Chapter Thirteen
“Let me clean this up and then we can go sit down and you can tell me everything you’ve found out,” Elle said, pulling away.
“Leave it,” Hex said, snagging her arm and pulling her back against him. “I’ll take care of it later. I didn’t ask you to move in to cook and clean for me.”
“Can I at least put the dishes in the sink and run some water to make it easier later?”
He took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. “I guess, but you’re not doing it alone.” He released her, then slid off his stool and followed her around the island. In only a couple of minutes they had everything put away and the dishes sitting in a sink full of hot soapy water.
“Let’s grab something to drink and head into the other room. We’re still looking into Anderson, but we’ve found a few things you should know, even if I wasn’t going to tell you everything.”
Elle nodded then fixed herself a glass of ice water.
Hex refilled his coffee and followed Elle into the living room.
She stood looking from the sofa to the recliner and back again, as if she was having a hard time deciding where to sit.
Hex went to the couch, took a seat, and let her decide if she wanted to sit with him or put some distance between them.
He watched as she hesitated for a moment then sat beside him.
“All right. How bad is it?” she asked.
Hex was silent for a moment as he tried to decide where to start.
“Did you know he goes to Biloxi at least one weekend a month?”
Elle nodded.
“Yeah. He said he had to meet with his broker.”
Hex blinked. He knew that realtors worked with brokers. It was part of the process but a broker in another state? That sounded off, unless he was selling property in Mississippi too.
“Did he have a lot of listings in Mississippi?” Hex raised one brow.
“Not that I know of.” Elle tilted his head to one side as her eyes rolled up as if she was looking at the ceiling.
“I don’t know of a home he’s dealt with across the state line.
They’re almost always in Mobile, though different areas, a few in the outskirts, but I never heard of him selling in Mississippi.
I don’t think he's even licensed there.” She frowned.
“Wait. If he’s not licensed in Mississippi, why is his broker in Biloxi?
Is the broker licensed in both states? Something’s not right here.
” She turned to look at Hex. “Why didn’t I notice this before?
What’s he really doing in Biloxi at least once a month, sometimes more? ”
Hex shifted, twisting in his seat and pulling one knee up onto the cushion of the sofa as he faced her. He watched her for a moment, trying to gauge her state of mind and how she might handle what he knew he had to tell her.
“From what we’ve been able to find he goes, stays at the same hotel every trip.”
Elle nodded. “Yeah, he likes the Hard Rock. Says it’s on the water and has beautiful views.”
Hex nodded, not that it mattered, but he didn’t want to discourage her from sharing anything on her mind with him. “And he’s never invited you to go with him? Even to spend is off time with him while he’s there?”
Elle shook her head. “No. It was a work trip, and I didn’t want to get in the way. Which seems odd now that I think about it because the trips were always on the weekend.”
“Cypher’s been able to find where he visits several bars while he’s there. Not the same ones each trip, so we think he’s picking up different people each trip.”
“Picking up? You mean he’s taking people back to his room? He’s having sex with random women while we’ve been engaged, and he’s been telling me he wants to wait until after the wedding?”
“Kind of. The bars he’s been frequenting, at least the ones where he’s using his credit card, aren’t the kind where he’d go to pick up women.”
Elle frowned for a moment then her eyes went wide.
“He’s picking up men? And sleeping with them.”
“I don’t know about the sleep part, but that’s what it looks like. Have you had any indication, any clue he might be into men too?”
She blinked several times. “I—I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it some. It just never occurred to me. Why would he want to marry me if he prefers men?”
Hex shrugged, still watching her. “Who knows. Maybe he’s bi? That’s not what matters though.”
“What matters?” she looked at Hex with a frown.
“He’s been sneaking around doing this behind your back.
He’s been cheating.” He clenched his teeth for a moment then continued.
“The only thing that’s saving him from a beating right now is that he’d insisted you wait until after the wedding.
That means he wasn’t putting you at risk, or at least not yet.
Who knows what his plan was for after the wedding.
That’s something he and I may have a talk about. We’ll have to see.”
“It doesn’t matter. Not anymore. And he’s not the only one who cheated.” She looked down at her hands folded together in her lap. “I did the same thing when I came to you. That’s how we ended up here, remember?”
He watched as she moved one hand to cup her flat belly, as if reminding herself or maybe him, of her pregnancy. Hex resisted his need to pull her into his arms and tell her it would be okay.
It would be, but he had no idea how long it might take for it to get that way.
“I wish I could say that was all,” Hex said.
Elle closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she leaned back against the sofa and tilted her head back, so it looked like she was staring at the ceiling. If it were him, he’d likely be praying for patience, even though he wasn’t all that religious.
“All right. Tell me the rest,” she said after a moment.
He filled her in about the gambling and the bookie, even telling her the bookie’s name.
“I had no clue.” She stared at him with wide eyes as she slowly shook her head. “I’ve never heard of Harry or had any clue he was gambling. And you say he’s in debt? Michael never mentioned it. I wonder where the money he promised him was going to come from?”
“We haven’t figured that out yet. You’re not coming into money for marrying, are you?”
Elle shook her head. “Pfft. No. If there were money to be had, Mama would have used it to maintain her position in society.” She rolled her eyes. “You know I’ve never seen the point, but you know how Mama is. She’s always been worried about what everyone else thinks. What everyone will believe.”
Hex nodded. It was something the two of them had in common.
Neither cared about society or what strangers thought.
And both had gotten frustrated by their mothers and that viewpoint several times over the years.
He’d long ago faced facts that Mother would never approve of the way he chose to live his life.
Part of it was that she couldn’t understand his point of view.
She was from a different generation. Things had been different when she was a child.
He understood that and took it into account when dealing with both Mother and Elle’s mama.
“How do you think your mama will take the two of us together?”
Elle turned to stare at him for a moment, eyes wide. The look made Hex wonder if that had even crossed her mind yet.
“I think eventually, she’ll be thrilled.
But it’s going to take some time to get her there.
First, she’s going to be pissed over the wedding and how that all went down.
I’m sure she’s horrified about what people think.
I sent her a text after I reached the hotel yesterday that I’m okay.
I’m safe. But I also told her I’m not ready to talk and I’ll reach out in a couple of days.
I’m sure she’s trying to call, and texting, but I turned my phone off because I’m just not ready to deal with it all. ”
“I get it. You’re welcome to hide out as long as you want.
I’ve got the compound on a soft lockdown.
No one that’s not part of the club can get in without my permission.
And if you want, when you’re ready to go to see your mom, I’ll go with you.
I’ve got your back, sugar.” He reached over and took her hand, squeezing it gently before bringing it to his lips and placing a soft kiss on the back.
She gave him a soft smile and leaned against him, her shoulder and head resting against his chest.
“Thank you,” Elle said.
Hex wrapped his arms around her and just held her.
This was the most peaceful he’d felt in months, even with everything going on.
It was even better than the night before, because even though she’d slept in his arms, this time she knew where she was and she’d put herself there.
She was here with him, in his arms because this was where she wanted to be.
That alone made him feel ten feet tall and bulletproof.