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“Yes.” I blew out a breath and tugged at my top. Err, her top. “Umm, borrowed this. Hope that’s okay.”
“It’s fine. You need a better bra. We so have to go shopping.”
“Next weekend,” I promised, secretly hoping I’d get hit by a meteorite first.
But shopping reminded me of that morning’s online search, and the bucket of what-the-fuck it had yielded. “Hey, have you talked to Patty recently?”
“You mean Aunt Patty?”
I nodded.
She regarded me strangely. “What’s up with not calling her Aunt Patty anymore?”
I shrugged. “No big deal. Have you talked to her?”
“Not for a week or two. She kept blowing up my phone so I finally called her to get her off my back. She wants to come for a visit.”
Great. Just what I didn’t need. “Or you could go visit her instead,” I suggested. “You know, if you wanted to get away from the city for a few days.”
“Why would I want to do that? Besides, she already shut me down on that when I suggested it a while ago. Said they’re getting new carpets or some shit and it’s not the best time. She’d rather come here.”
I just bet she would, I thought darkly, gripping the sex toy at my side.
Harder to hide your lavish lifestyle if you get unexpected guests. Much better to travel to them.
Not that I fully believed what I’d read this morning. How could I? It didn’t seem possible that she could’ve filed a civil suit in my name without me being aware of it, never mind stashing away a few mil without Carly and I being any the wiser. But the article had been from a reputable paper, and when I’d wrapped my mind around it, I’d do more research. Maybe even go see a lawyer.
First I needed to discuss what I’d found with Tray. It didn’t make up for not telling him about my mystery caller—who had made my day by calling right on schedule this morning, making me wonder if a link with Lorenzo even existed, or if I just happened to be lucky enough to have two people all up in my business at one time—but I figured one revelation at a time was plenty. And the millions seemed a bit more weighty than someone who hadn’t done anything more than call and hang up and text me cryptic shit.
And maybe slash open the heavy bag in our office at The Cage.
There was no guarantee those things were connected. Nor did I have any certainty they had anything to do with Lorenzo’s weirdness last night. My past was open knowledge. The connection between Amelia and Mia wasn’t, but it probably wouldn’t be that hard to follow the breadcrumb trail back to my hometown in Georgia if someone was really motivated.
I just couldn’t figure out why they would be. Who the hell cared that much about me or what I’d lived through? Most days even I wanted to forget it.
“Did Aunt Patty spend a lot of money while you were living with her?” I asked suddenly, well aware from the puzzled look my sister shot me just how out of left field that question seemed to be. But it wasn’t. Not at all.
“A lot like what? She bought a ton of bingo shit. And she liked to have her bridge club peeps over for fancy luncheons, but otherwise no. She sat in her room and prayed and talked about how she’d been blessed for doing the Lord’s work.”
“Oh did she now,” I muttered. The Lord’s work or a thief’s.
I didn’t even want that money. I was pretty sure I didn’t. It came from a horrible time in my life, and I had simple needs. But if it could pave the way for my sister…
“You’re brandishing that like a weapon,” Carly said with a giggle, inclining her chin at the toy in my hand. “Maybe we should’ve left the instruction booklet in the box, but we assumed Fox could figure it out even if you couldn’t.”
“Who can’t figure out a sex toy?” I lifted my nose in the air at Carly’s laughter. “I’m really not sure Kiz is the best influence for you, by the way. Why haven’t you been hanging out with Jenna?” Slater’s little sister was exactly the kind of person I hoped Carly would get tight with, not my crazy ex-trainer and sort of BFF. “She’s a good, stable girl.”
At the word stable, I nearly shuddered. I didn’t have much room to judge there.
“Don’t wig. I’m seeing her tonight. You know, last celebration before culinary school starts next week.” Carly wrinkled her nose in obvious distaste, though I knew she wasn’t serious. She’d been chattering excitedly about school for weeks. She didn’t even seem that worried about the debt she’d be incurring anymore, which was a relief. I didn’t want her shouldering those burdens at her age, especially not when it came to something as important as preparing for her future career.
“Don’t drink too much,” I warned. Telling her not to drink was basically useless, though I tried on a daily basis. But short of hiding her fake I.D. and locking her in the cellar I didn’t have, I had to hope she’d be sensible. “And don’t get in a car with—”
“Someone who’s been drinking, blah, blah, blah. I got it.” She got up and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Just worry about your orgasms tonight, okay?”
“Did someone say orgasms?” Tray asked, strolling into the apartment as if he…well, lived there. Because he did.
“Doesn’
