Kitten places her dainty fingers on my arm. “Are you sure? I don’t want to leave you out. We can always go somewhere else.”
I shake my head. “I’ll be fine. We’re only talking an hour or so tops. I’ll find something close to eat and wait over at your parents’ house, okay?”
She frowns. “I feel like shit for leaving you out.”
I lean in and kiss her forehead. “I trust you.”
She smiles and promises not to be too long, as Brady opens the passenger door for her. The moment he shuts her inside the car and turns toward me, the smile drops off my face. Brady’s eyes widen as he takes in my curled lip. He races around the car—nearly tripping off the sidewalk in the process—to get the hell away from me.
I should feel bad for scaring the guy, but I want him to know not to fuck with something that’s mine.
He speeds off a little faster than I approve of, which is probably my fault. Both of my arms drop to my side as I head out to the parking lot. I know she doesn’t need me for everything, but I still like to be there for her. The rental car pulls out smoothly onto the busy street and I turn into a local fast-food Drive-Thru to order some food. My cell phone buzzes as I sit in line.
“Fuck,” I mutter to myself as I check the caller ID. So much for him leaving me the hell alone. I hope to God he isn’t calling for more money. Two million dollars should’ve lasted him longer than a couple weeks.
On the third ring I take a deep breath and answer. “What?”
“Hello, I’m trying to reach Thurston Oliver’s next of kin,” a strange man’s voice says on the other end of the line. “The contact on his phone says ‘son’, but doesn’t give a name. I’m hoping you’re the son of Mr. Oliver.”
I stiffen in my seat. “Yes, I’m his son.”
“For the record could you tell me your name?” This dude sounds very formal. No way he’s a bookie or something.
I clear my throat to keep it from closing completely shut. “Zach Oliver.”
There’s some paper rustling around on the other end. “Mr. Oliver, I’m Officer McCurry. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but at ten thirty-two this morning the hotel maid here at the Hard Rock found your father deceased in his hotel room. By all indication he’s been dead for a few days. When was the last time you spoke to your father?”
Even though I hated the bastard, my insides crumble. The only family I have in the world is gone. Any connection I had to my past is gone…just like my family. Gone.
A silent tear leaks down my cheek and I bat it away. “It’s been a few weeks since I’ve talked to him.”
“Do you think you can come identify his body? We’ll need to send him out for an autopsy to confirm the cause of death, but by the looks of his room it appears to have been an overdose,” the cop informs me.
Stupid asshole. Why would Dad start messing with drugs and shit? Didn’t he learn anything when he was dealing with me and my addiction back in high school?
I lean my head back against the seat. This is partly my fault for trying to pay him off. The least I could do is go out there and ID the body and bring him back to be buried beside Mom and Hailey. “I’ll get a flight out as soon as I can.”
“Great. Stop by the Las Vegas Police Department and ask for me when you get here.”
I nod, even though I know he can’t see me. “All right.”
The moment the phone call ends, a horn blares behind me. I pull around and get out of line, suddenly not hungry any more. I dial Aubrey’s cell but it goes to her voicemail.
Shit. I need to find her.
I find myself on her parents’ street. The Judge knows where she is. I’ll ask him how to get to the restaurant.
The front brakes squeal a little when I jerk the car to a stop in the driveway. I leap from the car and make it to the heavy, wooden door in record time. My fist stings as it beats against the door.
A few seconds later the housekeeper, Anna opens the door. “Mr. Oliver, is everything all right?”
It’s then I notice how hard I’m breathing and it’s taking everything in me not to come across as a total nut-job. “The Judge here?” Anna furrows her brow and nods. I can tell when she takes a step back she isn’t sure if she should let me in. I want to reassure her I’m not here to cause any trouble so I smile at her. “Thank you.”
Without even knowing why, I instantly head back to the office where The Judge threatened me last night and burst through the door.
The Judge glances up from the stack of papers on his desk and jerks his glasses off his face. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Tell me where Aubrey is,” I demand without further explanation.
He pushes himself up and stares me down with his gray eyes. “I’ll do no such thing. I thought we had an understanding last night, son. You’re going to let her move on. Why on earth would I tell you where she is so you can barge in there like a maniac and ruin things for her? I won’t allow you to scare Brady off.”
“Too late for that. I already made sure that uptight fucker knows Aubrey is my girl. No way he’ll have the balls to make a move on her now. So tell me where she is!” I feel my body shake as adrenaline courses through my entire body. If he’s smart, he won’t push me right now.
Her father studies my face. “You aren’t going to be as easy to get rid of as I thought, are you?”