“You heard her, Emerson,” Jaxson says and nods toward the empty chair for my mom to sit.
She obliges, and while there are two chairs, one still untouched, I can’t sit still.
“Harper Ricci is missing,” I say, the words sputtering out before I can control them. “I’m not sure if you know who that is—she’s one of my boyfriend’s housemates. Harper is married to Luca Ricci, the son of Dante Ricci. Mafia.”
Mom and Jaxson exchange a terse glance.
“What makes you certain he’s mafia?” Jaxson asks, his question careful not to reveal anything that he may or may not know.
“It slipped out. I wasn’t supposed to know, but that’s not the problem. The issue is that Harper has been abducted. She went missing from work?—”
“We know. She should be back by now,” Jaxson says, his hands clasped together, his gaze on me.
“What do you mean—you know?” I step forward, approaching his desk from the side.
He presses his lips together, quiet for only a fraction of a second. “It’s come to my attention that she disappeared from her job at the Bloody Rogue.” His expression is grim, and he’s careful with his wording, perhaps hiding something?
“Yes, and?—”
“And she was released, last seen at the Blue Sky Resort.”
“She’s not there now!” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Liam isn’t telling me much, but that he took a flight to Las Vegas. I can’t just sit around waiting. We need to find Harper.”
Jaxson and Mom exchange a quick glance between one another. “Do you know where in Vegas they’re going?”
“No,” I say. Liam wouldn’t tell me much. “I’m worried about Harper. Please, is there anything you can do?”
Jaxson runs a hand through his dark hair and tips his head back, glancing up briefly at the ceiling. A sigh spills past his lips as he straightens his shoulders, and his attention is back on me.
“You’re asking me to get involved with the mafia?” Jaxson asks.
I open my mouth and shut it.
Shit.
I glance from Jaxson to my mom, hoping she’ll plead my case if he won’t listen to me. “I’m asking you to help find a missing person. Harper didn’t just wander away. Something happened to her.”
Jaxson drums the desk with his fingers, tapping anxiously with vigor. He nods briefly. “Yeah, I’ll look into it.”
“Look into it?”
That’s not good enough.
“I need your help. If it’s payment, I’ll pay whatever is required, Jaxson. I’ll volunteer every summer for the rest of my life.”
His eyes crinkle. “It’s not exactly volunteering if a debt is owed—but I’ll see what I can find out. Why don’t you go back to your desk where you used to intern, and I’ll start making some phone calls.”
Thirteen
Jaxson
I swore I wouldn’t get involved with the Ricci family again.
It wasn’t bad enough I had to clean up the mess they made, well, at the very least, were involved in. I don’t believe Dante was caught up in trafficking women and children.
He does a lot of illegal shit around town, but he’s always kept under the radar. Besides, hurting children, women, that isn’t what he does. He’s more of a protection mafia from what I’ve seen and heard: pay up or else.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he runs weapons or drugs through town, and I’m sure he takes bets. I’ve kept my nose clean of whatever Dante involves himself with, to the point that I won’t even go snooping.
