Chapter 6
Chapter Six
SUMMER
"I'm having a party, Evers," Cynthia stated in a tone I knew well.
"You're in charge of security. You figure it out.
This is the guest list," she said, handing it to Evers.
He skimmed it carefully as she went on, "Next Friday.
You should be able to work that out. The guest list is small. No more than seventy-five."
I gave Cynthia my most professional I can handle anything you throw at me smile. A party for seventy-five in a week? No problem.
Who was I kidding? Major problem. I knew Cynthia. This would not be pizza and beer. My mind raced, searching through myriad mental lists. Caterers. Equipment rentals. Flowers.
Cynthia was impossible. How could she do this to me?
I didn't need to ask. Cynthia wanted it, and it happened. That was the way it worked. How it happened was on me.
Evers silently reached across the table, handing me the guest list. He said nothing, but something in the set of his shoulders, the way he wouldn't meet my eyes, put me on alert.
Before I could move, Griffen leaned forward and plucked the list from his hand. He skimmed it before silently handing it to me.
I started at the top, reading quickly, familiar with many of the names.
Cynthia was Rupert Stevens' granddaughter, so I expected to see Rupert, his wife Sloane, Cynthia's parents, her sister and brother, all of whom still lived in Atlanta.
I read further, recognizing many of the highest echelon of Atlanta society, as well as a few artists and local performers.
I was halfway through the list when my eyes snagged on a name and my heart stopped in my chest. Vance and Magnolia Winters. Below them Aiden Winters, and below him his brother Jacob Winters. I didn't have to keep reading. The entire Winters clan was on the guest list.
This was a problem. A huge problem. A problem so big it turned throwing together a party in a week into child's play.
My hand shook as I set the list on the coffee table and said, with only a slight tremble in my voice, "This doesn't seem like a good idea, Cynthia.
I know you want a party, but with everything that's going on, with Clint—"
"I want the party, Summer. I did not come here to hide. I haven't been back in ages, and I want to see everyone. Would you rather I go to the country club?"
"Of course not," Evers cut in. He glanced at the guest list, then to me, and finally back to Cynthia. "And we don't want you to feel trapped here. But a party is irresponsible. At least give us more time to plan—"
"No. I don't have more time. I'm only going to be here for two months, and if I wait a few more weeks for the party I'll barely have time to see everyone after we're re-introduced. No. It has to be next Friday."
She stood, brushing the wrinkles from her skirt, and tossed her platinum locks over her shoulder, sending us another dazzling smile. "You're all the best at what you do. Go out there and do it."
To Evers, she said, "Figure out how to keep the house secure during the party." And to me, "You've worked miracles before, Summer. I know you can do it again. I have complete faith in all of you."
I shook my head as she turned and glided from the room, the sweet scent of her perfume lingering after she was gone. I shook my head in disbelief.
"How does she do that?" I asked myself aloud. "Just when I'm about to strangle her, she says she has absolute faith in me, and I'm ready to hit the phone and make this ridiculous plan happen. If I didn't like her so much I'd strangle her."
Beside me, Griffen chuckled. "Can you do it? Throw together a party in a week?"
"I can," I admitted. "It's going to be a long few days, but I can." I looked down at the list of names on the table between us and then to Evers, waiting for him to say something. He remained silent, his eyes on the door Cynthia had walked through moments before.
I'd figure out what to do about the guest list later. I had more important things to deal with. I would have preferred to have this conversation in private, but asking Griffen to leave would give Evers too much importance.
He didn't know how badly he'd hurt me. If I had my way, he never would.
Leaning forward, I met Evers' blue eyes with a hard look. "Why are you here?" I demanded. "And don't tell me it's all about Cynthia's security. Obviously, you're old friends, but I know you don't handle protection details personally anymore. So why are you here?"
Evers sat back and crossed his arms over his chest casually, propping one ankle on his knee. He stared at me for a long moment, his eyes unreadable, before he said, "When was the last time you talked to your father?"
I sucked in a short breath. I hadn't expected him to say that. I'd expected him to dodge the question. To lie. Again. I tried to shift gears, to remember the last time I'd talked to my dad. "A few weeks ago?"
"Did you see him or talk to him by phone a few weeks ago?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.
"I talked to him on the telephone. I called to check in, say hi. We didn't talk long. He said he was in the middle of something. Why? What's going on?"
"Your father—"
Griffen pulled his arm from behind me on the couch and leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. "Ev, she doesn't need—"
"Shut. Up." Evers flashed a quelling look at Griffen, who ignored him.
"There's some stuff going on with your dad," Griffen said, giving me a sympathetic look. "You don't have to worry about it. We have it under control."
Evers glared at Griffen. "I told you to let me handle this."
"You're doing a piss-poor job so far," Griffen shot back.
"If something's wrong with my dad, I want to know," I said, "What the hell is going on, Evers? Why are you here? Why now?"
Evers dropped his foot off his knee, his arms falling to his sides, dropping the illusion that this was casual. He leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees, mimicking Griffen's posture.
Eyes level on mine, he said, "Do you want the truth? I can tell you right now you're not going to like it. Griffen is trying to spare you. I was trying to spare you. I know now that was a mistake. You're pissed about that, and I get it. But be sure you want to know."
"I want to know," I said immediately.
Evers shook his head. "You have to be sure. And if I tell you, you have to keep your mouth shut. Your father is part of a bigger situation, and if I trust you with this information, you have to promise me you'll keep it to yourself."
"Evers," Griffen warned, shaking his head.
"This is too much. She doesn't need to know.
" He turned to look at me, sympathy in his eyes.
"Summer, I know he's your dad, and I know Evers here fucked everything up with you before.
But this deal, it's an ugly mess. If you're smart, you'll let us do our jobs and keep everyone safe, and if you hear from your dad, you’ll tell us right away. You don't need to get involved."
I looked from Griffen to Evers. I saw it in Evers’ eyes. He didn't want to tell me whatever it was he knew about my father. But he would. Maybe this was his way of apologizing for what had happened. His way of trying to make it right.
Not that it mattered. We couldn't change the past.
This was my dad we were talking about. He wouldn't win father of the year, but he was mine, and I loved him.
After I'd kicked Evers out, I'd probed gently, but Smokey stonewalled every time.
I knew there was something wrong. He'd been different.
Tense. Sometimes he went days without returning my calls.
If Evers knew why, I needed him to fill me in.
"Tell me," I said simply.
Evers let out a long breath.
"We don't know the whole story yet, but my father was involved in some… shady dealings. He was working with an old family friend who recently died."
"I thought your father was dead."
With a wry, almost bitter laugh, Evers said, "So did we.
It looks like that might not be the case.
We've been tracing every piece of information we have, trying to find out what he was up to and where he is.
We got a hold of bank records that show significant amounts of money moving from my father to his partner, and from there to Clive Winters. "
I laughed. Smokey Winters involved in shady dealings? Unless those shady dealings had to do with packing a bowl or buying a bag of weed, Smokey wouldn't be interested.
I shook my head. "You must have made a mistake. I know my dad's kind of a wing-nut, but he doesn't have it in him to—"
"It's not a mistake."
"But some numbers, some bank transfers, they don't prove anything," I protested, still shaking my head.
Evers took another deep breath, looking at the coffered ceiling above for a moment before he said, "Summer, I've been watching you and your father for a while. You know that."
I gritted my teeth but said nothing. There was nothing to say.
"Your father gets around. A lot more than you think he does. We knew something was going on, even a few months ago. We didn't know what, and we had no clue it was related to my father. Now, it looks like everything's connected."
"If you didn't think it was connected, if you didn't know what he was up to, why were you watching him?" I snapped my mouth shut the second the words spilled out. I already knew the answer. I'd figured it out not long after I broke things off with Evers.
Evers said gently, "You know why."
"So, what, you needed to keep an eye on me and you figured you'd do it from my bed? What did you think I was going to do? Knock on their gates with my hand out?"
"We had to be sure. They're like family."
I didn't say anything. There was nothing to say.
It all started with the Winters family. Our last names weren't coincidence. We were related, though I wasn't exactly sure how. It didn't matter. We'd never met, and if I had anything to say about it, we never would.
The guest list lying on the coffee table would be a problem. I was usually visible at the parties I managed, but for this one, I'd stay as incognito as I could.
I'd made a promise, and I planned to keep it.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"I want you to help me find your father. And I want you to think carefully. Has anything happened lately that's unusual? Strange phone calls, things out of place in your condo? Anything."
Gears turning in my brain, I stared at Evers and asked in a whisper, "You think I'm involved?"
"No, but—"
"Evers, what's going on?"
"That's what we're trying to find out."