Page 44 of The Devoted Husband

“When are you going to find out what you’re having?” Deandre asked his son.

“The next checkup, I believe. I was hoping it would be the last one, but Doctor Smith said it was still a bit too early, and she didn’t want to risk not being able to see and getting us excited or telling us an incorrect gender.”

“That’s understandable. Well, I just want to know what my grandbaby will be,” Olivia said. “This baby is truly a gift. It won’t replace the twins, but it sure makes their loss easier to handle, knowing we’ll have this little one.”

“And you’re sure there’s no chance this is that other man’s child?” Deandre asked.

Dante was always open with his parents because he often asked them for advice. He’d shared with them how Sade had been involved with Atlas, and that was the reason Atlas entered and died in their home.

“She said it’s mine, and I believe her.”

“Will you get a DNA test just to be sure?”

“I trust her, so I don’t think there’s a need for one.”

Deandre sighed. “I love Sade, and I’m not saying she could be as heartless and conniving as her sister, but if you know she was involved with a man around the same time as you, I’d get that test to be sure.”

“Nah.” Dante shook his head. “He wasn’t around when we were doing our thing in Vanzette. I get where y’all are coming from, but I’m 100 percent sure the baby is mine.”

“And if that’s the case, what’s wrong with taking the test just to confirm it?” Olivia asked sweetly.

Dante’s phone vibrating in his pocket stopped him from responding. He pulled it out and sat up in his seat at the sight of two new messages from a blocked number. The pictures of Patrice and Trina’s dead bodies made his heart stop, along with the caption, You’re next.

Chuckling, Dante stood, absently telling his parents he had to go.

They asked if he was okay, and he wasn’t sure he even responded vocally.

Those crime-scene photos were just the evidence he needed to prove Jones was behind everything happening to him and Sade lately, and even though he told Sade he’d ignore it, that was no longer an option.

For a while, all Dante could do was stare at Captain Bennit. He’d taken the three-hour drive to get to Vanzette and was sure the captain would be of assistance. After he’d run down everything that had been happening, Bennit’s response was, “There’s nothing I can do.”

“Excuse me?” Dante sat up in his seat, tilting his head so that his ear was more aligned with Bennit’s mouth—because he refused to believe what he was hearing. “If Jones didn’t send me these crime-scene photos, who the hell else did?”

“Even if he did, I can promise you we won’t get a trace back to him on that blocked number.

He could argue that several other people with access to their files could have sent you that.

” Dante couldn’t deny that. “There’s no camera footage to show who slashed your tires.

The footage you have of the person who put the pictures up doesn’t match his description. ”

“He could have easily paid someone to do that for him.”

“I don’t deny that, but again, you have no proof. And I can make a safe bet that if you called the delivery company, Jones will not be the name of the person who placed that delivery.”

“Are you saying you don’t believe he’s behind this or that I can’t prove it?”

“I’m saying that you can’t prove it.” Bennit released a loaded sigh.

“Before the truth came out about what he did in Memphis, I would have said it was impossible for Jones to do any of this, but now, I’m not sure.

What I can say is that without proof, neither we nor the Memphis Police Department would be able to press harassment or vandalizing charges against him.

I’m sorry I can’t be of more help. If you get some proof, come back and see me, and I’ll get someone on this. ”

“So what? That’s it?”

Bennit shrugged. “I mean...yeah. Honestly, we have no way of proving that Jones has been logging into our software to get those photos or do anything else, for that matter. Even if he was following the two of you, we can’t prove that unless you see him and take pictures.

If he is doing something, he’s doing it without leaving proof, which is what you’ll need for us to help you. ”

Dante chuckled as he stood. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it myself.”

“I would advise against that,” Bennit said, “If anything were to happen to Jones, I wouldn’t be able to ignore this threat. You’d be the prime suspect.”

“Ask me if I give a fuck,” Dante tossed over his shoulder, opening the door to leave.