Page 23

Serenity

I t seemed to take forever before Dix was done with Nate’s leg. I’d finally gotten used to hearing bits of metal hitting the pan on the stainless steel tray. He’d said Nate was lucky that it wasn’t worse, but it looked pretty bad to me.

Finally, Dix said he was done with Nate’s wounds. “Before you go, how long has it been since you had a tetanus shot?”

Nate shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Okay. Stay put. I’ll be right back.”

After he left, I ventured to Nate’s side to see the damage.

He lifted his head to look, but couldn’t see much. “How does it look?”

“Not too bad. There’re stitches in only a couple of places, and a bunch of bandages on the rest. Does it hurt much?”

“Not yet. I’m sure once the numbness wears off, it will.” Nate swiveled off the table, and got to his feet .

Dix returned with two syringes. “One is for tetanus, and the other’s an antibiotic. Hold still.” He stuck one in Nate’s arm, and the other in his backside. “Okay. You’re good to go. I’ll take the stitches out in a week. In the meantime, try not to tear them.”

“Thanks.”

After Dix left, I helped steady Nate while he got dressed. Once his boots and jacket were on, we stepped out of the clinic. The sun was coming up, and it promised to be another beautiful day.

I took Nate’s arm. “Dix didn’t seem to mind getting called in to work. He must make the big bucks.”

“Vanetti’s generous when it comes to things like that. He takes care of his own.”

“Yes. I’m finding that out.” I unlocked the car and we both got in. After buckling my seatbelt, I turned his way. “Do you have another pair of pants at my house?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. I’ll head home then.”

“Sounds good.” He shook his head and let out a sigh. “So… how many times has that bastard tried to kill me now?”

“Let’s see… five or six?”

“This has got to stop.”

“Yeah, for sure. We need a lucky break. I wish I’d helped more. I mean… yeah, I saw the vision of Johnny holding a gun on Razor, but I wish I’d seen it sooner, so we could have warned him and avoided the whole thing.”

“Hey. It kept me and Razor alive, so don’t be too hard on yourself. You know, for a brief moment, right before he threw the grenade, there was something familiar about Johnny. I can’t place it, but I must know him from somewhere.”

“That’s encouraging. Maybe it’ll come to you.”

“Yeah. Maybe.”

A few minutes later, I pulled into the garage, and we hurried into the house. Stone left to change out of his bloody pants and clean up. I decided to cook some breakfast. He’d left his phone on the counter, and it began to buzz. I glanced at it and found the name, Aubree, on the caller ID. Wasn’t that his ex-girlfriend?

A spike of jealousy hit me in the chest, and I contemplated answering it to tell her to get lost. It stopped ringing before I could decide, which was probably for the best. Still, she needed to leave him alone and move on.

I began whipping up eggs and milk for French toast, and had two pieces in the pan when Stone limped out. He’d washed all the grime off his face, but he hadn’t shaved, which gave him that totally hot, dangerous, and sexy vibe.

Would I ever get tired of looking at him? Swallowing, I dished the toast onto a plate, and put two more in before glancing his way. “You want to make the coffee?”

“Sure.”

While he got to work, I motioned to his phone. “You missed a call from Aubree.”

He raised a brow. “Oh. I should have called her back by now, but I keep forgetting.”

“What for?”

He shrugged. “I was on the phone with her in the apartment right before you saved my ass.”

My brows dipped. “Oh?”

“Yeah. She and I have been done for several months now, but she keeps calling me.”

“About what?”

He shrugged. “Um, that day it was about a pair of earrings that she thought she’d left in the living room. I was looking for them when you knocked me down. ”

“Earrings she’d left there several months ago? That you never noticed before?” I shook my head. “I’m not buying it.”

His eyes narrowed. “So… what? You think she’s in on it?”

“Did she hear what happened? The gunshots and everything?”

“Probably. I dropped the phone when it happened, so she would’ve been on the line. When I found it later, there were several missed calls from her. I was going to let her know I was okay, but I forgot.”

I grimaced. “It’s got to be her. She must be the link… she must have set you up. She got you in the living room at the right time so Johnny could take a shot at you. She knows where you go to the gym, she knows what kind of motorcycle you ride, your schedule. All of it. It makes perfect sense now. Didn’t you wonder how the shooter knew where you’d be standing?”

He huffed out a breath and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Shit.” He shook his head. “It makes sense, but I’m having a hard time believing it.” His mouth twisted as he met my gaze. “She… well, she said she was in love with me. If that’s true, then why would she want me dead?”

I raised an eyebrow. Really? “You should call her back.”

“And say what?”

“Tell her you’ve been busy and you’re sorry you didn’t get back to her sooner. Maybe you could tell her you found her earrings, and you’d be happy to drop them by her place. If she’s in on it, she’ll jump at the chance. Either way, I can touch her and find out.”

His lips turned down. “If you’re right, this changes everything.” After letting out a breath, he nodded. “Fine. I’ll call her and put it on speaker, so you can hear what she says.”

I nodded just as the phone clicked and she picked up. “Nate? Is that you? I’ve been so worried. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. Sorry I didn’t call you back. I forgot.”

She sucked in a breath. “Oh, sure. I get it, but last time we spoke, it sounded like something terrible was going on. You must have dropped your phone. So what was it? What happened?”

“Oh… that. It wasn’t a big deal. I accidentally knocked a painting off my wall, and the glass broke. I was looking for your earrings when it happened.”

“Really? That’s all it was? It sounded worse.”

“Yeah, but I found your earrings. Want me to drop them by your place later?”

She gasped. “You did?”

“Yup.”

“Okay… you can come over. Um… let me check my schedule for the best time, and I’ll call you back.”

“Sure. Talk to you then.” Stone disconnected and met my gaze. “Well, she definitely sounded a little nervous. You might be right.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “And if she’s in on it, that means she knows Johnny. But how?”

“Good question. I know that the darkness and anger I picked up in the building where he took the shot was from Johnny. So whatever he’s got going with Aubree, it’s benefiting him, not her. He’s got to be the one behind it.”

“And if you touch her, we can find out for sure. Then we can use her to get to him.”

“As long as she doesn’t tell him we’re coming. Maybe we should surprise her? Show up at her work or something? That way she can’t set a trap for you.”

Nate let out a breath. “That’s a good idea. But she’s a real estate agent, so her office hours aren’t set. I guess we could still stop by and see if we get lucky?”

I sent him a grin. “Well, that is your nickname, so it’s worth a try. ”

“I definitely got lucky with you.” He laced his fingers with mine. “But I’m a little worried.”

He began kissing each of my knuckles, sending a shiver down my spine and warmth through my heart. “About what?”

“The part where I’m lucky… the lucky one. It means I always get out alive, but no-one else does. It puts you in danger, and I don’t want to lose you.”

“But I’m different.” I pulled his hand toward my lips and kissed his knuckles. “I’m a psychic.”

My phone began to ring, and I sighed. “Guess I’d better get that.” I found my phone and quickly answered. “Hi Mom.”

“Hey. I just wanted to call and see how you’re doing.”

“Everything’s good.”

“Is Nate there?”

I glanced his way. “Yes, he is.” She didn’t say anything. “Uh… why?”

“Can I talk to him?”

“What? No. I mean, you can just talk to me.”

She huffed out a breath. “Just let me talk to him for a minute. I promise I won’t embarrass you.”

“Mom. You already are.”

“Please, Serenity. Let me talk to him.”

I huffed out a breath and glanced at Stone. “She wants to talk to you.”

His brows rose, but he held out his hand for the phone. “Hey, Kristin. What’s up?” He listened and began to nod. “Yes. I can put it in today… no, that’s not necessary. I’ve got it covered… no… I don’t need you to pay for it.” Another pause. “Yes, I’m sure… okay… yes… I’ll make sure she’s safe… right… okay, here she is…” He handed the phone back to me with a cocky grin on his face.

“Hey, Mom. Have a nice chat? ”

“Yes. Is he… uh… sticking around for a while?”

“As far as I know.”

“So… things are going okay?”

“Well, I haven’t scared him off yet, if that’s what you mean.”

She huffed. “I’m just worried about you. Someone nearly ran you over last night. Did you forget?”

Since that was right before the best thing that ever happened to me, I had actually forgotten all about it. “Of course not. Nate and I are working on that right now. You don’t need to worry.”

“That’s a relief. Well, call me if you figure it out. And keep that man close.”

“I’ll do my best.” She said that last part loud enough that I was sure Nate heard every word. We disconnected, and I closed my eyes. “Sorry about that.” I opened them to find him grinning at me. “What?”

“Nothing. It’s just nice that your mom cares, that’s all. Since she reminded me about installing a home security system, I guess I’d better get to work.”

“Sure, but what about Aubree and Johnny? And your leg? And figuring out who tried to kill me?”

He nodded. “It is a lot. As far as who’s after you, it wouldn’t hurt to talk to your ex in person and touch him, right?”

He had a point, but did I want to talk to Brandon? No way. “Okay. Maybe while we’re out delivering earrings to Aubree, we could stop by his office. It’ll be the day of exes.”

A corner of his mouth quirked. “Works for me, but I might have to borrow a pair of earrings from you.”

My lips twisted. “I can’t wait to see her face when she realizes they’re not hers.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Nate’s phone began to ring, and my heart quickened. Was it Aubree again? He glanced at me. “It’s Razor.” He answered and listened while Razor filled him in on the aftermath of the explosion.

“Did you find my gun in time? … good … yeah, I got a few stitches, but I’m fine otherwise.” Nate paused, then glanced my way. “No… she’s the one who saved your life. You should be thanking her.”

His lips flattened. “No. I’m not coming over there for a while. You can have one of your boys deliver it to me.” He paused to listen. “I don’t know, but we think your office might be bugged.”

He pulled the phone away from his ear while Razor said a few choice swear words. “Yeah, that’s too bad, but at least you have insurance, right? … sure. We’ll talk later.” He ended the call.

“I take it he’s not happy?”

“Nope.”

“You can’t blame him. How bad was the damage?”

Nate shrugged. “It only got that side of the garage, so it wasn’t a total loss. Razor’s checking his office for a bug, along with the rest of his place. I sure hope he finds one, otherwise it means someone’s playing us both.”

“Would Joint do that? Don’t forget that you humiliated him yesterday.”

“No. He’s a hot head, but he’s loyal to Razor.”

His phone rang again. “It’s her.” He swiped to answer. “Hi Aubree.” He paused to listen. “At noon?” He met my gaze and nodded. “Yeah. I know the place. Sure. See you then.”

He disconnected, and my lips turned down. “A lunch date?”

“Yeah. It’s a public place, so I’m not real worried it’s a trap. I can introduce you as my girlfriend. She’ll love that.”

“Yeah… no doubt. And then even more people will be trying to kill me.” I began to clean up the dishes and put things away. “Do you need something for the pain?”

“Yeah. I’m glad the stitches are low enough that I can still sit down, but they’re starting to hurt.”

“Now you know how I felt.” I smirked, handing him the pills. I put the dishes in the dishwasher. “I’m going to take a shower. Will you be okay?”

“Only if I can join you.”

My brows rose. “Sorry, but the Doc told you not to get the stitches wet for twenty-four hours, remember?”

“Damn.” He reached for me, pulling me into his arms. “I’d like to thank you properly for saving my ass back there.”

I closed my eyes, luxuriating in his embrace. Would I ever get enough of him? “You scared me, going after him like that.”

“But you held him off… even if you missed.” His lips twisted into that sexy half smile of his, turning my insides to mush. Still, I struggled to get away, but his hold only tightened around me.

His head dipped, bringing his lips to gently brush over mine. He nipped on my lower lip before kissing the sides of my mouth, then taking my lips in a searing kiss. My heart began to race, and everything but him faded away.

His phone began to ring. Swearing softly, he broke the kiss and glanced at it. “It’s Vanetti.”

I nodded and stepped away. While he answered, I headed toward my bedroom, knowing this was my best chance to get in a shower. Nate watched me go, his eyes hungry with desire. He blinked and turned away to talk, and I made my escape. As much as I wanted it, now was not the time for a repeat of last night. We had a job to do, and we were getting closer to figuring everything out .

Aubree had to be involved. It couldn’t be a coincidence. And talking to Brandon was a good move for me as well. Maybe we’d have this whole thing figured out by tonight?

My heart stuttered. What did that mean for us? Would Nate go back to his place, leaving me here alone? If he didn’t need me to protect him, would he forget all about me? Just the thought of being without him sent a crushing wave of pressure through my chest.

What had I done? Was one night with him all I’d get? I swallowed, knowing deep inside it would never be enough. But the last thing I wanted was to be like Aubree, clinging to something that wasn’t returned. He’d said he couldn’t lose me, and that gave me hope. As long as I had that, even if it didn’t last, I wouldn’t regret one minute of our time together.

After showering, I got ready for the day. With not a lot of sleep, I spent a few extra minutes making sure I looked and smelled good. I found Nate in my office, working on my computer. I leaned against the door jamb and drank in the sight of him. Even in my office, he looked like he belonged.

He glanced up and his eyes darkened. “Hey, beautiful. Hope you don’t mind that I’m using your computer.”

“Not at all. What are you looking for?”

He shook his head. “I thought I’d check out Aubree’s social media posts and see if she mentions anything that would connect her to Johnny.”

“Good idea. Any luck?”

“No. But I found a photo of her and me at a bar. I told her to keep me off her social feeds, so she must have posted it behind my back.” He shook his head. “No wonder I ended it with her.”

“Yeah… that makes sense. It’s almost time to meet her, but I’m still a little worried that she’s setting you up. Why do n’t we go to her office first? I’d rather take her by surprise.”

He nodded. “That’s a good idea. Before we go in, you can kiss me and see if you pick up anything that she’s planning.”

I smirked. “Kiss you? Yeah… that won’t work.”

“Why not?”

“If I’m kissing you, do you think I’ll be thinking about her?”

“I hope not.”

“Exactly.”

He frowned. “Okay. So you have to be thinking of her when you touch me. That’s how it works?”

“Yes. I’m learning as I go, but that’s the way it works when I’m with you.”

“Makes sense. Okay. Let’s get going.” Nate rose to his feet, trying not to grimace.

“How’s the leg?”

“I’ve had worse. I’ll be fine.”

He grabbed his jacket and we left the house. I drove while he gave me directions to Aubree’s office. Soon, we pulled into the parking lot outside her building, and I held my hand out for his.

Taking it, I concentrated on Aubree, but got absolutely nothing. I let out a breath and turned my focus to Johnny, coming up empty as well. “Maybe she’s not in there.”

“That’s a possibility. Let’s check it out.”

We strode inside, and the receptionist told us she wasn’t there, just like I’d thought. “Sorry. She’s with a client and won’t be back until this afternoon.”

“Can I leave a note on her desk?” If I could get into her office, I could touch something that might give me a vision. “It’s that one, right?” I started toward the door with Aubree’s name on it before she could tell me not to .

“Wait. You can’t—”

“Cindy, right? I’m Nate Stone. Didn’t Aubree introduce us a while ago?”

With the full weight of his handsome face focused on her, she forgot all about me. “Oh… no, we never met, but she told me all about you. You’re the one… I mean… yeah… she talked about you a lot. Didn’t you guys break up?”

“Yeah, but we’re still friends. I was hoping to catch her before lunch—”

I slipped into the office and let the door click shut behind me. While Nate did his thing, I stepped to her desk and looked for something personal that might speak to me.

It didn’t look like she spent a lot of time in her small office, because there were no pictures on her desk, or other personal items. Even the walls held only the usual office prints. The only thing that looked promising was the pencil holder. If she’d touched any of them recently, I might get something.

Picking one up, I waited for a vision, but nothing came. I carefully slid open the top drawer of her desk and found a picture frame turned upside down. I picked it up and turned it over, finding the glass shattered, and a photo of her and Nate. It was the same one she’d posted on her media page.

A vision hit me, and I saw her standing in a dark parking lot with a shadowy figure. After glancing around, she handed him a wad of cash. I caught a glimpse of his hands and gasped. The tattoos on his fingers were the same as those I’d seen before. It had to be Johnny, but why would she give him money?

The vision ended, leaving me slightly disoriented. After shaking my head, I slipped the frame back into her desk and hurried back to the door. Pulling it open, I quietly slipped out, hoping the receptionist wouldn’t notice how long I’d been in there. Nate had her full attention, so she barely noticed when I joined them.

He finished his story and glanced my way. I gave him a slight nod, and he smiled at the receptionist. “Guess we’ll be going. But it was nice to meet you.”

“You too. I’ll tell Aubree you stopped by.”

“Thanks.”

We strode out of the building, straight to my car. After sitting down, Nate turned to me. “You were in there a while. Good thing I’m so charming. Did you get anything?”

“Yes. She had a framed photo of you and her in her top drawer. The glass had a big crack in it, and it was upside down, like she’d broken it on purpose. I picked it up and saw her giving money to a man with tattooed fingers.”

“Johnny.”

“Yeah. I couldn’t see his features, but it has to be him. But why would she pay him to set you up the other day?”

“Shit. I can’t believe she’d do that.”

“Yeah. She must have a reason, and it’s gotta be more than the fact that you broke up with her, right? At least we can assume she has a way to contact him, so that’s good.”

Nate nodded. “We just need to talk to her. Then we’ll know what’s going on.” He checked his watch. “We’re a little early to head to the restaurant, but that might be best since I can take a look around and make sure it’s not a trap.”

“Okay. Let’s go.” I’d been to that restaurant before, so I knew how to get there. It wasn’t far, and we soon pulled into the parking lot. “Do you see her car anywhere?”

Nate shook his head. “No, but she could be driving something else by now.”

I held out my hand for his.

“Don’t you want to try a kiss first? Just as an experiment? ”

I huffed, but then leaned toward him and captured his lips in mine. He reached for me, cupping my face with his hands. I grasped his shoulder, then moved my fingers up to run them through his dark, wavy hair. So soft. His masculine scent filled my senses, and all I wanted to do was put his seat back and climb onto his lap.

A blaring honk startled us, and we jerked apart. A car had stopped right in front of us, and Aubree stared daggers at us from the driver’s seat. Her contorted face held anger and hatred. Her lips parted, and a low scream sounded through the glass. Whoa. If looks could kill, we’d be dead.

“Shit.” Nate hurried to open the door. As he stepped out, the car sped off. Coming back, he slipped inside and closed the door. “Well, damn. That was bad timing.”

“Should I follow her?”

“Yes.” He twisted to catch a glimpse of her car leaving the parking lot.

I pulled out of our parking space and drove through the parking lot to the street. “Do you see her car anywhere?”

“No. She probably turned right, so go that way.”

“Okay.” I had to wait for several cars before I could pull out. I kept driving, but with all the traffic, it was a lost cause. “I don’t think we’ll find her now. Should we go back to her office?”

He sighed. “I don’t think she’ll talk to me now.” He glanced my way. “We’ll have to corner her somehow.”

“Yeah. That was kind of scary. She looked mad enough to kill you without Johnny’s help. You’re lucky she didn’t try to run you over.”

“I had no idea she was so… unhinged.”

“Well… they say a woman scorned and all that… but there’s got to be more to it, right?”

He shrugged, unconvinced. “I have no idea. We’ll have to track her down somehow.”

“Yeah. In the meantime, do you want to head to Brandon’s office? We could try the same thing there and see what happens.”

He chuckled. “With my luck, he’d see it and probably try to kill us both.”

I laughed. “He could try, but he’s no match for you.” I turned on the next street and made my way toward Brandon’s office on the south side of town.

“What does Brandon do, anyway?”

“He works for a plumbing company. He’s an accountant and does the payroll.”

“Does he usually go out for lunch?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. If he does, we’re early enough that we can catch him.”

A few minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot in front of his building. Part of me did not want to go inside, but, this time, Nate was with me, and that gave me the courage to get out of my car.

I still found it hard to believe that Brandon would try to kill me, but who else could it be? I stepped inside, with Nate right behind me.

The receptionist glanced up, and her eyes widened. “Serenity?”

“Hi, Katie.”

“It’s been a while. How are you?”

“I’m good. Is Brandon around?”

“Let me see.” She picked up her phone and glanced at Nate. If anything, her eyes got even bigger. She punched in Brandon’s extension and waited for him to pick up. “Hey, Brandon, you have some visitors. Can you come down?” She listened before replying. “Yeah… it’s Serenity… and… some guy.” She glanced my way and nodded. “Sure… I’ll tell her.”

She put the receiver down and gave me a fake smile. “He’s not available right now, but he’s happy to talk to you after work.”

“Oh. Okay. Thanks.” My phone buzzed with a notification. I took a quick glance and found it was from Brandon. Sorry babe, but I’m busy. Let’s meet up after work. I’ll come to the house. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this is the news I’m hoping for. TTYL .

I huffed out a breath and motioned to Nate. “Let’s go.” He followed me out the door and into the parking lot. “Guess he’s too busy to talk right now, but he sent me a text saying that he wants to come over to the house after work. Should I tell him to come?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

Nate nodded. “If I wasn’t going to be there, I would say no, but since I am, we can do things our way.”

“Okay.” I sent the text, and Brandon responded with a thumbs up. “Hey… there’s his car. Does it look like the same one that tried to run me down last night?”

“It’s a sedan, so it could be.”

“Maybe I should touch it.”

“Good idea.”

I wandered over to the car, not expecting anything to happen. Still, it was worth a try. Concentrating on Brandon, I touched the door handle and closed my eyes. Nothing happened at first. Then the darkness changed to a green lawn with trees and headstones. Brandon stood in front of a headstone, and I realized it was the same one I’d seen several months ago when he’d freaked out.

This time, I concentrated on the headstone, and my heart stopped. It read, “Serenity Jones, Beloved Wife.” Gasping, I jerked my hand away and stepped back. Nate’s arms circled me, keeping me from falling .

“What?”

“It was me. The headstone…” I met Nate’s gaze. “Remember the vision that freaked him out? It wasn’t his great-aunt; it was me.”

Nate glanced at Brandon’s building. “Come on. Let’s talk about this in the car.” He wrapped his arm around my waist and led me to my car.

After we were both inside, I could breathe again. “I guess that answers who tried to kill me last night.”

“Yeah… no kidding.”

I shook my head. “But why? It makes no sense.”

He let out a breath. “Well, since he’s coming to the house after work, we can make him tell us.”

“How do we do that?”

His lips twisted. “We take control. Just think about it… in the comfort of your own home, we can tie him up and torture him for a while until he spills his guts.”

I snorted. “Oh… now I get it. I like it.”

He waggled his brows. “I figured you would.”

I set my lips. “As long as I get to do the torturing. We could invite Aubree and make it a party.”

He chuckled. “Bloodthirsty little thing, aren’t you?”

“Yup. I just need some torture tools. Do you have any handy?”

“I’ve got it covered.”

My eyes widened. “Wow. You’re a handy man to have around.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes. Definitely.”

He raised a brow. “How handy, exactly?”

I twisted my lips. “Well… for one thing, you’re really handy at neck massages. For another… you’re pretty good at dodging grenades.” I nodded. “You’re definitely good with kids… and parents. You’re also handy with changing locks and in stalling security cameras.” I rubbed my chin. “Hmm… I know there’s something else, but I just can’t put my finger on it.”

He raised a brow. “Is that right? Maybe this will refresh your memory.” Cupping my cheek, he leaned in and brushed my lips with his. Just as I was beginning to enjoy it, he sat back in his seat.

I leaned toward him. “That’s it? I think I might need more before I know for sure.”

He sent me a grin, but his gaze shifted to the front door of Brandon’s building. “Well… look who’s suddenly free.”

Brandon strode to his car, not even noticing that I was parked a few cars away. He jumped inside and backed out. I started my car and backed out to follow him. “Where do you think he’s going?”

“Let’s find out.”

I kept a couple of cars between us, just like I’d learned in my PI course, and Brandon never had a clue. He pulled into the hardware store down the street and hurried inside.

“Should we go in?”

“No. I don’t want to risk getting spotted.”

“Sure. I just wish I knew what he was buying. Do you think it might have something to do with our meeting tonight?”

“That would be my guess.”

A few minutes later, he came out carrying two shopping bags. He opened his trunk and put them inside before getting into his car.

“I couldn’t see what was in the bags, could you?”

“No.”

I started the car as he pulled out of his parking space, and managed to keep my distance. Disappointment washed over me to see him pull right back into his office parking lot. “Damn. That didn’t tell us anything. ”

“Yes it did. He’s planning something. Once you touch him, you’ll know exactly what it is.”

I frowned. “Yeah. Most likely my death.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll be ready for anything.” A buzzing sound came from Nate’s phone and he picked it up. “It’s Keola.” He swiped to answer. “This is Stone.” He listened for a minute before nodding. “Sure. We can come right now. See you in a few.”

“What’s up?”

“Keola might know who Johnny is.”