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“You checking up on me again?”
“It’s apparent someone needs to. Why didn’t you call me to take care of Zoe while you were gone?”
I threw him a look. “You were busy. I made a quick trip to Baton Rouge and back. Nothing more.”
“Christ. Why don’t you just claim this woman and be done with it?”
“Because it’s not the right time.”
“I don’t know about that. Have you seen the news?” Maddox finally asked.
“I try to avoid it lately. Cut to the chase.”
“Grayson’s disappearance was leaked to the press. Or I should say a rather tenacious reporter was determined to grab his fifteen minutes of fame. My sources tell me the DEA isn’t happy.”
“They were attempting to squelch his disappearance.”
“Just like you predicted.” He finally strode further into the room.
I glanced at him, noticing the look of amusement on his face. “What else? I called a meeting with Pops and the family unit given Louie was threatened.”
“Shit. By whom?”
“Want to take a guess?”
“Ramsey or Cartier?”
Grinning, I grabbed my weapon. “They’re buddies. Remember? I’m venturing a guess they believe I had something to do with Grayson’s disappearance.”
“It’s funny how rumors get started,” Maddox said, chuckling under his breath. “And it would appear your bride was privy to the newscast last night and remembered the name she overheard.”
The hair instantly stood up on the back of my neck. “Meaning what?”
He pulled out his phone, sliding his finger across the screen as he walked closer. “There’s something you need to hear. The girl has all but ignored what happened a few weeks ago until now. As you’ve often reminded me, there are no such things as coincidences in our savage world.”
When he held out his phone, I glanced into his eyes before tugging it from his hand. He’d installed the recording device inside her dorm, the voice-activated system capturing mostly useless information, with a couple of exceptions. She’d mentioned me to her roommate but had passed it off fairly well. Then she’d returned to her studies, my name mentioned one additional time while she’d been alone.
I hit play, shifting to stare out the window at my back yard.
“Hey, Dad. It’s your favorite daughter. I was just wondering… So, I saw a news broadcast on some guy who worked with the DEA. Grayson something? Wasn’t he one of Carter’s friends? Not a big deal. I just wanted to offer my condolences. Talk to you later.”
Very slowly I lowered his phone, her lilting voice echoing in my ear. She was fishing, trying not to draw too much attention to her out of the blue and very strange question. I had to give the girl credit. She could turn into an excellent liar, something I’d need to be cautious of.
Maddox walked to the edge of my desk, peering at me with a raised eyebrow. “I thought you’d want to hear that.”
“Yeah, I did. First a threat to Louie. Now, the gloves will be removed. Thomas is no fool.” I slid his phone across the desk, taking a deep breath as I rolled my fingers back and forth across my jaw.
“Does this change anything?”
“Not necessarily, but it does solidify the decision I made over coffee this morning.”
“Should I have the housekeeper prepare for a guest this weekend?”
I chuckled seeing his grin more than from his words. “Zoe is staying with a friend for a couple days. It’s the perfect time to introduce my soon to be fiancée to what will be her new life.”
“You’re certain Raven won’t run to Daddy dearest now that she suspects Grayson is dead?”
“No. Make certain Landry keeps an eye on her until I’m able to claim my prize. What I can’t do is trust her any longer. In fact, I think I’ll make a trip to Baton Rouge this afternoon. There’s no time like the present.”
