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“You do?”
“Oh, hell, yeah. She’s nuts.”
“Thanks for letting me in on that.”
“Seriously, how did you not know?”
“I did. Eventually. She’s gone now. Committed.”
“Fuck. Seriously?”
“I’m surprised you didn’t know. It happened a few weeks ago.”
“She and I haven’t been in touch. The three of us guys have been working on something by ourselves.”
“Yeah, Theo told me. What is it?”
“Still in the planning stages,” he said. “Keep your voice down. Evie doesn’t know anything about my dealings with the club.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
“So where’s Wendy?”
“Piney Oaks, in Grand Junction.”
“Right. Good. Can’t say I’m sad to have her out of our hair. She’s brilliant, but she’s a loose cannon.”
“You’re telling me.”
“Still, she was the brains behind getting us going. She figured out the business strategies and then took our profits and invested them in all kinds of shit. We made a mint, as you know.”
Yeah, I knew. I hadn’t minded pocketing the profits.
“That’s kind of what I’m here to talk about,” I said. “I’m out. As of now.”
“Steel, we need your cash.”
“Not anymore you don’t. I gave Theo some money a month ago, and that’s the last time. I’ll be taking over my dad’s business soon, and I’m getting married. You’re invited, by the way. You and Evie. It’s in two weeks, at the ranch.”
“Great. We’ll be there.”
“Tell Theo. I have no idea where he is.”
“I’ll do it.” He pulled something out of his pocket. “Ever smoked marijuana, Steel?”
My eyebrows shot off my forehead. “What the fuck? Put that away!”
“This is el primo weed.”
“Since when do you smoke dope, Simpson? Your wife is pregnant, for God’s sake.”
“Theo and I got a great deal on a huge stash.”
Fuck it all. No way. I grabbed Tom’s collar. “Tell me you did not use my money to buy drugs.”
“For God’s sake, pipe down. Of course we didn’t.”
“You’re in fucking law school, Tom. Pot is illegal.”
“Did I say we were going to sell it?”
“You said you got a huge stash. What the fuck am I supposed to think?”
“Maybe think that being a full-time law student and running the business with Theo and Larry is a lot on my plate. I need to relax every now and then. Enter, this joint. Besides, this is Boulder, man.”
“What about Evie?”
“Evie knows. She indulges herself. Not since she got pregnant, of course.”
“Evie?”
“Don’t act so shocked. It’s not a narcotic, Steel. It’s a little weed.”
“Yeah, well, no thanks.”
“Your loss.” He shoved the joint back in his pocket. “You’re really out, huh?”
“Yeah, and don’t tell me again that you need me. You’re all millionaires.”
“Shh!” he said again. “Evie.”
“Why the hell are you letting her work when she doesn’t need to? Especially now that she’s pregnant?”
“Because I don’t want to tell her about the biz. Not yet.”
“Why—” I stopped, closing my mouth.
Why wouldn’t he want his wife to know about his side business? That he was rich?
Only one reason.
They were getting into…
God, I couldn’t think about it.
“Be careful, man,” I said.
“Everything’s under control.”
“It’s drugs.”
“Do you think I’m lying to you, Steel? Come on.”
I said no more. If I did, our friendship would end. Not that I cared a lot about the friendship anymore, but something held me back.
Because, yes, he was lying to me.
My father had taught me long ago how to spot a liar.
A liar didn’t look you in the eye. He averted his gaze.
A liar blinked a lot.
A liar shifted his stance.
A liar smiled to hide the lie.
The only problem?
Tom Simpson did none of these things.
But he was lying. I felt it in my bones.
Tom was an enigma—different from both Theo and Larry in a way I could never quite pinpoint.
I pinpointed it now.
He was a master at hiding his emotions.
It would serve him well as a lawyer.
“Watch your back,” I said to him. “Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”
“Steel,” he said, his blue gaze icy, “you know me much better than that.”
I did.
I’d watched him, Theo, and Larry grow from awkward teens into men. I’d seen the subtle changes take place.
And I was never gladder to be walking away from the Future Lawmakers.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Daphne
Two Weeks Later…
I wore white.
Yeah, I was pregnant, and I wore white. But I’d always dreamed of being married in a white flowing dress. I gave up the flowing, since our little wedding wasn’t a truly formal affair, but I kept the white.
My mom and Mazie fluttered around me, helping me don the white sundress. It was a beautiful autumn day, and the Indian summer held out. I wouldn’t be cold today.
Morning sickness hadn’t eased at all, and today I had the added bonus of nervous butterflies.
I didn’t have any friends other than Patty and Ennis, so I’d asked Patty to act as my maid of honor. Sean was to be Brad’s best man.
Other than my parents and Patty, Ennis was the only other person in attendance for me.
