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Tears stung my eyes. I was totally pretending with Dad, but the gut-wrenching agony that welled up inside of me was as real as the oxygen we were sharing. “We moved into the penthouse today. When I came downstairs her purse was on the loading dock. She was gone. I called the cops and they’re looking for her but so far …” I self-consciously rubbed at my tear-filled eye.
Dad glanced at Logan. “Let me check around and see if I can learn anything helpful. I know some folks that might have some information. I’m not making any promises, though. Until then, keep your chin up. I’m sure she’s fine.” He patted me on the chest. Either my dad was as good at acting as I was, or he didn’t have River. The fastest way to find out was to buddy up to him again. Then, I wouldn’t only take the motherfucker down, but I’d burn his body and toss it in the ocean. Fuck with me, fine. Fuck with the people I love and you’re going down one way or the other.
“When are you leaving again?” I asked Tim.
“Tomorrow morning at ten-thirty, but that doesn’t mean I can’t reach out to see if anyone has seen her. Do you have a picture on your phone I can share?”
My gut twisted into knots. If Logan didn’t realize we were referring to River, he was about to. I removed my cell from my back pocket and scrolled through all of the images of River. “Yeah.” I sent one to him, then looked him dead in the eye. “If you ever touch her …” Shut up, Holden. I held my hand up to him. “I’ve already been extremely clear with you. I want to move past it. You’re my father. We can make things right between us.”
“I’m sorry, son. I was horribly out of line. It won’t happen again. I found the divorce papers and lost my shit.” Tim folded his arms over his chest and tilted his chin up at me. “You’re more important than a young piece of ass.”
A chuckle pulled my attention away from Tim. “You can have young pussy anytime you want, man.” Logan punched Tim in the shoulder. “You can’t have your son’s girl, though, you know that. No one wants sloppy seconds.”
Tim smirked. “Wait until you see her. Leftovers don’t mean shit. She’s gorgeous.”
My entire body stiffened with rage, and I stepped closer to him. “Enough,” I seethed. “She’s off limits to both of you.” I glared at Tim, then Logan.
“No worries, boy. I’m giving your dad shit. We go way back and coming onto your girlfriend isn’t cool. I’ll keep him in check.” Logan sucked on his teeth and arched a dark brow at me. “You have my word.”
His word didn’t mean crap to me, but at least the conversation was moving in a better direction.
Gravel crunched behind me, and I peeked over my shoulder. Zayne had moved to the right of the small group, his expression and body language unreadable.
“How about we meet for breakfast before you leave tomorrow?” I asked Tim. Maybe I could learn some more about his business—and River— if Logan wasn’t around.
“Sounds good, son.” He placed a hand on my arm. “How about the diner near the airport at eight?”
“I’ll be there.” I kicked at the rocks on the pavement, then braced myself. “Thanks for your help.” I threw my arms around him as though he were the best father in the world. Little did he know that I was about to hurl all over him.
“Love you, Holden. See you tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. Nice to meet you, Logan.” I gave them a wave before I left them standing in the parking lot.
Once Zayne and I were in the car and driving away, I sank into the seat. “That was fucked. I hate that son of a bitch. I thought I was going to blow chunks all over him.” I flipped the turn signal on and carefully circled the block. I killed the lights once we neared the building where Tim and Logan were still talking.
“You should be an actor. That performance came off real.” Zayne leaned forward in his seat. “Or an undercover cop.”
“I want to know where he’s staying. I’m not certain that he isn’t lying to me about leaving town. At the same time, I think everything that comes out of his mouth is a fucking lie.”
“He’s definitely hiding shit.”
I frowned at Zayne. “How do you know?”
“He made very little eye contact with you, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He’s certainly uncomfortable around you. I just don’t understand why. It could be that Logan is buying weapons from Tim right now.”
Tim hopped into his car as Logan walked back into the building. “Interesting. I wonder what’s inside?”
“Duck,” Zayne ordered before Tim stared straight at River’s Mercedes, then eased onto the road.
I counted to ten and peeked over the dashboard. Tim had reached a stop sign and took a right. I shifted the car into drive and followed him.
“You’re taking a huge risk,” Zayne said.
“I know. I’m not even sure if it will work, but if it gets me closer to River, then it’s worth it.”
“I understand.” The tone of his voice made me wonder if he’d lived through something similar.
Ten minutes later, Tim parked in front of a white Victorian house. I lagged behind so he wouldn’t spot us as he climbed out and retrieved a laptop bag. He strolled up the steps to the porch, and the door opened. A gorgeous, younger blonde smiled as a little girl ran to him, smiling as though he were the best thing in the world. Tim scooped the child into his arms and kissed the blonde’s cheek.
