Chapter 21

chapter

twenty-one

Gage knocked at the door.

No one answered.

He knocked again.

Still no answer.

He glanced at the old, beat-up sage-green Volvo in the driveway.

The vehicle looked like something Brittany might drive—but only in desperate circumstances. She seemed like more of a diva.

Still no answer at the door.

Gage let out a sigh. Why couldn’t anything be easy?

Finally, he leaned closer and said, “Brittany, I know you’re in there. Why don’t you make this easier for all of us and come out? I just want to talk. I thought you wanted my help.”

Silence passed.

Just when he was certain he’d have to bust down the door if he wanted to get inside, it opened .

But Brittany wasn’t standing there.

The woman was an older version of Brittany, one with wrinkles, brittle blonde hair, and ill-fitting clothes. The sound of Wheel of Fortune blared in the background, and the smell of collard greens filled the air.

The leafy vegetable had been one of his grandmother’s favorites, and Gage would recognize it anywhere.

The woman stared at him as she braced herself between the door and the doorway. “What do you want with my Brittany?”

Her voice sounded deep and throaty, like someone who’d smoked cigarettes for too many years.

“I’m Gage,” he started. “Brittany asked me to help her figure out what happened to her boyfriend, Rob. You may have heard he died.”

She nodded somberly. “I did. I was sorry to hear that.”

“Me too. I had some follow-up questions for Brittany, more information I need to know.”

The woman shook her head. “I’m Brittany’s mom. She lives here with me. But she’s not home right now. She’s out with her friends—just like always.”

Even right after her boyfriend was found dead? Gage swallowed the question. Partying after a loved one’s death seemed disrespectful. But Gage still had doubts that Rob and Brittany had ever truly dated.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what do Brittany and her friends do when they go out?” Gage asked instead.

Mrs. Stevens shrugged. “They party. I thought Brittany would outgrow it, but she never did. That’s just who she is. That’s what she always tells me, at least.”

Gage’s opinion of Brittany continued to shrink. “Do you know when she’ll be back?”

“There’s no telling. It could be any hour of the night. Or tomorrow even.”

“Doesn’t she have to go to work in the morning?” Gage wasn’t sure what Brittany did for a living, but she wasn’t college-aged anymore.

This woman was clearly aggravated with Brittany if she was telling Gage all this. But he wasn’t going to complain.

“She doesn’t work. Not really. I mean, on occasion she’ll get a modeling job or something. But otherwise, she lives here rent-free and borrows my car. I buy the food and pay the bills. Really, all she needs money for is clothes and having a good time.” The woman frowned. “I know what you’re thinking. And don’t judge me.”

“I’m not judging you.” Gage softened his voice. “I’m just trying to put some pieces together. Did you know Rob?”

Her expression softened ever so slightly. “Never met him. Only heard Brittany talk about him.”

“I’m trying to figure out how long they dated.”

The woman let out a raspy laugh. “Maybe two weeks.”

“That’s all?” Gage had the impression the two of them had been an item for a while. Brittany’s reaction at Rob’s apartment after he died had been over-the-top for such a short relationship .

But that didn’t surprise him. Mostly because Brittany, in general, seemed over-the-top.

“Rob told her he just didn’t see the two of them going anywhere,” Mrs. Stevens continued.

Gage straightened at the statement. “When did he say that?”

She shrugged. “A couple of days ago. Brittany came home crying and dug into some rocky road ice cream to comfort herself.”

So Brittany hadn’t told Gage the complete truth. Not that Gage was surprised. But why would she lie about her relationship with Rob? What did she stand to gain by not telling the truth?

“I heard that Darius was jealous.” Gage might as well ask more questions while the woman was talking.

Mrs. Stevens let out a coughing laugh. “I don’t know about that. Part of me thinks he was ready to get rid of her. In my opinion? Brittany is the one who wants him back and not vice versa.”

Gage stored that information away.

There was clearly more to the story.

Gage needed to figure out how Rob fit into it all.

Just as Nia thought, the caller with the unknown number had used a burner.

She wouldn’t get any information about who had bought it. At least not easily.

That left her back at square one .

She could still try to track down Hector, Rob’s attorney. She just might do that.

But as of right now, she didn’t have any more answers.

She’d noticed that one of Rob’s frequent phone calls and texts had been from Cormac. She still needed to locate him. She’d tried calling, but there had been no answer.

She had his address also. If she could get out of her office and find the courage to do so, she could try to track him down and question him. She could see if he was really out of town or not.

The problem was getting out of here.

She glanced out the window. Darkness had fallen outside. The days in February were short, and she missed the sunshine. At least in Miami it wasn’t cold.

A knock sounded at her door, and she called, “Come in!”

Melissa peeked her head inside, an apologetic look in her eyes. “Graham insists on talking to you. He won’t take no for an answer.”

Nia frowned but nodded. “Send him in.”

A moment later, Graham stepped inside. The man was in his late forties with thinning light-brown hair and a body and physique that showed he worked way too much overtime in the office. Yet the guy was skilled and did the tasks Nia didn’t want to do.

“I’m headed home for the night,” he announced. “Anything you need? ”

“No, nothing,” she told him. “I’ll be leaving in a few minutes.”

He studied her a moment. “Are you okay? You seem a little jumpy. And your clothes . . .” He gave her a look of disdain.

She forced a smile. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

His gaze lingered on her a moment longer before he closed the door.

Nia released her breath now that he was gone. Then she turned her thoughts back to how she would get out of here.

Though Nia was tempted to camp out here tonight, she knew she couldn’t stay at work forever.

But it didn’t seem safe to go back to her apartment. So where could she go?

She could rent a hotel room, but if someone was smart enough or resourceful enough, they could track her credit card, and she didn’t have enough cash on hand to pay that way.

Besides, time was of the essence right now. At any time, she expected to receive another text. A demand.

She needed to figure out those answers before the gunman found her again.

Or Gage found her.

All she needed to do was make it to her car, which she’d left in the garage located next to the office building.

If she could make it there, she would be out of sight and safe.

In theory .

But what if the gunman was in the garage waiting for her?

Still, courage wasn’t the absence of fear. Courage was moving forward even when feeling afraid.

Nia couldn’t remember who said the quote, but she knew deep in her bones that the words were true.

Because right now, she was terrified. But she grabbed what she needed from the office and placed one foot in front of the other as she stepped into the unknown.