Page 7 of Nick
“What happened to him? I mean, if the police thought he was a runaway, I doubt they kept looking very hard.”
Camilla looked across at Tessa and Beth before finally meeting Gracie’s gaze. “He hasn’t told Ms. Patti or Douglas much, but we do know that he was—sold. He disappeared because his drug addicted mother, who hadn’t stayed clean more than a couple of days after she got him back, sold him for her next fix.”
Gracie couldn’t stop the string of curses that sprang from her lips. Fortunately, they were in Spanish, so she kind of hoped the ladies wouldn’t understand them. A hot, fiery rage boiled deep inside, the heat like a living, breathing beast rising, seeking a target to burn to cinders. Too bad his mother wasn’t standing in front of her, because she’d be nothing but a pile of ashes for treating an innocent child, her own flesh and blood, like he was nothing.
“Rafe and Antonio had a hackercough Destiny coughdigging to see what they could find, searching for any kind of a trail. Rafe looked years ago, wanting to try and give some kind of closure to his parents, and everything he found, all the records, showed that Nicholas Vincent had died.”
“Died? Okay, that’s strange. I understand the cops letting the case go cold, but wouldn’t they have needed some kind of paperwork, documentation of Nick’s death to file with the county or the state? Sounds fishy.”
“Gracie, that’s exactly why they’ve had…somebody…looking into the paperwork. Heath thinks whoever bought Nick back then had the fake documents done so there wouldn’t be a search for the kid. After all, runaways and teens living on the street die all the time. It’s sad but true. Nick would have just been a statistic, and if they produced a body to go with the paperwork, it was probably a done deal with nobody the wiser.” Anger colored Camilla’s expression, so fierce Gracie wondered if the other woman was going to explode.
Beth rocked Patrick gently against her chest. “I cannot fathom how any mother could do that to their child. If anything happened to Patrick, I’d scour the earth until I found him again, no matter what it took.”
Gracie needed to move, to get up and walk away before she said something she’d regret. Something that might reveal far too much of her past, what she’d hidden away deep in her soul, where nobody could find out she wasn’t who she said.
“Thanks for sharing, ladies. Looks like traffic’s picking up, so I need to get back behind the counter. Can I get you refills on anything?”
When they shook their heads, Gracie paused long enough to look down at Patrick, sleeping so innocently in his mother’s arms, knowing nothing of the evil the world around him could perpetrate. She prayed he never found out.
CHAPTER FOUR
“This Simon Norville,could he afford to hire somebody to make an attempt on your life? Or maybe a family member who would want to see you pay?”
Nick considered Chance’s question, one he’d thought about ever since Antonio was shot. Norville didn’t like to get his hands dirty. No, he’d always hired other people to do his dirty work. When it came to computers, there probably weren’t many people on the planet better than Simon Norville. He could make money disappear and reappear with the touch of a keystroke, the transactions nearly untraceable especially in these days of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. He’d been in high demand by every criminal across the country.
“Possible, yes. The man’s been prohibited from legally having access to or being around anyone with access to a computer. But we all know how enforceable that is. Anybody who visits him with a cellphone and internet access gives him the ability to get online and do whatever he wants. Even behind bars, which is where he currently resides. My boss verified that Norville hasn’t had any visitors in the past twelve months other than his attorney. There’s always a guard present to make sure the attorney doesn’t let Norville have access to his cellphone.”
“Smuggled cell phones are a big thing here in the U.S. As fast as one is confiscated, six more show up in general population. It’s like playing Whack-A-Mole for the guards and wardens.” Chance ran a hand through his blond hair. “These days you can do anything on a cell phone that you can do on a laptop, probably more if you get a good one with excellent Wi-Fi. So we can’t rule Norville out just yet.”
Rafe’s phone rang and he looked down at the screen, a sudden frown crossing his face. “I’ve got to take this.” Without another word, he walked out the door leaving Nick and Chance, in the conference room. In less than a minute, Rafe was back and from his aggravated expression, Nick knew right away something was wrong.
“Sorry, we’re going to have to cut things short and pick up again later.”
“What’s wrong, bro?” Chance stood and started around the table, concern clearly written on his face. Nick got up as well, ready to help if they needed it. He wouldn’t mind having something to take his mind off wondering if somebody was trailing him, hunting him, waiting for the chance to take their next shot.
“That was Joaquim Alvarez.”
“The cop in San Antonio?” Chance asked.
“Texas Ranger. And yeah. I need to talk to Gracie.”
Gracie? Why’s Rafe got to talk to the little coffee shop owner? Is she in some kind of trouble?
“Anything I can help with? You know I’ll do anything for Gracie.”
“Count me in if you need help.” The words were out before Nick could stop them. What was he thinking? He’d just said he couldn’t afford to get involved with anybody, and the minute there’s a chance she’s got a problem, bam, there he is.
Rafe sighed. “Appreciate the offer, guys, it’s just…oh, the heck with it. Come on, let’s go see her.”
Heading for the door, a sense of anticipation rippled through Nick at the thought he’d see Gracie again. Whatever it was that had Rafe cutting short their planning session had to be serious, which set off alarm bells in him. He was well aware he had a protective instinct when it came to others, especially women. Not that he considered them the weaker sex; he knew better. They were simply more vulnerable physically when it came to dangerous situations.
He knew he was getting ahead of himself. This thing with Gracie could be anything. Except his gut told him whatever news Rafe was about to tell her, it was bad. Serious enough for a cop to be calling from another city.
It only took minutes to get back to the coffee shop. Following Rafe and Chance through the door, he noted that most of the patrons from earlier had left, with only a few stragglers still inside. One table had three women he’d met at Douglas and Ms. Patti’s wedding, and he recognized the pretty redhead was Rafe’s wife, Tessa, and the woman beside her was Brody’s wife, Beth. The other woman met his gaze and her slow smile caught him off guard. The look in her eyes seemed like one of those I-know-a-secret looks, and he wondered exactly what she knew.
Pulling his gaze away from the women, he spotted Gracie standing by an older couple, holding two to-go cups in her hands. Watched them slowly rise to their feet, the old man with a noticeable hump that kept him from straightening all the way upright. The gray-haired woman grasped a bright pink cane in her left hand, her right holding the biggest purse he’d ever seen. What in the world could she be carrying around in that monstrosity?
The barista wiped down the countertop and quickly walked toward them, and Rafe carried out a short, whispered conversation with her. He watched her nod as she headed for the front door, holding it open for the elderly couple. As soon as they were out, she turned the sign from open to closed, before tugging off her apron and heading toward the back.
