have spent it. Now, she can be happy.” It was all I could say since my mother no longer remembered us. She lived in a world of fear. Always accusing the government of conspiring against her. That world would disappear. There would be no more fear where she was going. “Have arrangements been made?”
“Yes, I’ve decided to have her cremated. I want people to remember how beautiful she was and not witness the toll this disease has taken on her body. She loved the villa, and I think that is where we should spread her ashes. When this thing with the McCalls is over and done with, we can lay her to rest together.” My father was a strong man, but the love he had for my mom was undeniable. It was evident in his voice.
“I think she would like that. Are you going to be okay?”
“I will. I’m just glad she can have peace now.”
After hanging up with my father, I no longer had an interest in going through my emails. All I could think about was what he said. He was right. My mom would be at peace. She would no longer hear voices in her head. Shaking my head, I closed down my laptop and placed it on the bed. I knew I had to let Reyna know about my mom. Even though Reyna never met her, she knew enough about her from what I told her. Unlike me, she would be heartbroken.
As I stepped into the hallway, a ping came from my cell. Patton sent a text notifying me that the apps he used to identify the driver of the sedan worked. My heart skipped a beat, knowing that the truth. Delilah and Crosby were working together. Telling Reyna about my mom’s death would have to wait.
~19~
Reyna
Davian jogged down the stairs so fast, I thought for sure he would fall. Something had him in such a rush, and there was no way I was going to miss this. Jumping to my feet, I looked down at the girls. “Something’s up. I’ll be right back.”
I told the girls everything about Crosby and Delilah. Just like me, they couldn’t believe that sweet Delilah would have anything to do with selling women for money. Kenzi knew her better than anyone, and the news floored her the most.
“Hold up, Reyna. I’m coming with you.” Kenzi was at my side in an instant.
“Okay.” How could I say ‘no’ to her? She was my best friend, and we were in this together.
We were on Davian’s heels in an instant. The way he was moving, it had to be because Patton got an ID on the driver of the sedan. When we entered the computer room, all the guys were standing in a circle near Patton’s computer. Something had them puzzled. Maybe I was wrong, and Patton hadn’t ID’d the driver. I nudged my body between the men since they were too tall to get a good view of the computer screen. It was like trying to get through a wall of linebackers.
“Hey, can you guys move over a little?” I asked, still pushing my way between them.
“Let her through, guys. Reyna needs to see this.” Davian’s looked at the Axe and Marcus, and they finally parted to let me get past them.
I focused on the screen, but it wasn’t Crosby’s face that the software identified. I knew the man staring back at me better than anyone. It was Hugo. Leave it to Crosby to send his goon instead of picking up Delilah himself. “What does this mean, Davian?”
“Delilah wouldn’t have gotten inside the vehicle if she didn’t know Hugo. Everything still points to her affiliation with the Salkos.”
I wasn’t sure how much I believed Davian’s viewpoint. I still thought that Delilah was innocent in all of this. If she did tip Crosby off, it was only because she still loved him and couldn’t believe what Davian had told her about what he did to Gwen and me. If only I could talk to her. Maybe it would give me a piece of mind. The problem was, I didn’t know how to get in touch with her. But maybe Davian did. “Davian, I need to talk to Delilah. I still don’t think she had a part in any of this.”
“I wish I could make that happen, but there is no way to do that. We thought that Crosby had a tracker on her phone, so we asked her to leave it behind when we brought her to The Regency. And with Crosby’s cell in our possession, it’s impossible to reach out to her.”
“Is there any way to find out where Hugo was taking her?” I was grasping, but I really needed to talk to her.