Chapter 33
Noah
T he scent of vanilla wafts through the kitchen of Elliot’s house. Excited squeals of his youngest daughter Lacy come from the back yard as she plays on the trampoline with Mae, while they wait for the cakes currently in the oven to finish baking.
“Kara, can you let your sister and Mae know the cakes are nearly ready? Mae will be pissed if I let them burn on her again,” Eliott calls to his daughter, snickering at Mae’s expense.
The remnants of the burnt mess are still piled up on the kitchen counter in front of me and Parker. I’ve been picking at it, but it mostly tastes like charcoal.
His oldest daughter, Kara, pops one of her headphones off her ear and mutters something in Elliot’s direction.
I smirk at Parker. Glad I don’t have a sassy teenager to deal with yet.
“She can’t even pretend to be happy on her birthday,” he grumbles so only we can hear as he stirs icing mixture around in a silver bowl, finishing off mixing the icing Mae abandoned.
“She’s sixteen. Don’t they hate everything, especially their parents?” I laugh at his expense. “Why isn’t she having a party with her girlfriends? What sixteen-year-old wants to hang out with her dad’s friends?”
“She didn’t want to celebrate at all. I’m starting to worry it’s more serious than her just being a normal teenager. Since her mother died, she’s become increasingly more introverted. All she does is play Xbox with those damn headphones on. The only time she’s off the couch is when she’s playing soccer, and even then, it’s scary as fuck how aggressive she is.”
Emerson comes around behind him and gives him a squeeze. “You’re doing an amazing job with her. She’s just working out who she is. It’s hard being a teenager. You remember, don’t you?”
I feel a text coming in, the familiar buzz of my phone vibrating against my palm.
MARGO: Are you coming into the office today?
I sigh heavily, not wanting to deal with her. She’s driving me insane. That’s the tenth message since I got to Elliot’s two hours ago, and I’m not sure yet what to do about it.
Elliot gives me a lopsided grin. “Who’s harassing you? Don’t tell me the hot chick you work with.”
I raise a brow, unimpressed by his comment. “If you think she’s hot, she’s all yours. She’s driving me crazy. I tell her I’m taking the morning off, and she’s been relentlessly texting me ever since. I don’t want to see her after what happened last night. Least not until I have some answers.”
NOAH: Working from home this weekend. If you need me, call.
I text her back, hoping it will put an end to the messages.
“Daddy, are the cupcakes ready?” asks Lacy, tearing into the kitchen, a bundle of energy in a pink-and-purple tutu. She couldn’t be any more opposite to her sister who’s in a black oversized T-shirt and baggy jeans. She stops long enough to give both me and Parker high fives as she passes us.
Mae follows along closely behind her, popping open the oven to check on her creations. “Elliot.” She says his name like he’s in trouble. “Not these ones as well.” She gasps as steam pours out of the oven.
Elliot goes to join her, assisting her in pulling the two trays out, placing them on the counter. “These ones are perfect,” he tells her, looking to both of us for support. We nod. They don’t look half as bad as the last ones. “Can I leave you and Lacy to ice them while I talk to the boys?”
“Sure. I don’t think I can screw this part up,” Mae says, sounding a little down.
Lacy takes her hand. “You won’t because I can help you. I’m excellent at icing cakes.”
Mae chuckles lightheartedly. “That’s lucky one of us is.” She bops her on the nose.
I follow Elliot and Parker into the living room, away from little ears. Elliot turns off the television his daughter left on and packs away the controller.
“What happened at the gala dinner?” Parker asks, his voice low and filled with worry.
I raise a brow; I have been dying to talk to him about this since last night. “What do you know about Mr. Giorgio from the car dealership?”
Elliot shrugs. “Bought a car there last year, but other than that, not a great deal.”
Parker’s knowing eyes meet mine. We’re neck deep in my father’s journals, but in some ways, it feels like we’re not getting any closer to getting the revenge I wanted. Every time I think we’re getting close, a new name pops up. There are so many people tangled in this mess. “Do I need to look into him?”
I lean in so the girls don’t hear. “Might be smart. He threatened me.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Elliot snaps. But he doesn’t know the half of what’s going on. He’s too busy with his girls and the restaurant at The Alexander. I’m trying not to burden him with my problems.
“I heard that, Daddy. Swear jar,” Lacy calls from the kitchen.
Elliot stands, shaking his head as he takes a bill from his wallet and places it in a glass jar that says Daddy’s bad words jar . It’s covered in little purple stars and hearts and is clearly in Lacy’s handwriting. It’s adorable.
Parker leans in closer to me, his expression more serious. It’s not just me he’s worried about, it’s his sister, and I get it after her house was broken into. We are both a little more on edge than normal. “What did he say to you?”
“He pledged a lot of money to my campaign.” I lower my voice. “But then pulled me aside and made it clear I should break it off with Paisley because we couldn’t be associated with the Whittakers, it’s bad for business. There was something about him. You know when you get that feeling about someone. I can’t find his name in any of my father’s journals, but I know he’s involved in what happened to him.”
Parker nods, agreeing. “He doesn’t want your campaign associated with us? Something to do with my father?”
“Could be?”
“I’ll see what I can find.”
Elliot rejoins us, sitting on his coffee table. “Can I do anything to help?”
“You have your hands full already.” I laugh, trying to lighten the mood. This is supposed to be a party and here I am darkening it with all my shit.
Elliot’s eyes narrow in on me, and I know he’s not hearing what I said. He and Parker spent years in the Army together, and I’m sure he misses it. Now his duties consist of tea parties and soccer games. “What about this shady guy who keeps popping up everywhere?” he asks.
“His face is lodged in my memory, scraggly gray almost white hair, poking out under the brim of his green beanie. Black raincoat and rubber boots like he’s waiting for the storm of the century. Or he’s a fisherman.”
“That could be it, have you searched the docks for him?”
“I have been. But he didn’t show up among the others down there. I’m sure he said his name was something Lockwood.”
“Just a thought, but if your dad was being used by these guys, could they have done the same to others? Have you looked into the past mayors of this town?”
I admire Parker, as if he’s a brilliant mind, and my eyes fill with fresh excitement. I jump on my phone, doing a Google search. I scan the long list of past mayors, searching for those blue-gray eyes. “Found him,” I announce to the guys, turning my phone screen so they can see. “This is the guy I keep running into, Justin Lockwood. He’s the one who had the key.”
“It says he was mayor of this town, and from the years he served, it looks like he took over from your dad,” Elliot says, looking over Parker’s shoulder to see if the girls can hear us.
“Maybe that’s why he knows so much about it,” Parker agrees.
“Must be. But why would he be risking everything to help me?”
“According to this article, he vanished the year after he stepped down from his duties. No one’s seen him since.”
I look at the three of them, a scattering of goosebumps rising over my arms. “Except me.”
“Think you’re seeing ghosts, man.” Elliot chuckles. But this isn’t funny. What the fuck happened to this guy that he just disappeared?
“He gave me the key to the safe we dug up,” I retort, my expression showing him I’m not impressed.
“Maybe he knew too much and decided to disappear so he didn’t end up with the same fate as your father.”
“And that means we won’t be able to find him either.” I sigh, knowing this is a lost lead unless he tracks me down again.
Emerson joins us. “Sorry to interrupt whatever this little Tupperware party is, but Brody, Gisele, and Paisley are here now, and the cakes are ready.” She smiles sweetly. “Lacy’s not going to wait much longer.”
When I make my way out to the backyard, I find Paisley huddled up with Mae and Gisele, the three of them deep in conversation. Her eyes flutter at me, and she smiles warmly. It’s only been a few hours since she left my bed, but it’s too long. I don’t know how, but I have to protect her from all of this. All of them. The people here are all so important to me. My found family. I couldn’t stand them having to go through the loss I did when my father was arrested, the way it tore my family apart. My mother died thinking he didn’t care about us. That thought kills me. Part of me wants to walk away, save her from ever having to suffer the same fate. But I know we’re so close to finally having all the answers and being able to make a real change. Having the people involved locked up for their crimes and the others disarmed. I have to see this through for them, not run away like this mystery man did.