Page 36 of Unveiled

“Good,” Knox said, pulling a chair closer and sinking down, propping his feet on the edge of the desk. Jaxon lifted one brow and replied, “Make yourself at home.”

Turning his attention back to the box in front of him, Jaxon continued to unload its meager contents: a few books and a picture from his time in the Army. He held the frame in his hands, not really seeing the picture inside. It still hadn’t fully sunk in that he had a daughter—a tiny little girl who looked just like him.

If things had been different, would he be holding a picture of her right now instead? Would he see her precious little face staring back at him from the corner of his desk instead of his brothers? Better yet, would Adalyn and he be in the frame as well, like a real family?

His family. The words settled in his heart, dissolving some of the anger that still resided there. Nearly two years ago, Adalyn and he had shared a wild night of intense passion and chemistry like he had never known. Now they shared more than desire—they had a child together.

The memory of their night together had kept him sane and driven him to distraction in equal measure while he was away. He’d been terrified those couple of times when she had attempted to reach out to him, thinking maybe she had moved on and found someone else. But the fact that she hadn’t spoke volumes.

And the paperwork for the dissolution being filed incorrectly? It had to mean something. In his estimation, all of these things had happened for a reason—Adalyn and he were supposed to be together.

How did the expression go? Absence made the heart grow fonder? He had felt something for her the night they first met—it was the whole reason he married her. He had always been the staid, straitlaced one who never made one impulsive decision in his life. Yet, in that moment, he had known it was right.

Even just a few nights ago in the restaurant, lust had hit him like an uppercut to the chin. He still felt like it was right—but would he be able to convince her of that? Especially after yesterday. He had lost his temper again, and it may have cost him both of them.

Knox cleared his throat. “We’ve got a meeting in fifteen. Working a case in conjunction with Miami PD.”

Pushing the melancholy thoughts from his mind, Jaxon turned his attention back to his boss. “Go.”

He listened intently as Knox briefed him on the situation. Over the past few weeks, a rash of burglaries had occurred across the city. Reports had come from both wealthy residents and independently owned stores.

“Unfortunately,” Knox continued, “the only thing each victim has in common is that their security is lacking, if they even have it. A small jewelry store was broken into last week, but the perpetrator bypassed the security system so it never alerted the authorities.”

Jaxon’s brows lifted at that news. That was pretty difficult to manage in this day and age. “And there are no common denominators?”

“Nothing that the PD or Aiden have been able to find so far.”

He would’ve suspected that the person responsible knew the places that he had broken into. More than likely, he either knew the owner or spent a good deal of time there. “Ex-employee?”

“PD has cross-referenced employees from the stores and checked into relatives of the homeowners. No matches.”

“So what are they doing with everything?”

He assumed this was more than a one-man operation, judging from the amount of work it took to accomplish something of this magnitude. Fenced items were much harder to get rid of than anyone realized. With technology, there was always a footprint somewhere online or a camera to capture someone’s face.

“So here’s the thing.” Knox half-laughed. “One of the victims is Alan Richter. Insanely wealthy, huge pain in the ass.” That sounded about right. Jaxon gave a little nod of acknowledgment as Knox continued. “A painting was stolen from his residence last week. Ironically, he also owns the jewelry boutique that was broken into.”

“Sounds personal.”

Knox tipped his head. “That’s why Richter is out for blood. He’s certain he knows who took his painting.”

Jaxon lifted a brow. “And that would be?”

“Oliver Eldredge. He owns an antiquity shop downtown. Unfortunately”—Knox pulled a face—“Miami PD questioned him and his employees but came up empty.”

“What makes Richter so certain this Eldredge guy is involved?”

Knox rolled his eyes. “An old feud, apparently. But, according to Phelps over at the seventh precinct, Eldredge was forthcoming and more than willing to help. Even offered to show them his home and warehouse where he keeps overflow.”

Interesting. “They’ve checked all the local shops?”

Knox nodded. “PD spoke with all local pawn shops, art galleries, other antiquities dealers… though they’d be stupid to take any of that stuff.”

Jaxon snorted. “I would imagine. That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.”

“Exactly.” Knox tipped his chin. “Taylor’s been digging around online to see if there’s been any recent mention of the stolen goods.”

That must be like searching for a needle in a haystack. But if anyone could find it, it would probably be Aiden.