Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Connor Davis sat at the scarred oak table in the corner of Books-N-Brews, a mug of coffee cooling beside his elbow and a legal pad full of notes lying in front of him. Notes that made less sense the longer he stared at them.
Saturday afternoons were usually his favorite time to be here, but not today.
Today, the place was packed. The low hum of conversations drifted through the café section of the shop, broken up by the hiss of the espresso machine and the cheerful jingle of the bell over the door every time customers entered or left.
Someone laughed near the pastry case. A toddler squealed somewhere close to the reading nook.
Connor ran a hand through his hair and looked at his notes, trying to sort out what Sabre knew about his friend Jaxon Ruick’s case.
Jaxon had been a special agent with the FBI.
He was their golden boy... their rising star.
Specializing in drug and human trafficking cases, he played a key role in dismantling several major rings, including one that reached deep into the political system.
Deeper than anyone had expected. And closer to home.
He’d been trying to take down several powerful, well-connected people when everything fell apart. Jaxon was framed for dealing drugs by the District Attorney General from the town of Darling. People around town called him "the General" because he told them to.
Jaxon had spent seven years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
It was way too long, but then, one day would have been too long.
Top of Connor’s list was finding crucial evidence Sabre knew existed but had somehow been lost or, more likely, hidden.
Tracking down an important witness was also essential to Jaxon’s case.
Unfortunately, the witness had disappeared without a trace.
When Alexander Boucher, former District Attorney, was the man in charge of Jaxon’s case, things were a hell of a lot harder. Now, Boucher had been charged with murder and was about to stand trial.
In other words, the General had finally fucked up. His biggest mistake had been messing with his Sabre brother’s Littles. As if Sabre hadn’t already been highly motivated to nail his hide to the wall. Now Sabre was going to make sure he paid for that mistake.
But putting Boucher behind bars wasn’t enough. The thing that had brought him and all his Sabre brothers back to Darling in the first place was proving Jaxon innocent. But after seven years of digging and searching, they still didn’t have much to go on.
“Damn it,” he muttered under his breath.
Across the room, Georgia called out, “Two caramel lattes for pickup!”
Connor didn’t even look. He had been sitting there for nearly an hour trying to make sense of everything Sabre Security had discovered.
Every time he thought he had found a pattern, a new detail would ruin it.
It was like trying to put together a puzzle with half the pieces missing. Or in this case, hidden.
He shoved the legal pad away and leaned back in his chair, frustration rolling through him. Busy Saturdays might be great for business, but they were terrible for thinking.
“Good morning, Connor.”
The familiar voice caused him to look up.
Vivi Goodman stood beside his table, one hip cocked, her silvery white hair piled on top of her head.
She wore a pale green cardigan loosely tied around her shoulders, and her reading glasses dangled from a chain around her neck.
She owned Books-N-Brews and ran it like a benevolent queen.
Everyone in Darling thought of her as their wise, loving grandmother. Including him.
Right now, she studied him with the same sharp gaze she used when deciding if someone was trustworthy enough to be allowed near her books.
“Honey, you look like someone kicked your dog,” she observed.
Connor snorted softly. “Just trying to make sense of some things.”
She glanced at his list. “Jaxon.”
“Yeah, Jaxon.”
She nodded slowly, then slid into the chair across from him. Connor straightened slightly. Vivi didn’t sit down unless she had something to say.
“And how’s that going for you?” she asked.
He let out a sigh. He didn’t think she really wanted to talk about Jaxon, but he’d bide his time until she got to what she really wanted to talk to him about. “About as well as you’d expect.”
She studied him for a moment. Leaning in, she spoke quietly. “You, my darling child, need to be careful.”
Connor frowned. “Careful about what?”
“About Sandra Wainwright.”
Connor’s irritation sharpened. If he never heard that woman’s name again in his life if would be too soon. “You’re not telling me anything I don’t know, Vivi.”
She smiled, but her ice blue eyes sparked. “Humor me, son.”
He leaned back again, crossing his arms. Once Vivi made up her mind to get involved, there was normally no stopping her. He normally enjoyed their conversations, but today he had other things on his mind.
“Sorry, Vivi,” he said as soft as he could. He would rather cut off his arm than hurt her. “Whatever you need to tell me, I probably need to hear it. But can we put a pin in it for today? I really need to focus on this,” he said, thumping his finger on his notepad.
Vivi folded her hands on the table and continued as if he hadn’t done anything except nod and agree.
“I’ve known the Torbetts, that’s Sandra’s mother’s maiden name, and the Wainwrights for a long, long time.
I watched Sandra’s grandmother spoil her mother rotten,” she said.
“And then I watched her mother do the same thing to Sandra.”
Resigned to having this conversation, Connor huffed. “Yeah. That sounds about right.”
Vivi’s eyes narrowed. “She’s used to getting what she wants. And that girl wants you.”
Connor couldn’t hold back his sigh. “I know, Vivi. That’s the reason I broke things off with her.”
Vivi lifted an eyebrow. “Was it?”
“Yes, among other things.”
Sandra had been pretty, flirty, and enthusiastic about the Daddy dynamic.
But it hadn’t taken long before her bratty playfulness turned into something uglier.
Calling herself a brat had really just been an excuse to manipulate people into doing what she wanted.
But she went a step further, hurting people and seeming to think it was funny.
He was supposed to make her every wish come true, like he was some genie in a bottle.
And the drama. So much drama. Connor didn’t do drama.
“Still,” Vivi continued, lowering her voice slightly, “I’ve seen the look in her eyes lately.”
Connor gave her a skeptical look. “What look?”
“The kind that worries me.”
“Vivi—” he started.
She held up a hand. “Especially now that Bliss is back in town.”
Connor went still. Then he said evenly, “Bliss has nothing to do with Sandra or me.” That wasn’t entirely true. He knew it, and Vivi obviously did too. Not that it should surprise him. The woman knew everything that went on in Darling.
Vivi studied him carefully.
“Maybe not,” she said. “But Sandra’s best friend was in here a few minutes ago.”
Connor frowned. He was having a hard time figuring out how that affected him. “And?”
“And when she saw you sitting here…” Vivi tapped the table lightly. “She stepped outside and made a phone call.”
Connor barked a short laugh. He couldn’t help it. “You’re kidding me.”
“I certainly am not, young man.”
Nobody else in the world could get away with calling him young man. He saw where this was going. “And you think she called Sandra to tell her I was here.”
“I do.”
“And now what? You think Sandra’s going to come storming in here any minute?”
“I don’t know how stormy it will be, but I’ll bet you dollars to doughnuts she’ll be here soon. You mark my words and mark it on your calendar.”
Connor shook his head. “Vivi, I appreciate you looking out for me, but that’s ridiculous.”
She gave him a long look. It was the look of a teacher who was sad that she couldn’t reach a particularly dense student. But Vivi wasn’t done. “There’s a reason that saying about the fury of a scorned woman took root, honey child.”
He gave her a placating smile. God, he hoped she didn’t know it was placating. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You should. Go ahead and laugh, but you’ll see.”
Connor picked up his coffee and took a sip, grimacing when he realized it had gone cold. “Not that it matters now, anyway.”
Damn it. The words slipped out before he could stop them. Vivi’s gaze sharpened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Connor stared at the legal pad again, because the truth was simple. He’d already lost the one thing that mattered to him, and that was Bliss. She’d walked out of his life months ago and never looked back. The fact that she was back in Darling didn’t change a thing.
He forced a shrug. “Nothing.”
Vivi didn’t look convinced. But before she could say anything else, the bell over the door jingled. Connor glanced toward the entrance.
Sandra Wainwright swept inside like she owned the place. Tall, blonde, and wearing a tight-fitted, low cut dress that probably cost more than Connor’s truck payment. She paused dramatically just inside the door.
Her gaze landed on him, face lighting up with exaggerated surprise. “Well,” she said brightly, waving her hand. “Connor! I didn’t know you’d be here.”
Connor slowly turned his head toward Vivi. She gave him a smug, knowing look before standing to leave the table. “What do you know? Someone’s here to see you.” Then she leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Be careful now.”