Page 95 of See You There

Luke’s chest swelled. Dahlia was remarkable.

“I haven’t located Scott yet, but I’m still working on it.” Brady’s words jarred him out of his thoughts. “Here’s the thing, though.I’m not showing any unemployment benefits or taxes filed for his Social Security number.”

A chill ran down Luke’s back. “He’s dead? Is that what you’re saying?” Luke’s jaw hardened. If Scott was dead, then who was collecting the money Victor wired? Was it even being wired?

“Did you see evidence the transfers were actually made into Scott’s internet account?”

Brady hummed. “If I say yes, then I’m admitting to a crime. Technically, someone would need a warrant for that kind of information.”

“I’m paying you. Let’s call it client confidentiality.”

Brady let out a bark of laughter. “I’m just messing with you. Yeah, money is going out of Victor’s account and into Scott’s, and then withdrawn again. That’s where it gets a little more complicated. The money is used to buy credit card-style gift cards on the internet, but without paying a skilled hacker, it’s too hard to trace where they are mailed to.”

A hacker. Someone like his new brother-in-law. Cara would kill him if he involved Wes in something illegal. Luke would hold on to that option in case he needed it. “So, Victor could take out the money himself. Like a shell game.”

“Absolutely.”

“What about a death certificate?”

“I haven’t found one yet, But like I said, I’m still looking. There are a lot of John Doe’s around the country. I think that might be the most likely scenario. Particularly because this guy had a gambling and alcohol problem. By the way, APD is none too happy with you. The best story you could come up with was James was coming to water the plants and found the bullet holes? They want to talk to you.”

Luke thought about the missed call from the number he didn’t recognize. “I’ll get in touch. What about this trainer, Hank? Have the police found any new leads on where he could be?”

“Not yet, but most people can lie low for a week. It’s after that they get antsy.”

Luke’s eyes drifted again to Dahlia. “We barely have a week. I won’t let her miss her premiere. Hire as many people as you need to track him down.”

There was a pause. “Luke, I’ve got to ask. She’s a client, and I get that maybe you’re trauma bonded or something, but I’ve never seen you worked up over a chick like this.”

“I’m not worked up,” Luke gritted out.

“I get it. I’ve seen pictures of her. She’s hot, with an ass that—”

“Be very careful about which words come out of your mouth next,” Luke growled.

Brady let out a full-throated laugh. “But you’re not worked up. Got it! Look, you’re an adult. She’s an adult. What’s the problem?”

Luke lifted his eyes to the pine trees swaying above him. “She’s a client. I can’t sleep with my clients. It’s kind of a rule the bar likes you to follow.”

“Uh-huh. Because you’ve always cared so much about rules. Is James rubbing off on you or something? It’s not like you to be so cautious. You’ve got your parachute—two weeks and you’re out.”

Luke glared at the phone. “If anything comes up, call me.” Luke punched the button to end the call.

Brady knew him too well, and he was right. Luke dated casually in order to avoid these entanglements. He’d never asked a woman about her family or what she wanted to do. What her disappointments were. That led to expectations.

But he’d done that and more with Dahlia. Something intrinsically linked them in a way he didn’t even know how to describe.

Fuck.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Lunch was weirdly tense,with Luke disappearing, as soon as he was done, out to the deck to make more phone calls. Dahlia folded up his blankets and pillows and stacked them on the recliner.

She was determined to tackle another number on her list.

#Item 2 Start a theater-based charity

The idea had popped out during her interview with theEntertainment Now!reporter. But while she was taking stock of her life, it occurred to Dahlia this was something she really wanted to do. She didn’t have the resources to start a charity now, but she could start sketching out ideas.