Chapter 29 #2
Ronnie lay sprawled out, face down, in the center of the bed.
Something had happened to the sheet he’d left covering her.
It lay wadded up in a ball on the floor at the foot of the bed.
He wondered what she was dreaming about.
Whatever it was, she seemed to be sleeping fine now.
He pulled the door shut, turning the knob and easing it shut so their talking wouldn’t disturb her, then went back to the living room.
“She’s fine,” he said as he stepped into the room, only to realize that Gavin was no longer on the sofa. A sound from the kitchen had Demon taking the few steps to investigate. There he found Ronnie’s brother standing in front of the open refrigerator.
Relaxing, he fetched his nearly empty coffee cup and drained it on his way to the kitchen.
This wasn’t going to be an easy conversation and being more awake might not make it more fun, but it would make it easier, at least a little.
When his coffee finished, he took the cup to what he’d come to think of as his barstool and sat.
He watched as Gavin moved around, warming food then sitting down.
“You look like you have some thing to say,” Gavin said after a moment.
“I do. I’m not sure if I should but I know you need to know. Even if all I have is coincidence and suspicion.”
Gavin narrowed his eyes and stared at him.
“Now you have to tell me.”
“I know.” Demon sighed and took a sip from his mug as he tried to decide where to start. “You know that after she stopped me, thinking I was Jim Bob, I had her and your dad’s whole business investigated, right?”
Gavin scowled. It was clear he didn’t like the idea that me and my handler had been looking into his sister.
After a moment, he nodded. “I get it. You had to make sure she wasn’t someone actually looking for you.
And that the business was legit. That was likely the digging gave you the intel about Ronnie being in trouble. ”
Demon nodded once. He’d expected the other man to be angry, but wasn’t going to complain that he understood.
“Anyway, when we were looking into who was behind the orders on her, that led us to your dad.” He focused on his hands, where he slowly spun the coffee cup between the two of them while he spoke. “We found that your dad is in deep to the Diablos.”
“I know all that. We talked about it when we decided to make sure she stays out of the line of fire and how to go about taking them down.” Gavin’s impatient tone made Demon look up at him.
“I know, but I didn’t tell you everything we uncovered.” He looked away again, wishing he knew a way to make this easier, both for him and for the man on the other side of the counter.
“What didn’t you tell us?”
Demon glanced toward the bedroom, hoping Ronnie was still asleep, or that the walls were thick enough she wouldn’t overhear him.
“It was discovered that Ronnie wasn’t the first time he’d given a woman to the Diablos to pay off his debt to them.
” He kept his voice soft, his gaze still on the mug in his hands, he didn’t need to see the other man’s pain.
Overhearing it from around the corner wasn’t the way he wanted Ronnie to find this out.
Several seconds passed and when Gavin still hadn’t spoken and had barely moved, Demon looked at him.
“When?” Gavin’s voice was barely more than a whisper. He’d come to the same suspicion that Demon had, and it hadn’t taken him nearly as long. Of course, Demon hadn’t known that their mother had disappeared, so he’d been working with a handicap.
“I don’t know. I don’t know how many, only that my source found that this wasn’t the only time he’d given them a person, or people, to pay off a debt. They were going to keep looking into the situation, but I haven’t heard anything more.”
“When’s the last time you checked in?”
“Couple of days ago. I’ll reach out and see if there are any more details yet. Don’t hold your breath, though. People don’t keep records on shit like this, so we’re dealing with memories and hearsay.”
A small squeak of the hinges let Demon know that Ronnie was up and on her way.
“Ronnie,” he whispered, letting Gavin know what he’d heard.
“I don’t want her knowing about that part, not until we know for sure.” His voice was just as soft as he hurried to get the words out before she reached the room.
Demon nodded. He didn’t want to be the one to have to tell her. At least not until they knew for sure. Then he’d do everything he could to hold her up if the knowledge broke her.
“Hey. You’re back.” Ronnie stopped as she spotted her brother. She blinked a couple of times, as if she hadn’t been expecting him and didn’t know how to act.
Demon wasn’t so conflicted. He lifted one arm in a silent invitation.
She seemed to know just what he was offering because she stepped in until her body rested against him, and he could drop his arm across her shoulders.
He held her there, enjoying the warmth and softness as she pressed into his side, her arms going around his waist.
“How did your visit with Dad go?” She turned to look at Gavin even as she relaxed against Demon.
Gavin’s gaze flicked between the two of them for a moment, but when he spoke, it wasn’t to say anything about it.
“I didn’t go see Dad, Ronnie. I went on a raid.”
“What?” Her back straightened and she pulled away from Demon slightly, not stepping away but not soft and pliant against him anymore.
He knew this had to happen, she needed to know, but he hated that she’d had any excuse to pull away from him.
He’d liked her there, under his arm. It felt like she belonged there.