Page 17 of The Sinner's Son

Royce dropped into the chair across from Jason. “You haven’t ruined anything, and I’d rather you tell me what brought you here so we can work through it together.”

“You’re going to think I’m stupid.”

Royce shook his head. “I can guarantee I won’t.”

“I might get someone I care about in trouble.” Jason’s shoulders slumped under the weight of his worry. “They’re a good person doing something they shouldn’t, but only to help the people they love.”

“You can trust me. What’s wrong, Jaybird?”

The nickname made Jason smile, but it didn’t linger. “I think something bad happened to Dane.”

Royce thought back to the handsome young man who’d shown up to support Cayden at the open house. Something poked at his brain until he remembered the awkward exchange between the brothers when Dane had tried to hand Cayden an envelope. They’d had words, not heated but still intense, and Cayden had eventually capitulated. What was in the envelope? Money? What illegal acts had Dane committed to give his brother the money? Drugs? Burglaries? Sex work? Hot cars?

Sawyer entered the room before Royce could press him further. “Jason, do you want anything to eat or drink?”

“No, thanks.”

Sawyer sat in the empty chair beside Royce. “What did I miss?”

“Remember the guy named Dane from the open house?” Royce asked.

Sawyer nodded. “Cayden’s older brother.”

“Did Royce tell you about their mom?” Jason asked.

“Yes,” Sawyer replied. “I’m sorry they’re going through such a tough time.”

“Their mom, Nina, is hanging on by the thinnest thread. She’s doing it for them. Their only income is the monthly pittanceshe’s getting from the state. Her employer fired her as soon as her illness made it impossible for her to work consistently. If she dies, there’s no one to take care of Cayden. Their dad split fifteen years ago and hasn’t paid a lick of child support since. Hell, they don’t even know if he’s alive. Dane and Cay don’t have any relatives to help them, and Nina’s afraid the state won’t allow Dane to be Cay’s guardian.” Jason buried his head in Bones’ neck for a few minutes before meeting their gaze again. “Especially if they know what he’s doing to keep food on the table. All Cay and Dane have is each other.”

“How can we help?” Sawyer asked.

“Jason had just told me he thinks something bad has happened to Dane. It sounds like he’s been doing something illegal to help make ends meet.” Royce turned back to Jason. “I need you to tell me everything if I’m going to help you out, okay?”

Jason held his gaze for several seconds before nodding. “Dane’s an escort. He hooks up with men for money.”

Royce felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. Sex work was extremely dangerous. “And you think Dane has run into trouble?”

“Yes,” Jason whispered.

“Why?” Sawyer asked.

“No one has heard from him since Wednesday night. I know that doesn’t seem like a long time, and he’s an adult who can do what he wants, but Dane doesn’t go dark for more than a few days at a time. Not with his mom so sick.”

“He handed an envelope to Cayden on Wednesday night at the open house,” Royce said. “I assume it had money in it.”

“Two thousand dollars,” Jason said.

Royce whistled in surprise. “That’s a lot of money.”

“Dane works with high-end clients. He said they paid better and were less risky.”

A mistake many people had learned the hard way. Privileged people wanted to keep their status, and getting caught with an escort could cost them penalties they weren’t willing to pay. Had someone viewed Dane as an expendable risk? The chilling thought sent a shiver down his spine.

“Could he have gone out of town with a client?” Royce asked.

Jason shook his head vigorously. “You don’t understand. Nina had a meeting to discuss her hospice options on Friday morning. Dane was supposed to be there, but he didn’t show. He didn’t text or call to explain why. His phone had gone straight to voicemail like it’s dead or turned off.” Jason swallowed hard and silently implored Royce with moody gray eyes so much like his own. “Nina tried to file a police report, but they’re not taking her seriously. They gave her some song and dance about adults being allowed to walk away from their lives if they want to. The guy told her that Dane might’ve run off because he can’t accept that she was dying.”

“Fuck, that was harsh,” Sawyer said. “I hope she got his name or badge number so we can report his shitty behavior to his superior officer.”