Page 3 of Wicked Love
My stepbrother’s expression turned even more somber. “If Beckett has been covering up the murder, then he’s behind your mom’s accident and the fire in our office. Now that we’ve got him on the defensive, there’s no telling what he might do next. If we could have gotten you away from him without revealing anything… but who knows what he was already planning…” He sighed. “He’s dangerous. And next time, he might come after you.”
CHAPTERTWO
Beckett
“Ineed an idea of what they could have found here,” I told the owner of Roadway Express Trucking, standing in the doorway to his office.
My jaw had been clenched tight since turning my back on Maddie and walking away, and I’d come straight here for information. If the other guys had come here in their amateur investigation and uncovered information that tied me to a murder, I needed to know how that had happened.
Itshouldn’thave happened, because I didn’t know about any crimes involving Maddie’s father, and the people under me wouldn’t have been carrying out random hits.
The trucking company owner was scowling as he skimmed through the security camera footage that showed some of the main bay. “They claimed they were here as potential clients. Justin said it seemed like they were sniffing around for more than that, so he was careful about what he said, but you know the boys would never have shared anything it wasn’t their business to either way.”
“I certainly hope not,” I said, firmly but calmly. “There’d be major consequences if it turned out someone under your employment was sabotaging my family’s reputation.”
The tensing of the man’s stance told me he knew just how severe those consequences could be. He raised his chin. “I’m careful about who I hire, and I oversee them closely. There aren’t any snitches or backstabbers around here.”
He paused the footage and pointed to Maddie’s three guys standing by one of the smaller trucks. “That’s the only way they could have associated you with the company. That truck was being loaded with the latest shipment for your club. But you can see we were quick to make sure they couldn’t examine the manifest or anything like that. Right afterward, the manager sent them off.”
“No one talked to them except him?”
The owner shook his head. “And he said they didn’t ask much other than basic business questions. None of them mentioned you or any concerns about the activities we’re involved in.”
I rubbed my forehead. I could see for myself that the workers in the bay had barely acknowledged the three guys besides some wary glances. No one had really talked to them in view of the camera other than to tell them to clear out.
Most of the employees weren’t even aware of the shadier side of this company’s operations. And making up a story about the murder of a man from twelve years ago in a town two hours from here would have been pretty bizarre.
“All right,” I said, restraining a sigh. “Thank you for your help. Tell your people not to admit those three into the building again if they come around to badger you more.”
The owner nodded with a swift jerk of his head. “I was already planning on that.”
I stalked out of the office and glanced up and down the street as I headed to my car. Nothing about the neighborhood offered any clues either. Had the guys gotten suspicious simply because of a couple of random connections that as far as I could see had nothing to do with Maddie and her family at all? It didn’t make any sense.
There were obviously pieces of the puzzle I was missing, and they hadn’t wanted to tell me about those key factors. I supposed if they saw me as a murderer, that wasn’t surprising, but it was pretty fucking frustrating all the same.
As I slid into the driver’s seat, I pulled out my phone. If anything had changed in the day-to-day operations of the Storm’s holdings, the woman Dad had turned to as a general manager for the past fifteen years should know about it.
Lana picked up on the second ring, her tone briskly efficient. “Beckett, what can I do for you today?”
“Hey, Lana,” I said, willing the frustration out of my voice. “I’ve encountered a bit of a… situation involving our business, and I was hoping you might be able to shed some light on it. Are you aware of any unusual behavior from groups our people might have clashed with in the past or signs that another organization might be on the attack, even if it’s only in subtle ways?”
She paused, with a few clicks on the other end as she must have glanced through whatever data she had available on her computer, double-checking. “No. If anything like that had come to my attention, I’d have notified you and your father right away, naturally.”
“I know. But even if it was so small you didn’t think it was worth worrying about yet—”
There was a rustle as she must have shaken her head. “I can’t think of anything that would fit your question. Why are you asking? What’s the specific concern?”
My jaw clenched even tighter, an ache running through my gums. I forced it to relax and closed my eyes for a second. The ache seemed to travel down into my chest.
I didn’t want to explain the specific circumstances to her. It was too personal. She wouldn’t understand what Maddie meant to me—and if she hadn’t seen anything unusual at all, she definitely didn’t know about someone framing my family for murder.
“I think it’s better I handle this on my own for now,” I said. “It may end up being a completely personal matter. I just wanted to confirm that nothing related had come up on your end.” I paused. There was one person who could have carried out a murder and a cover-up without feeling the need to inform me. “My father hasn’t given you any orders recently that you haven’t kept me in the loop on, has he?”
“I always make sure to coordinate between the two of you,” she said, which was a diplomatic answer. I suspected she hadn’t heard anything from Dad in a week if not longer. We both knew that I handled almost all of the Storm’s operations these days.
“I know you do. Again, just wanted to confirm. I appreciate you humoring me.”
“Any time, Beckett. And if something does come to my attention that seems at all concerning, I’ll notify you at once.”
