Page 62 of Hidden With You

“Seriously, man. You need to forgive yourself.”

He scoffed, then shook his head. “I really don’t think you get it.”

“Yeah? You think I don’t understand what it’s like to have something you want to tell someone? To be too scared to do it because you don’t know how they’re going to react, and if they react badly, you’ll lose everything with them? That suddenly they’ll be out of your life completely? You think I don’t understand that?”

Jasper took a step back, surprised by the force of his friend’s words. He remembered the party. The way Trevor looked at Ollie. The way he brought him fresh drinks, and they’d laughed together. And Ollie, so incredibly smart, was also so incredibly clueless.

“Sorry,” he said. “I guess you do get it.”

Trevor raised his brows. “Yeah, well, one day maybe I’ll say something.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything before you do.”

“I know. Hell, you don’t even have the balls to tell Zelda.”

“Fuck you.”

Trevor grinned, and then they both laughed.

“Thanks,” Jasper said when the laughter died down. “I didn’t want an escort, but I’m glad you came.”

Trevor nodded. “Truly not a problem. But what are you going to do now?”

“I’m going to do whatever I have to do to keep Zelda safe. Nothing has changed there. Whoever wanted Melinda dead also wants Zelda dead.”

“But who?” Trevor asked. “Run me through it. Who are your suspects?”

“I have a very long list of hardly anyone,” Jasper said. “It all boils down to this Maestro. He ties into this for sure, but I don’t know why he would want Zelda dead.”

“Probably to get at you. He’s probably been watching you. Realizes how you feel about her. Wants to make sure that you’re going to perform.”

“Possible. That’s very possible.” He paced the hotel room, his mind whirring.

“But?”

He paused in his pacing long enough to lift a shoulder. “But it doesn’t quite feel right. I can’t put my finger on it. I’m not dismissing it, I just feel like we’re missing something.”

“You may not figure it out tonight. You’ve been through the wringer, my friend. We should get some sleep and jump in tomorrow.”

“You’re right.”

“You need anything? Do you want me to run back to Zelda’s and get your stuff?”

“No. Thank you, though. I’ve got a hotel robe here. I’ll put my clothes out to launder overnight. I don’t want her to have to think about me. Not now. Not while it still hurts.”

Trevor stood. “It’s going to work out. You two are good together. I’m rooting for you.”

“You are far too chipper, my friend,” Jasper said, managing a grin.

“All right, I’m out of here. Call me if you need anything.”

“I don’t have your number handy.”

“Right. I’ll text it to you.”

Trevor tapped on his phone, and then Jasper’s pinged. He glanced down and saw that he’d received a new text.

“Now I’m really out of here,” Trevor said, stepping out of the room and letting the door close behind him.

Alone, Jasper started to strip, planning to get into the robe and call housekeeping to come deal with his clothes. But before he did, he opened the text out of habit. When he did that, he saw the text from Liesl. He winced, wishing he hadn’t opened the goddamn app.

He tossed his phone on the bed, cursing it. Then he cursed himself, crossed to the bed, and picked it back up. He opened the image, making it bigger and bigger, looking at Melinda’s face, searching for clues. He didn’t know what he was looking for, but he went over every pixel of that damn photograph.

And then he saw it.

It was near where the paper lay. The threat that said Melinda would just be the first if Jasper didn’t kill Zelda.

Wasn’t happening, which meant Jasper needed to find another way. A way to track down the Maestro. A way to kill the bastard.

And maybe—just maybe—he’d found a path.

He zoomed in on the tiny flash of color, once again grateful that the picture was high definition. It was blurry and familiar, but he wasn’t quite sure what he was looking at.

Then he realized it was a cigar band, a cigar band that featured a colorful background and a vibrant red parrot.