Chapter 13
The smell of frying bacon led Lane down the hall. He was shocked there was anything to eat for breakfast in the house, and he sent up a silent prayer of gratitude that Celine not only found food but was comfortable enough in his kitchen to make what she wanted.
Hopefully there was plenty for him to snag a few pieces.
His stomach tightened at the idea of Celine in her pajamas, her hair piled high on her head, making a spot for herself in his home. He wouldn’t delude himself into thinking he stood a chance at making this a regular thing, but at least he’d have one good memory to store alongside with the others.
Anticipation quickened his bare feet on the soft rug. He turned the corner and the sight of Duke standing in front of the stove caused a flash of irrational annoyance.
Duke turned and grinned. “Morning, sunshine. Hope you don’t mind, but I was too hungry to wait for your lazy ass to get up and ask if it was okay to make this.” He nodded toward the sizzling meat in the pan.
Lane grumbled and found the full pot of coffee on the white marble counter. He poured a mug and made his way to the island to sit at the backless stool.
Duke slid a plate of bacon under his nose, and a little bit of his irritation melted away.
“Thanks,” he said, nibbling the end of a crispy piece. “Anything else to eat in the cupboards? I want to make sure Celine has something when she wakes up.”
“Saw some bread in the pantry. A carton of eggs. Plenty to get us through the morning but then you need to make a serious grocery stop.”
“I’ll start a list after I eat.”
Duke added more coffee to his own mug then leaned against the counter as he took a sip. “What else is on the agenda for the day?”
“Keeping Celine and Parker safe is top priority, but I think we should do some digging of our own. Try to figure out what the hell is going on so we can help stop it.”
“Should we be digging anywhere in particular?” Duke asked, eyebrows raised high.
“Celine’s ex-husband.”
Duke raised his brows impossibly higher. “Seriously?”
Lane took another bite of bacon and nodded. “Guy had a mountain of gambling debt. That’s what caused the split, and she’s not sure if he ever paid it. She left him when she found out and never looked back.”
“How long ago was that? I mean, they’ve been divorced for a while I’m guessing.”
Lane shrugged. “A year or more? Parker’s three months old. Add nine months or so to that and that’s about the time this all went down.”
Duke swished his lips to the side. “If gambling debt is the root of this shitstorm, why wait so long to collect on the debt? And why go after the ex-wife?”
“All good questions,” he said, pointing his bacon at Duke. “And questions I plan to answer.”
Celine swept into the room with Parker cradled in her arms. Her hair hung in loose waves around her shoulders.
Pink and white striped shorts sat high on her lean thighs, and the tiny straps of her sleep tank reminded him of the way it’d slipped down her biceps the night before when she’d fed their son.
“What do you plan to get to the bottom of?”
Duke hid his grimace behind his mug and stared at Lane.
Unease skittered up his spine. He wasn’t sure how Celine would respond to his thinking, but he couldn’t let that effect how he chose to move forward. All he had to go on right now was his gut, and he had to trust that would be enough to convince Celine of his plan. “I want to talk to Kevin.”
“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” she asked, eyes weary.
There were a lot of reasons why he thought showing up on Kevin Koffman’s doorstep was a good idea, but he’d keep most of those to himself. “Yes. I want to talk to him about his gambling addiction, and I want to look him in the face when I do it.”
“And you think he’ll just open up and tell you the truth?”
She had a point, but he didn’t see many other options in the moment. Tension simmered in the air as he struggled to find the right words to reassure her this was the best move.
“Has the little guy been fed?” Duke asked, finally filling the silence.
Blinking as if surprised, she fixed a pleasant smile on her face and aimed it at Duke. “He has, yes.”
“Then how about Uncle Duke takes him into the next room and tells him a few stories about his dad.” He set down his mug then held out his arms for the baby.
Celine’s pinched expression broadcasted her hesitation.
Lane rolled his eyes. Duke had gone from an annoying acquaintance to reluctant friend and business partner to self-proclaimed uncle of his child over the course of a few days. Life was freaking wild.
“I’ve got plenty of experience with kiddos,” Duke said, winking. “My sister has a couple of rugrats. I’ve been changing diapers and chasing them around since the day they were born. You can trust me.”
She flicked her glance to Lane.
He gave a subtle nod. Dammit. He did trust Duke and had zero doubt Celine could too.
The second she placed Parker in Duke’s large arms, Suzy’s singsong greeting called from the foyer and preceded her into the kitchen.
“Good morning!” Suzy strolled into the kitchen, her eyes widening as she set eyes on the group. “Wow, I didn’t get the memo there was a party going on.”
“No party,” Lane said, taking a sip of coffee.
“These two were about to figure out how to plan their day. Wanna help me watch this one?” Duke hoisted Parker a little into the air.
The baby giggled and kicked his feet.
Suzy squealed. “Oh my goodness. I’d love to. Let me see him.” She wiggled her fingers in a give-me motion.
Shaking her head, Celine chuckled. “Uncle Duke and Aunt Suzy to the rescue.”
Lane growled, not wanting his sister to have anything to do with Duke.
Suzy pressed Parker’s face to her cheek and sighed. “I’ll be whatever you want to this little one. He can call me auntie for sure.”
Lane’s heart stopped, his arm freezing in the air with the mug halfway to his lips. He didn’t speak, didn’t want to say anything to upset Celine.
Celine cleared her throat and rubbed her palm along the base of her throat. “Actually, Suzy. You are his aunt.”
“Yay, thank you! I’ll love him like crazy,” Suzy said.
Lane couldn’t help but snort out a laugh. “That’s not what she means, sis. I’m Parker’s father. You’re his aunt. He’s your nephew.”
Tears hovered over Suzy’s lashes as she sucked in a large breath. “Are you serious?”
Lane nodded.
Suzy let out another squeal and rushed across the room to throw an arm around Lane then turned to do the same to Celine.
“Seriously? I’m so stinking happy. You mentioned thinking he might be yours the other day but didn’t bring it back up and I was afraid to ask.
But now I have some time to make up for.
I need to get to know this little one. Come on, Duke. To the living room.”
His chest tightened at the sight of his sister showering love on his son. “She’ll be a great aunt.”
“I have no doubt.” Celine dipped her chin toward the coffee pot behind him. “Is there more left in that thing?”
“Oh shit, yeah.” He found her a mug and poured it full before searching for milk in the fridge. “Duke made bacon and I can get you whatever else you want to eat, well, at least from the limited supplies we have.”
She accepted the coffee and settled onto a stool. Propping her elbows on the island, she cradled the white mug with both hands. “Coffee’s fine for now, then we can discuss how we should handle Kevin.”
“We?” He’d hoped to leave Celine out of any investigation he dove into.
“Yes, we. If you visit Kevin, I want to go with you.”
He shook his head. “It’s not safe. You’re better off here with Duke and the baby.”
She took a sip from her mug then set it down, keeping her narrowed gaze fixed on him. “No. Kevin will be too pissed and defensive to speak with you. It’ll be better if I’m there. Duke and Suzy can watch Parker here if they’re up for it.”
She wasn’t wrong. Any man would be reluctant to open up to the father of their ex-wife’s child—especially with the well-known history between him and Celine. He didn’t like the idea of her being exposed while someone searched for her, but this might be the best option. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
Sighing, he finished his morning brew then placed the mug in the sink. “I’ll make sure Duke’s okay with the plan then we’ll get ready to head out. The sooner we get this over with the better.”
Dread settled in the pit of Celine’s stomach as she stood on the wide front porch in front of the large house where she used to live. She still had a key, but there was no way she’d use it to let herself inside. This wasn’t her home any longer. Hadn’t been for a long time.
“You sure he’s here?” Lane asked.
“His car’s in the garage. Besides, it’s Saturday morning. He probably slept in and plans to spend a few hours relaxing. Reading, working out, grabbing a sauna. He never liked to do anything productive on the weekends before noon if possible.”
Lane snorted. “Seriously?”
She bit back more negative commentary. Kevin might not be her favorite person, but that didn’t mean she’d badmouth him to Lane. “Just ring the bell.”
The shadow his cowboy hat cast on his handsome face couldn’t hide Lane’s amused smirk as he pressed his finger to the ornate bell beside the door.
Seconds ticked by with no noise from inside.
The summer heat blazed around them. Thank God she’d opted for a ponytail today, or the long heavy strands down her back would be unbearable.
With her arms crossed over her chest, she tapped her index finger against her biceps.
Her anxiety heightened with each passing moment.
“Press it again,” she said.
Lane obliged, but when no one came to the door, he fisted his hand and knocked.
The door creaked open, allowing a sliver of cool air to rattle through the narrow crack.
The energy shifted, tension crackling louder in her ears than fireworks. She swallowed hard, glancing up at Lane. “What do we do?”
He tilted his head to the side, as if listening for signs of anything inside. “Is this normal?”
“For Kevin to leave the door partially open? I don’t think so. Should we call the sheriff’s department?”
“And tell them what? The door opened and no one came to greet us?” Lane asked. “I doubt they’d take that too seriously, especially with everything else going on right now.”
She nibbled her bottom lip. “Maybe he went for a walk or something and just didn’t pull the door closed all the way.”
“Maybe.” Lane shifted to stare out on the expansive yard to the side of the house. “You could call him. Check to see where he is. He might be inside and just not have heard us out here.”
Doubt scratched her mind, but she snatched her phone from her pocket and scrolled to Kevin’s contact information.
Finding his name, she pressed the Call button and waited for him to answer.
The line rang in her ears until his voicemail message picked up.
She disconnected and apprehension twisted her insides. “He didn’t answer.”
Lane frowned. “Something doesn’t feel right.”
“He could be hurt.” Just because he wasn’t her favorite person didn’t mean she wished him any ill will. “We should check.”
“I don’t know if that’s the best idea.”
“Then it’s a good thing I didn’t ask for your permission.”
Stepping by him, she walked into the house and a punch of nostalgia almost doubled her over.
Memories of picking out the perfect shade of blue for the dining room and pouring over rolls of wallpaper for the guest bathroom brought tears to her eyes.
She dashed them away, sniffing back the unexpected wave of emotion.
“You okay?” Lane didn’t touch her, but he stood close. His presence enough to offer support she didn’t know how to ask for.
“Yeah,” she said, her voice a bit shaky.
“I haven’t been here since the night I packed my things and left Kevin.
There are a lot of memories wrapped up in this place.
Good, bad, and everything in between. I couldn’t help but remember the hope I had for our future—the way I’d pictured our lives would unfold. It’s sad it had to end the way it did.”
Lane’s silence spoke volumes.
Wincing, she rested a palm on the hard muscle of his chest and dipped her chin so their eyes met. “I don’t regret that it ended, or I wouldn’t have Parker. I didn’t mean—”
He gave a tiny shake of his head and covered her hand with his own.
Heat shot up her arm. Her brain warned to run from his touch, but her heart told her to stay. To accept. To welcome any scraps of care she could from him.
“Don’t do that,” he said. “Don’t make excuses for your emotions. I don’t want you to ever feel like you have to justify anything to me, to tiptoe around the shitty parts of our past. None of what’s happening right now can be easy, and it’s only natural it would bring up baggage.”
“Thank you,” she said, finally slipping her hand out from under his. “Let’s find Kevin then get the hell out of here.”
“I’d like nothing better.”
She tried not to look at the vaulted ceilings in the living room with the meticulously decorated fireplace mantle and photographs of times long gone.
She kept her head down, gaze trained on blue and cream-colored runner that led to the gourmet kitchen.
“We’ll check in here first, then head to the basement.
If he didn’t hear us, makes the most sense he was down there. ”
“Or the shower,” Lane said.
She glanced over her shoulder and wrinkled her nose. “I’ll let you check there.”
The pungent stench of stale beer assaulted her senses. Empty beer cans littered the counters. Wadded up trash scattered the ground and half-eaten food attracted flies on the table. She fought the urge to tidy the space as she took it all in. “This place is a disaster.”
“He always live like this?”
She shrugged. “Didn’t use to be, but there was a lot I didn’t know about him.”
“Well, he’s clearly not in here,” Lane said. “Where are the stairs to the basement?”
She walked over to the closed door and switched on the light before heading downstairs. Nothing but silence and unused gym equipment waited for them. Climbing the stairs, dread weighed down each step. The house was big, but there were only so many places Kevin could be.
She held her breath as she crossed through the kitchen again and went to the opposite side of the house. The master bedroom was at the end of the hallway. The thick rug muffled their footsteps. When she reached the closed door, she hesitated.
“Let me.” Lane banged on the door before testing the handle. It turned, and he shoved aside the barrier and hissed out a breath. “Shit. Celine, back up and call the police. Now.”