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Instead of turning to Sawyer to try to get a read on what he thought about Reed’s statement, Nicole closed her eyes. Did it matter what she or Sawyer thought now? Though never discussing it aloud, they’d silently agreed during their lovemaking through quick glances and hurried winks to try to push Reed to open up to her. It hadn’t worked.
“Everything is going to be okay, baby.” Sawyer kissed her on the cheek. “You’ll see.”
Nicole wanted to look at both of them, really look at them to create a lasting image she could call up whenever she wanted. But she didn’t. Instead she kept her eyes shut. “Good night, guys,” she said in the steadiest tone she could muster.
“Good night, Chicago.”
“Good night, baby.”
How long she stayed between them with her eyes closed forcing her tears into submission she didn’t know. It felt like back-to-back eternities. When Reed and Sawyer’s breathing changed to a rhythm that let her know they’d fallen asleep, Nicole let the tears fall. She would never find love again, of that she was certain. Even though her heart seized a tiny bit at the thought of another being held by them, Nicole truly hoped they would find a future with someone special. They deserved to be happy.
Chapter Nineteen
Sawyer sat next to Nicole in the sheriff’s office holding her hand and sensing he and Reed were already losing her.
He looked over at Reed, who was staring out the window. What a fucked-up mess. Both Nicole and Reed had come so close last night to getting real with each other. How the hell was he going to get them to see that the three of them belonged together?
Shannon, the sheriff’s dispatcher, opened the door wearing a bright pale-green wig. Colorful hairpieces had always been her signature statement. “Dylan just drove up, Jason. That Alexei guy is with him.”
“Thanks,” the sheriff said from his seat behind his big desk. “Send them right in.”
Shannon nodded and went back to her desk in the other room.
Nicole seemed to be staring at the painting on the wall behind Jason, but Sawyer knew better. Her pupils weren’t tight enough to focus on the landscape depicted inside its frame. She was terrified about what they were going to learn about her former partner, Jaris. The guy was still in a cell awaiting the verdict.
Dylan and Alexei came in.
Nicole stood and Sawyer spotted her hands trembling by her sides. “Don’t leave us hanging. What did you two find out?”
“Jaris is legit,” Dylan said from behind his ever-present sunglasses. “His story checks out. Jaris is an undercover operative with the FBI.”
“Thank God.” Nicole breathed out and returned to her chair.
Sawyer put his arm around her shoulders. “You were right, baby.”
She nodded. “What about Henry? Did you find him?”
Dylan shook his head.
Alexei shrugged. “I do have news, too. Not good, I’m afraid. Niklaus Mitrofanov visit someone I believe the sheriff is familiar with. A Mr. Kip Lunceford.”
“Who is Lunceford?” Nicole asked.
“He’s a demented sonofabitch but he is also a brilliant bastard.” Jason sighed. “You’ve met Megan. Kip Lunceford is her ex. He’s also a serial killer who is locked up in a maximum-security prison. How the hell did Mitrofanov get access to Kip, Alexei?”
“Niklaus got favor from some major players in Chicago,” the former Russian mobster said. “Bad idea for him. Better to be a loaner of debts than a taker of them.”
The sheriff frowned. “Sounds like you care about this fucker’s success too much.”
Alexei shook his head. “No. I just know ropes of organization. They are very tricky things to be tying. Niklaus will have high interest to pay one day to The Outfit, mark my words.”
Reed’s eyebrows rose. “The Outfit?”
“The Chicago mob is known by that name,” Nicole informed. “What favor, Alexei?”
“The visit,” the big man continued. “It happened with blessing of some dirty politician. I don’t to be finding out name yet, but I will.”
“You think this Kip fellow might have Henry stashed somewhere?” Nicole asked.
