Page 70 of Keeping Collette

“Give it some time,” Jag suggested. “Maybe he does, but doesn’t want to give Hound everything. What’s Jim getting out of this? So far Hound is the winner, and I don’t think that’s going to sit nicely with his brother. He’s a hustler. He’ll want something back.”

“I think maybe you do.” They heard Irish interject. “How about you try a little harder. Maybe if you see a few faces, it might ring a bell.”

From the video, they could see Irish hand over some photos to Jim. “This wasn’t part of it,” murmured Deal. “Did anyone know they were bringing pictures?” he asked through the comms.

“I did,” Cass said.

They watched the feed, waiting to see if there was any reaction from Jim, but his expression didn’t change.

“Nope, none of them seem familiar. How about you, Mal?”

Mal snatched them from Jim’s outstretched hand. He shuffled through them and paused on a couple before going back to one. “Two people came in and showed me a picture of this girl. I told them then that I remembered seeing her, and she was a fine piece of ass.”

“Motherfucker,” Deal swore, knowing that the picture Mal was talking about was Courtney.

“And you don’t recall what happened to her?” Irish asked, moving a little closer, and with the way Mal stepped back, it was clear Irish was giving him a death glare.

“Saw her get in a car and that’s it. Don’t know which direction they went.”

“Right. Well, thanks.” Irish took the photos back.

“I’ll be in touch. Good to see you, bro,” Hound lifted a hand, blocking the camera momentarily, before turning, and the front door of the store appeared on the screen.

No one said anything until Hound got in the car and switched off the camera.

“Hauling ass now,” Irish murmured through the comms.

Deal waited a heartbeat before starting the car and driving off in the opposite direction of where Hound and Irish were headed. He would have to drive around the neighborhood a little before getting back onto a major road that would take them back to Alliez’s offices, like he and Collette had done previously.

“I’m not sure we know any more than we did when we arrived.” Deal blew out a breath and switched the turn signal on to merge onto the freeway.

“We’ll see how correct that information Jim gave to Hound really is. I don’t trust him not to give some bogus dates and times just to piss off Hound.”

That wasn’t what he wanted to hear from Jag, but he’d be lying if he hadn’t thought the same thing. “Yeah. I just wish…” He trailed off not needing to say anymore.

“Yeah, me too.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Collette paced around her apartment, using a straw to try and reach the itch beneath her cast. Irish’s idea had been a godsend for her.

Once the itch was satisfied, she tossed the straw in the trash can in the kitchen and resumed her pacing. She’d been home for an hour, and Deal had texted her three hours ago to say that he was back in the office after the meeting with Hound’s brother. He would tell her everything when he got to her place—later.

He hadn’t given her an exact time of arrival, but as it was nearing six in the evening, she hoped it would be soon. She’d put a frozen lasagna that Astrid had made in the oven and the aroma of garlic, tomato, and herbs filled the air. Her stomach grumbled, but she wasn’t sure she could eat anything until she found out what had happened.

Astrid, knowing that she was likely stressed about the meeting, had kept her busy making arrangements for the upcoming Christmas special they were going to film in a couple of months. Even though it was only May, they tended to do it early, so that Astrid could concentrate on her family for the latter part of the year. The boys’ birthday was in September, and then it was the actual holidays. It also gave them time to retake any segments should it be required.

Finally, a knock sounded at the door, and as much as she wanted to rush over and haul it open, she took a deep breath and walked her normal pace.

Even though it was likely Deal standing on the other side, she still checked her peephole, and there he stood, handsome in his suit.

She pulled it open. “Hey, how are you?” Collette took a few seconds to really look at him. There were faint shadows beneath his eyes, and tension lines bracketed his mouth.

“Tired, but happy to see you.” He didn’t give her chance to say anything before he pulled her close and hugged her tight. She returned the embrace, giving him whatever he needed.

How bad had the visit been with Hound’s brother? Did something happen between them? Or did he find out something awful about Courtney and didn’t know how to tell her?

It could be all of the above. A combination of them all. Or something completely different.