Chapter 7

"Thanks, Benji. I appreciate the ride."

"You got my number. If you need me to help with the rental or anything, you holler. Good luck with your family thing."

"Thanks." He knew he shouldn't keep Benji any longer. The man was dropping him off on the way in to work, and he still had to go to the daycare. He'd almost screwed up and asked Benji to drop him at the Wyndham, because they would be holding a room for him.

Instead, he'd remembered to ask to be left off near a cluster of cheaper hotels, and Benji had recommended the Adobe Inn. It was only forty-nine dollars a night Benji said, but it was clean and comfortable.

Thank God Benji had no idea about fashion, or he would know what Sterling's clothes cost, and that would all seem suspect.

Now he was sitting at a place called Durango Doughworks with a huge plate of breakfast, an endless cup of coffee, and his phone. He was in a corner, so no one could eavesdrop without him seeing, and it was time to make some calls.

He had about a thousand texts, nine hundred and ninety-nine of them from his personal assistant, Geoff.

Boss, where are you?>

Boss, I'm serious>

Boss, I talked to Jimmy and he said the plane is safe and it's snowing>

Boss, WHAT DO I TELL YOUR DAD?>

BOSS, I'M CALLING CARSON.>

I DID IT. I CALLED CARSON!>

The other five were from Carson.

Dude, that PA is a little psychopath>

Man, you fucking owe me. The screamer PA called me at five am>

Snow? Really? I have your phone pinged>

Going to duct tape Geoff to the water heater in your horse barn>

Oh, kinky.

OMW. ETA 945a Monday>

Well, fuck.

He started with Carson, who was far more dangerous to his plan than Geoff could ever be.

As soon as he dialed, Carson picked up. "Good to know you're alive."

"I know, right? My rental is in a ditch. I'm not."

"Good to know. Talked to Annie. You have been a busy little bee, haven't you?" Carson's chuckle was low and dark. "I drove your truck down. Order me sausage and eggs, double bacon. No carbs."

"I thought you were an hour out still."

"I made good time."

"Yeah, yeah. Psycho."

Carson snorted. "No, that's Geoff."

"You'll have to keep my truck at the Wyndham. I'll be staying at the Adobe Inn."

That actually made Carson pause.

"Are you…undercover? In hiding? Insane? Possibly you've hit your head and forgotten that you could buy the Adobe Inn with your pocket change? Silver, buddy—I worry about you."

"Shut up, Kit." He called Carson Kit after the famous frontiersman. Carson called him Silver for his name. It had been that way since high school. "I am undercover. I'm hiding in plain sight and checking out the man who adopted Sierra's baby."

"Okay…" Carson cleared his throat. "And you didn't start with me doing a background check because you had a stroke? Maybe a brain tumor. Could it be a tumor? It might be a tumor."

"It's not a tumor." He sighed, because while he would come up with some song and dance for his dad, Carson deserved the truth. The man was his best friend. "I like him. I feel like he's a good guy. So I want to give it some time to see how I want to go about this."

"Oh, shit. Just write him a check big enough to buy ten or twelve surrogates. Don't get involved with some small-town former vet weirdo that your sister did her voodoo on."

There was no way. Sierra's voodoo wasn't going to work on Benji. The man's bookshelves screamed, "Hey y'all, I'm a queer guy in a gimme cap with a child who can't read yet."

"I can't do that. I need to know what makes him tick first. I'm sure he has a weak point." And he felt like a sleaze for saying that. He really did.

"Everybody does." Carson blew out a hard breath, voice flat. "You'll find it, but I'm not leaving you here to float around, Silver. No way."

"Well, fine, but you have to promise to let me deal with this, or at least try to. No interfering."

"Mmm." Carson sighed. "Okay, but there's a time limit."

"We'll talk about that when you get here. Let me order your bullshit keto breakfast." He hung up, knowing he would get a side of pancakes, just to sit and eat them in front of Carson.

Now Geoff.

He dialed the little, amazing, practical, wonderful nerd of a personal assistant.

"Boss! Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Is he there? Carson? He was coming. Did you know he threatened to duct tape me to a water heater? I told him I'd cheat on his taxes and turn him in to the IRS. I may be little, but my fu is mighty, and I will smite him like a smiting thing!"

"He's about ten minutes out, and you may smite at will." He tried to keep the smile out of his voice, but it was damn impossible.

"Okay. Are you okay? How can I help? Do you need clothes? Food? A car? The giant security butthead of joy has your truck. I've been answering emails like always. I've told everyone you have covid, so you're quarantining like a good citizen."

"I'm fine, Geoff. I got snowed in after I had a blowout. It sounds dramatic, but it really wasn't. I met the guy, but I couldn't bring myself to push, so I'll be here for a bit."

"Is the baby cute? Did you take any pictures? Is the guy okay? The baby is safe? I can call the police, if not."

"That's the problem, hon. He's safe as houses. I like the guy, in fact. Full disclosure. I haven't told him exactly who I am or why I'm here." And Xavi was adorable. Like, holy shit adorable.

"Oh…so, everything's on the down low? That's understandable. Beware of Carson. He is neither down nor low. Well, maybe low-down…"

"Hey, now." He snorted, though, because the back and forth between Geoff and Carson was comic gold. "I'll keep an eye on him."

"You should. I know he'll make sure you're okay." Geoff sighed. "At least I won't have to worry about you now. You're safe."

"I am. This is Small Town USA, Geoff. I blew out a tire on his road, and the man I was going to see stopped to help. Then there was thundersnow." That had been wild. "So I hung out to get to know him."

"Wow. That's…what are the odds? I mean that you'd have a blowout, that he'd be passing, that he'd stop…"

"I was glad he did. I could have frozen my butt off, and I was a little concussed."

As soon as he said it, he knew it was a mistake.

"Oh my God! I can call Dr. Amy. Do you need to talk to her? Does your head still hurt? You should have taken me with you!"

"Geoff. I'm fine. Seriously. The airbag didn't even go off." Which was, strictly, true. He knew now it had been a malfunction, but hey. He would leave that part out.

"Okay…" It was like he hadn't lived and functioned on his own before Geoff was hired on. "If you're sure…"

"I am. And I need you where you are to deal with all the crap my family pulls. Dad especially. I need him off me for a while so I can finesse this." Dad was a bulldozer. Bang. Squoosh.

"Okay. He's like a bulldog. I think he knows that something is up."

"So, convince him otherwise."

"I'll try. But you'll need to call him and talk to him at some point." Geoff was good, but maybe not that good, so he got it.

"I can do that. Just not today. Today I have to deal with Carson." And Carson was going to protest him staying at the low-rent hotel.

"I will, but you owe me." Geoff sounded harried.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. He's a giant turd, but he likes you."

Geoff sighed. "What else?"

"Expense Carson at the Wyndham, and keep a room for me. But you'll see a charge for the Adobe Inn."

He could hear the click as Geoff googled that. "OMG. You're kidding."

"Nope. Not kidding."

"Boss…" Geoff's voice dropped. "What if there are bedbugs?"

"The person who recommended it is a nurse. It's not bad, from the looks of it, though I haven't been able to check in yet." But he wasn't worried.

"Uh-huh. A nurse. Well, that's nice. Do. Not. Use. The. Water. Glass. For all that is holy."

"I'll get a Yeti at the store." He was going to buy some more middle-of-the-road clothes too. Carson could drive him out.

"I cannot believe you're going all super spy."

"I know. I kinda feel nuts, but something about this guy…" He let that go. Geoff didn't need to hear it.

"All right. I'll start forwarding anything serious to your phone. If you get porn at the motel, make sure all the lights are off. There could be stalkers. You know, peeping through tiny holes in the terrifying landscapes? Or in the closet? Oh God, keep the closet doors shut." Geoff sighed heavily. "I'll be expecting texts."

"I'll keep you posted. On more than the bills." Such a little germophobic weirdo, that Geoff. Sterling adored him. He really did care, which was a rarity in Sterling's world. "And I will tell Carson no duct tape. But I can't promise not to let him use his belt."

"Oh, you naughty tease. Love you, Boss." And with a laugh and a click, Geoff was gone.

Which was a damn good thing, because there was Carson, and he had yet to order the man's food. He caught the server's eye. "Can I get another coffee cup and silverware set?" And he put in Carson's order. "Oh, and a side of pancakes."

"Sounds good." He got a grin and a smile, the older waitress sure of herself, of her job, of her place in this diner.

Carson plopped down in the booth across from him. "Well, you don't seem like you're concussed."

"That's what I keep getting told. I was queasy for a few hours. A little sleepy. That was two days ago." He poured creamer into his newly filled coffee. "How was the drive?"

"Not bad. I like your truck. I might buy one like it. You going to buy a P.O.S. thing while you're undercover?" Carson almost managed not to smirk.

"Maybe." He grinned when Carson scowled, the joke not near as funny when he agreed. "We'll see."

"This is asinine. Buy him out."

"He's had Xavi for fourteen weeks. It's not like he's not attached now." He waited for the waitress to bring Carson his coffee, because who knew who she might be acquainted with.

"So…do you know why? I mean, any of the whys?" Carson put a metric fuck-ton of Sweet ‘N Low in his coffee. "Why did she give the baby up? Why this guy? Why did he need a baby?"

"You do know that what's not the tiny grains of saccharine in that packet is actually sugar…" He shook his head. "From what I can gather, they met in the service. I'm incognito. It's not like I can simply ask. But I did ask why he wanted a kid, and he maintains he's not the marrying type."

"I swear, Silver. I cannot imagine Sierra in the Army. I mean…damn." Carson shook his head. "The Army."

Now that he understood. "No shit. I mean, discipline and early mornings? I guess maybe she responded well to routine." He shook his head. "She came to have the baby and then she was off and running again. She did pay for it all, though."

"So…she paid to let someone else have her baby?"

"Yeah. That's what Annie said. She says that Sierra used her VA benefits and cash."

"What the fuck does this guy have on her?"

"I don't think he's holding anything on her, Kit." He watched the laden tray coming their way. "Look alive."

"Pancakes?" Carson raised an eyebrow.

"Yep. Extra butter and syrup. Those are for me."

"Asshole."

He waggled his eyebrows. "Not on keto."

Carson curled his upper lip. "Not as shredded as me either."

"Nope. But then I'm not trying to get Geoff to climb on for a ride." He winked, and Carson dissolved into a wicked grin. That was the way to get through to him. Make him laugh.

"I should take my weekly cheat meal out on your pancakes."

"Nah. You'll get something amazing at your hotel when I'm not watching. Carrot cake or something."

"Or mashed potatoes. That's what I miss the most. Potatoes."

Oh, he heard that—French fries, baked, mashed, au gratin, scalloped, hash browns… Yeah, no. No keto for him. He would much rather do more exercise.

He dug into his food, and Carson did too, neither of them having too terrible much to say here in public. They'd have to make a war room in the secondary room at the Wyndham.

"So, I have a think," Carson said when he was sipping his second cup of coffee.

"I know. You'll get your say."

"Mmm. Oh, your momma called me."

His eyebrows climbed. "What did she want?"

"Background check on a new investment banker."

Oh, Lord help him. Not another money scheme.

"Tell her he's dirty. No more weird-assed scams."

"Already did, man. No worries."

"Thank God." Sterling shook his head. "I thought her new hubs would keep her out of trouble longer than this."

"He's going to have to start drugging her for that." Carson rolled his eyes and sighed, so dramatic.

"True." His mom thought she had a knack for investments. And gambling. And real estate. And God knew what else.

"So, we need to formulate a plan, Silver. This is a town of less than twenty thousand people. You need a backstory and a way in."

"I—yeah. I told him I was in town for a family thing, which is true… I don't want to have to out-and-out lie to him, man."

When the server came for the bill, he let Carson pay it. His card, his name. That way no one would twig to Sterling's presence.

"I'm expensing that," Carson said as they left.

"I know. So about the backstory."

"What have you told him already, man? Let's start with that."

"That I was a rodeo man. That I travel a lot. That I do a lot of odd jobs for work. That I have a sibling." It was all true. As far as it went.

"And you were here because?"

"A family thing."

Carson nodded. "Why are you in a hotel?"

"Because I'm meeting family here? I was super vague. I know he thought it was odd, too, because he kind of tried to steer me toward talking about myself a couple of times." Sterling smiled wryly. "I mean, he didn't want a serial killer or a baby stealer in his house, right?"

"Yeah…okay. So, what's your endgame, Silver? What do you want here?"

That was the million-dollar question, wasn't it?

"Hell, Kit, I don't know." He put his bag into the truck. "He had an effect on me I didn't expect. I really like him, and I don't want to fuck up his life. By the same token, I want Xavi to have all the benefits of being a Jordan."

"Well, I have to tell you, from what Annie and I've seen, it's legal. You have to find another part to leverage. Also, are you wanting to raise this child? Is that something you need in your life?"

A rage based on sheer frustration started bubbling inside him. How the fuck did he know? This was all still new to him. And he'd made a plan, then had it derailed by a nice man who did shit like pick up strangers when they wrecked their vehicles in a brewing snowstorm and who Sterling wanted to kiss. Badly.

"Stop pushing, Kit. I'm tired, and you're giving me a fucker of a headache."

"Okay, man. No worries. We need to get you a vehicle. I don't like the idea of you not having one."

"Sure. I mean, we can totally do that." He took a deep breath. "Sorry. I've been more tense than I realized."

"You've had…an interesting few days. You need a long shower, a nap, and a few days to focus. I could rent an Airbnb on the outskirts of town, you know. Give us a place to work without being overheard."

"Oh, hey. That's a good idea. Way better than me being seen at the Wyndham all the time." He grinned at Carson finally. "This is why you get the big bucks."

"You know it. I'll get the Screaming Meanie in the office to switch things out and buy you a newer-used pickup and have it delivered." Carson nodded as if he were needing a gate to open. "If the motel sucks, you can stay with me and we'll say we're family."

"And that I borrowed the truck from you. That will work." He sighed, resting his head back against the head rest of the truck. "Thanks, man. I'm glad you came down."

"I wasn't going to let you stay in a skanky motel with no car and no backup. We're a fucked-up team, but we have been a team since fourth grade."

"This is true." He reached over to grasp Carson's arm and squeeze. "I'll figure this out."

"Hi ho, Silver. I know you will."