Beneath These Lies (32 page)

Yve had taken the paintings and left me with too many swirling questions and no answers. Brisk business made the next several hours slide by quickly, and I took comfort in Trinity being back to her normal chatty self, less mentions of Derrick. I still wasn’t sure what had happened there, but every time I went to ask, I bit my tongue. If he was out of her life for good, I wasn’t going to start bringing him up.

I volunteered to make the run for lunch, and left Trinity holding down the fort. But I wasn’t going out only to pick up some salads. I had another task to take care of. One that was long overdue.

Rhett Hennessy was also a good man, but he wasn’t the man for me. I’d lied to him about . . . well, everything, and it was time to tell him as much of the truth as I could.

I made my way to the precinct, but luck, if you could call it that, was with me. He was heading in at the same time, white paper bag in hand with delicious scents wafting from it. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who was starving.

He lifted his chin and smiled when he saw me. “What a coincidence.”

My smile was less enthusiastic than his. “You could say that. Do you have a minute?”

“If I’d known you were coming looking for me, I’d have offered to take you to lunch.”

“I don’t need that much of your time. Just a few minutes will do.”

His smile faded and a harder, shrewder expression replaced it. “What do you need, Valentina? Another missing and reappearing employee? Some other mysterious crime the NOPD can assist with?”

I dropped my gaze to the ground and stared at the gum and other substances that the scrubbers hadn’t managed to remove this morning, gathering my courage. When I looked into his face again, one raised eyebrow dared me to spill. It was time.

“I’m sorry. I lied to you. I know that’s unforgiveable, but I had a good reason. And . . . I have to tell you, in all fairness, the other guy won before the game even started, and I just hadn’t caught up yet. I didn’t mean to lead you on. I really, truly didn’t. You’re a nice—”

Rhett held up a hand. “You can stop with the apologies. I might not lose the girl very often, but I’d already picked up on that clear as day. The lying? Yeah, that pissed me off, but I figured you weren’t the type to do it without a good reason. Wish you could’ve trusted me, but that isn’t always the case. Call it water under the bridge.”

He was making this easier than I’d expected. “I really am sorry.”

Rhett shrugged. “So am I. We could’ve been good together.”

This was the moment when I was supposed to add in the
letting him down gently
part. Where I said,
If it doesn’t work out, I’ll let you know
. But I couldn’t do that. I wasn’t even allowing for the possibility that things wouldn’t work out between Rix and me.

“I’m sorry,” I repeated.

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. But if things don’t go the way you plan, you know where to find me.”

Damn it, I hated that he’d put that out in the universe. I dropped my gaze back to the sidewalk.

Rhett reached out a hand and tipped my chin up. “You don’t have a clue, do you?”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You’re one hell of a prize, and don’t forget it. Make sure this guy appreciates you for what you are.” He leaned in and brushed a kiss across my cheek.

Shit.
Rix was undoubtedly going to hear about that. I stepped back and surreptitiously looked around for whoever might be babysitting me today. There were too many people on the streets to pinpoint who it could be.

Rhett was watching me carefully when I dragged my gaze back to him. “Something wrong?”

I shook my head. “No. Sorry. I’ll let you get back to your lunch.”

“Take care, Valentina.”

I hoped he found someone. Someone who didn’t lie to him and wasn’t wrapped up in another man. He was a good guy and deserved better than I’d been able to offer him. But there wasn’t much left to offer when your heart was already taken.

I turned and headed down the sidewalk, my phone buzzing in my hand before I made it three steps.

R
IX
: We’re gonna have words, duchess. Only lips on you are mine.

I raised my hand in the air and saluted my mystery babysitter with the middle finger. Such a tattletale.

N
ORMALLY
I
NEVER SHOWED UP
to a meet by myself, but since Johnny was MIA with the Escalade, I fired up my 1970 Chevelle SS that I’d picked up off Lord Robichaux over at Chains. It hadn’t been my first choice at the time, but now I was in love with the car. No one drove her but me, so Johnny checking out gave me the perfect excuse to get it out of the garage.

Still, it wasn’t normal for him to disappear like that.

“Can’t say I was surprised you wanted to meet today,” Hennessy said. “But it wasn’t necessary. I know where I stand. That shit is clear.”

“Ain’t here about that, and if I were you, I would pretend it never happened.” The fucker had known I would have eyes on Valentina when she went to meet with him.

Hennessy laughed, his smirk fixed firmly in place. “I bet.” His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out and read something before glancing up at me. “You’ve got a blacked-out Escalade, don’t you?”

I frowned. “Yeah, why?”

“Cops tried to pull one over but it hauled ass and disappeared. They catch up with it, you gonna need to bail someone out of jail?”

I pulled out my own phone and tried Johnny again. It went straight to voice mail.

Something was off, but I didn’t know what. I tried Evo next. He had eyes on Valentina today and would follow her until she was home. Hennessy watched me while I made the call.

“What up, boss?” Evo answered.

“She home safe yet?”

“Just pulling in.”

“See anything off tonight?”

“Nah, not a thing. Why?”

“No reason. You got plans tonight?”

“It’s my girl’s birthday. Taking her out to the club for table service. Fancy shit.”

Fuck
. Part of me wanted to tell him to cancel and babysit Valentina, but I was overreacting. As long as she was locked up tight in her house with that alarm set, nothing could touch her. The cops would be there in minutes if someone tried, and I’d be right behind them.

The feeling in my gut settled. I was just overreacting.

“Enjoy your night, man. Pick it up in the morning like normal.”

I hung up and texted Valentina.

R
IX
: Make sure you lock up and set the alarm. I’ll be by later. If you’re going out, let me know.

“What?” I asked when I looked up to see Hennessy shaking his head at me.

“I wanna give you shit for keeping eyes on her all the time, but I can’t. I respect that you’re keeping her safe. If I had to lose her to anyone, at least I know you’ll make sure nothing touches her.”

“Damn right. And that nothing includes you.”

Hennessy raised his hands. “I conceded. Hands off. Tell me that’s not why you dragged me down here. I got better shit to do than gossip like old ladies.”

I sobered. “No, it’s not.”

Hennessy’s easy smile disappeared. “You found the recordings from the wire?”

I nodded. “Got them from one of your guys.” I held up a USB drive.

“You listen to it?” Hennessy asked as he reached for it.

I jerked my hand back out of his reach.

“Some shit you need to know before you listen, because I’m not sending you into this blind. You’re not gonna fucking believe me, but I’m not making shit up here. It ain’t what you want to hear. It’s gonna tear up the world you know, and you’re gonna have choices to make.”

Hennessy narrowed his eyes. “Fucking give it to me, and stop with the warnings and tell me what you know.”

I took a long breath and released it. “Your brother wasn’t dirty.”

Relief flashed on his face. “I knew that.”

I prepped myself to deliver the blow that would rock his world. “But your pop is.”

Other than the blink of his eyes, Hennessy went completely still before lunging at me. “Watch your fuckin’ mouth.”

I held up the USB drive. “I’m not making shit up. I’m just the messenger.”

“No fucking way. I don’t believe you.” His jaw clenched and unclenched in time with his fists, and I wondered if he’d take a swing at me.

I offered the USB drive to him, and he snatched it out of my hand. “I wouldn’t want to give anyone that news. Ever. But it’s the truth.”

“No fucking way.” He stared at the drive as if it were going to grow fangs and strike his hand.

“I’m sorry, man.” And I was. I hadn’t known my pop so I couldn’t relate, but the way his face twisted with pain would sink deep into anyone’s gut.

“Won’t fucking believe it until I hear it. No goddamned way.” His words were ground out from between teeth clenched so tight, he’d be taking a trip to the dentist if he didn’t ease up.

“I got a laptop in my ride, if you want.” I didn’t know why I offered. He wasn’t gonna want shit from me for help.

Hennessy rubbed a hand over his face. “Fuck.
Fuck
. I’m not using my department computer to listen to this shit, because that’s what this is—
shit
.
Bullshit
.”

I said nothing. There was nothing I could say he’d want to hear right now. Or ever, probably. His life was getting fucked in a way he never saw coming.

I jerked my head toward the door where I parked outside. I had no idea where Hennessy parked, but he wasn’t a moron, so I doubted it was anywhere someone would connect him to being here. He followed me, the thump of a fist slamming into the metal door and the crash of the door into the brick of the building trailing us.

I popped the lock on the Chevelle and reached inside to pull a small laptop out of my backpack. I held out my hand for the USB drive, and Hennessy slapped it back into my palm.

I booted it up and slipped the drive in. Neither of us spoke as we waited for the recording to start.

I’d listened to it a dozen times, so I knew exactly how it went. Hennessy listened in silence, fists clenching, deep creases furrowing his forehead. I wished I hadn’t been watching when he recognized his pop’s voice.
Crushing
. That’s what it was.

Lifting both hands to his face, he slid them up and over to grasp the back of his head, breaths coming fast and uneven.
Man on the edge
.

“Again. Play it again,” he demanded.

So I did.

Six times.

After the last time, Hennessy spun and strode to the door, punching it with the force of the rage clawing its way out of him.

“Fuck.”

He was going to break his hand if he did it again—if he hadn’t already. When he bent at the waist and reached for his ankle, I tensed, instinctively going for the gun tucked into the back of my jeans.

The pistol flashed out of the ankle holster, but Hennessy never turned around. He unloaded it at the brick wall, chunks flying everywhere.

Ears ringing, and ducking to dodge the brick shrapnel, I watched as the man battled with the demons I’d just unleashed in his life.

When the gun was empty, he threw it at the wall and roared.

Reminding me of a wounded beast, he spun, veins popping from his skin, tendons strained as he continued to bellow at the sky.

“Fuck!”

He needed to pull his shit together before he came completely unglued. Or he needed to take it like a man and get wasted.

“Whiskey, bourbon, vodka, or tequila?” I asked.

“Bourbon,” he bit out.

“I’ll meet you at the Saint.”

For a moment, I thought he’d tell me to go fuck myself, but he didn’t.

“I’ll be there.”

I
FOLLOWED
R
IX’S INSTRUCTIONS, LOCKING
the house and setting my alarm before settling down with a glass of wine and a book to wait for him. One glass turned into two, and then three.

It was all the book’s fault, I swear. Angsty love-triangle nonsense. She just needed to pick one, but I couldn’t stop reading. I laughed at myself. I was just as bad as this heroine, but at least I’d made my decision. I hoped my happily-ever-after was coming next.

Headlights cut across my front windows and into the house. I followed them as a vehicle pulled up to the gate at my drive. I waited, and then the lights flashed. Moving to another window, I squinted. The Cadillac emblem shone on the big silver grill.