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Not wanting to think about him anymore, I swiped to another news page. Governor Fenner was being interviewed about his opposition to Whiz Kidz’s purchase of an old building owned by the state. Apparently, he wanted more money from the nonprofit organization. I rolled my eyes at the greedy politician with a head of spiky silver hair. Whiz Kidz was an exceptional organization that offered talented children a way to broaden their abilities. I didn’t understand why anyone would oppose that, especially if the old building wasn’t being used.

Enough of the news. I grabbed my purse and headed to the wine expo.

CHAPTERTWO

ARROW

“Keep me posted on the renovation,”I said to my warehouse manager in Texas. I glanced at my watch, ensuring I had enough time for a quick stop before the wine convention started.

“Will do,” Joshua said and reiterated the plan before ending the call.

A former employee had stolen a large order of my CheckMate wine, which hadn’t been for sale yet. I’d been prepping it for this wine convention this evening. James Chin had burned down part of my warehouse, which now needed extensive renovation. He’d also killed someone and hidden the body under the wooden floor of his office. The dead body wasn’t one of my employees, and the authorities were still working on identifying the man. The rebuilding and wine replacement had cost me time and money. I’d been trying to locate the asshole for months.

He can’t hide forever.

Pushing the frustration aside, I stopped by Pam’s condo to drop off her late birthday present. I had promised to visit her two weeks ago, but my business trips and her vacation plans with her boyfriend, Jarrett Packard, got in the way. Both were retired and living their best lives.

“Thank you. You didn’t have to.” She beamed and kissed me on the cheek. She still had curly red hair, but it was mixed in with layers of silver. More freckles dotted her face.

I loved and appreciated her as though she were my mother. If she hadn’t been around, my life would have been different. I sat beside her on the living room couch and watched as she peeked into the box full of gift cards.

“Goodness, Arrow. I don’t need all of this.”

“You and Jarrett can eat out every day for the next year.” I offered her a big hug.

“He’s at the gym right now. I wish I had the same motivation as he does. Need to get over this stupid cough before I can make myself go. I love fall, but I always get sick.”

“You want a trip to Florida?” I asked. “I can book a flight for you and Jarrett.”

She laughed and patted my cheek. “We just got back from Bermuda. I want to stay put for a while.”

“Okay. Just let me know if you want to go anywhere.”

She placed the gift box down and studied me. “Where are you going looking all dapper?” She brushed her hand down my black tux.

“A wine convention. There’s two bottles for you.” I gestured to the bag on the dining table. “Don’t get drunk now.”

She stared at the bag of wine and sighed. “You’ve made something ugly beautiful. Your mom would’ve been so proud.”

Most people who had an abusive alcoholic father would steer clear of booze, but not me. I’d used my experience and created a successful business from it. I was no alcoholic, but I learned about alcohol and its effect on human psychology.

“I hope so,” I said, checking my phone. “I’ve got to run. Say hello to Jarrett for me.”

“I will.” She embraced me. “I’m proud of the man you’ve become.”

“You helped raise this man.” I smiled as she teared up.

AsI headed to my car, a couple walked by with a little girl who looked to be about six years old. The guy reeked of alcohol.

“I don’t want you visiting your fucking mom,” snarled the guy with the beard.

“She’s not well, Rick. Ihaveto see her,” she said.

Athwacksounded, and I knew what he’d done. The child screamed, and I whirled around to find the woman against the side of the car with a hand to her face.The little girl clung to her mom’s leg, crying.

“You do as I say, you hear me?” he seethed, jabbing a finger at the woman’s forehead.

“Don’t hit my mom!” cried the little girl.