Chapter 36 #2
He shifted his hand to cover Haley’s ear. “Language?”
“It’s just a word.” Ruby smirked and plopped onto the couch next to him. “But in this case, it’s the right one. Plans are all well and good. But we can never predict what’ll happen.”
“Like losing Kellen. I know that. Uncertainty is always there. But that’s exactly when we have to stay the course and remember what’s most important.”
Ruby shook her head. “No. Listen. When I got pregnant by that loser, my first thought was about you. I was so scared for my older brother to find out, because I thought you’d be angry and judgmental.
Of course, you weren’t, thank goodness. But Kellen never got the chance to hear the news at all.
He’ll never meet her. I hate that. Because he would’ve loved her just as much as you do. ”
They both looked down at the precious girl in his arms.
“Haley wasn’t planned,” Ruby said. “But she’s the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me.
That’s life, Devon. It’s messy and scary and unpredictable.
Sometimes, the worst happens, and we can’t prepare for it.
It rips out our hearts and lungs and we don’t even know how we can keep going.
But the best things aren’t planned, either.
It’s our job to recognize those opportunities for happiness and not let them pass us by.
Even if it means throwing all our plans out the window. ”
The baby’s eyes had fluttered closed. Ruby set the bottle aside and shifted Haley back into her arms. Devon was sorry to feel her warm weight disappear.
“I know it’s scary to be out of a job. You don’t know what you’ll do next. But do me a favor and slow down. Let me worry about the bills for a while. Recognize the opportunity the universe is giving you—to figure out what you truly want. If that’s Aurora, then I really hope you’ll go for it.”
Once Ruby and Haley had returned to bed, Devon went back to work. But after scanning day after day of footage, and seeing Aurora several more times, he hadn’t spotted anyone who looked like their mystery man. He clenched his fists in frustration.
“I’ve had no luck so far, either,” Sylvie said when they got back on the phone.
His mind was straining for connections, but the pieces wouldn’t fit. “I say we should take Aurora at her word. She did see the guy around The Lighthouse at some point. If so, what does that mean?”
“That he knew Brandon Wolfson. We’ve already considered that. But—”
“Wait a minute. What about the other people associated with the club? Like Wolfson’s wife? Or his assistant? I’ve seen them all over the video footage. They were around the club all the time. What do we know about them?”
“I’ve got some basic background on them.
The assistant is Jennifer Scoville. Single, a recent transplant from Las Vegas, where she was a personal assistant to some big-shot types before Wolfson hired her away.
And Nadia Wolfson? A local to West Oaks.
Just like Max, she’s climbed the social ladder around here to the top. ”
“Vegas.” Devon knew he was grasping at shadows at this point. But he was getting desperate for some kind of lead. “Do you have contacts in Nevada? If the Escalade driver is new to West Oaks, too, and he’s been around The Lighthouse Club, could Jennifer be his connection?”
“Worth a try. But even Vegas is asleep by now.” She stifled a yawn. “I gotta be honest. I’m fading.”
Devon checked the clock. It was past four. The sun would be up soon. “Aurora’s testifying this morning, right?”
“Yep. First thing.”
Devon had no doubt that Max would have ample security in place.
Yet unease still gnawed at him. “I don’t like that we have this big question mark out there.
No matter how much security is around her, she’s still going out in the open tomorrow.
Max can’t control every single factor at a public building like the courthouse. ”
“I know what you mean. But this is out of our hands. Lana told me the defense attorneys refused to come to our office. They insisted on the courthouse because it’s neutral territory.”
All of that reasoning made perfect sense. Yet Devon couldn’t shake that sick feeling in his gut—that there was a countdown clock somewhere, and he was running out of time. Maybe he was just upset over what had happened earlier, and it was really his guilt talking.
He appreciated what Ruby had suggested. Slowing down and considering what he wanted out of life. He planned to do just that. But only after he was convinced that Aurora was out of danger.
“I’m going to keep at it with the security footage. Just in case. Could you call Vegas as soon as possible to see if your contacts recognize our mystery guy?”
“I will. But try to get rest at some point?”
“At some point.”
He might not work for Bennett anymore, and he might not be Aurora’s bodyguard, but he cared about her. If she got hurt now, and he could’ve protected her, then it would be his fault.
Aurora wouldn’t be safe until they’d found the man who was after her. Then, and only then—once she was truly out of harm’s way—he would tell her exactly how he felt.