“You’re kidding, right? She looks just like her,” I say, feeling something sour settle in the bottom of my stomach.
“They’re family,” he says quietly, understanding the distress in my voice.
“Jesus.” I rub my chest, feeling a stabbing pain where my heart is.
“She never told you? I figured she would have said something to you about it,” he mumbles, sounding distracted.
“She never told me,” I confirm.
“Sorry, man.”
“Is she still on their radar?” I ask, knowing if they were paying that much for her, chances are they won’t give her up that easily.
“This is still an open case, so the guys are still out there, but if I had to guess, I would say no. These are not dumb men, and they know her story made the news. They are not going to want that kind of attention.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Still keep vigilant,” he warns.
“Will do, and let me know if you want me to go check on Alexa.”
“I will never send you to check on my wife, Mayson.”
“You know she loves me.”
“Don’t remind me,” he jokes then mutters, “We’ll talk soon.”
“Talk to you soon,” I agree, hanging up and sitting back in my chair, raising my arms above my head, locking my fingers together and putting them behind my neck, closing my eyes and trying to figure out what I’m feeling right now.
Hope isn’t Ellie’s daughter. I don’t even know if I should confront her about this, or if I should just wait until she comes to me with the information.
“Jesus.” Shaking my head, I pull off my hat, toss it on top of my desk, and run my hand through my hair.
She’s a virgin? What the fuck is that about? And is it even true? She’s gorgeous, and I have a hard time believing she’s never had a relationship. I don’t even think I’ve ever had sex with a virgin.
“Fuck,” I growl, feeling myself get hard. Apparently my dick likes the idea of her still having her virginity.
Getting up, I grab my hat and go across the hall to the kitchen, finding Sage and one of my new guys, Evan, talking quietly. Noticing the look on Evan’s face, I ask, “What’s up?”
“I just asked Evan to check into this new guy June is dating,” Sage says, and I look back at Evan, feeling my brows pull downward when I notice the look in his eyes from moments ago is gone, now replaced with a blank expression.
“Why are we looking into June’s new man?” I ask.
My cousin is going to college in Alabama, and I know she’s planning on moving home as soon as she graduates. I haven’t heard anything about her having a boyfriend, but that doesn’t surprise me. The females in my family have a tendency to play their cards close to the chest, and they sure as hell don’t tell us about the men they are dating.
“I overheard Willow and Harmony talking about him and didn’t like the vibe I got.” Sage shrugs.
“You’re looking into him based on a vibe you got from an overheard conversation?”
“I can’t explain it, and Evan’s mom still lives in the area, so I asked him to check in on it the next time he was up there to visit.”
“Are you good with that?” I ask Evan.
“Yeah, it’s no trouble. I should be up there this weekend, so I’ll ask around while I’m there,” he says casually, but I notice a tic in his jaw that wasn’t present before.
“You know the girls hate it when we interfere,” I say, slipping my hat back on and putting my cell in my back pocket.
“Yeah, but they always get over it.” Sage smiles.
“Well, this one’s on you.” I move to the door. I had enough drama when I was dealing with July and Wes when they got together.
“I’m stepping out for a couple hours, but I’ll have my cell on me,” I tell them over my shoulder, getting two chin lifts before I close the door behind me.
Getting in my truck, I back out, first thinking about going home, but I know I can’t do that yet. I need to take some time to cool off. I don’t know if I should tell Ellie I know about Hope, or if I need to let her come to me. Feeling conflicted, I drive, and before I even realize where I’m going, I pull up in front of my parents’ house.
Staring at the house I grew up in, I feel my gut get tight as I’m bombarded by happy memories. Without thinking, I shut down the truck, get out, and head up the front walk, tapping twice before opening the door.
“Mom?” I call into the house as I walk through the living room.
“In here, honey,” she calls back, sticking her head out the laundry room door that’s off the kitchen. “Give me a minute. Did you have breakfast?” she asks, and I hear the washer start up.
“Yeah, I had a protein shake,” I tell her, watching her face scrunch up as she walks into the kitchen.
“I have no idea how you drink those things; they taste like dirt,” she says, making me smile.
“You eat dirt often, Mom?” I joke, taking a seat at the island across from her.
“No, but I’m sure that’s what it tastes like.” She smiles, but then her eyes search my face and her smile disappears. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” I sigh, pulling my hat off my head and setting it on the bar, and then I scrub my hands down my face. “Hope isn’t Ellie’s daughter,” I blurt, needing to get it off my chest.