CHAPTER TWENTY

Dalton

 

Cornering Griffin for a detailed conversation was at the top of my list but I didn’t get the chance.  Somehow he slipped out of the club shortly after I returned from walking Cami to her car.  I texted him.  Repeatedly.  But the night ended without receiving a single reply. 

When the Aqua Room lights went out and everyone was gone I stood there in the empty club and listened to the silence.  I’d played a large role in making this place what it was but suddenly I was weary of it all and didn’t care if I never set foot inside here again. 

I didn’t belong here.

I belonged out in the dirt, teaching the next generation how to properly field a grounder.

I belonged under the stars on a desert summer night with the girl of my dreams in my arms. 

The thought of Cami made me wish I’d taken her back to my suite.  I knew she was waiting for me to ask, that she was eager to make up.  She would have stayed and we would have wildly screwed for hours before falling asleep together in my bed. But there was a cloud hanging over the night and I didn’t want her to stay with me out of remorse. 

My eyes drifted to the dark stage.  The stage where Cat Caren, aka Carmen Carerra, was standing the last time I saw her.  Griffin had impatiently claimed that Carmen was just fine but I didn’t know if I could take anything he said at face value.  My old friend had his own secrets that I’d been willfully blind to.  He might be willing to do a lot to keep them under wraps. 

I thought about going to the police but I didn’t really have much to tell them.  A woman who had briefly worked for me had disappeared.  They already knew that and yet no one had contacted me to ask questions.  Whether that was due to Griffin’s influence or something else was anyone’s guess. I also didn’t know what to make of the fact that her purse was fished out of the lake but it made me think of the night a month ago when Carmen performed at Aqua Lounge for the last time. I remembered that night clearly because I’d been walking home after the club closed and thinking about Cami.  I heard a noise, a commotion, a possible scream.  Enough to make me tense up and wait for something to materialize from the darkness.  At the time I convinced myself it was just some nocturnal animals fighting a natural battle. 

Now I wasn’t so sure. 

Too many coincidences were stacking up. 

And one way or another my old friend Griffin Sullivan was going to have to address them. 

My suite was empty, lonely.  It didn’t feel like home.  It never had.  I’d grown used to spending so many months at a time on the road playing a game that I could no longer remember what a real home felt like. 

But that would change. 

I had been tossing around the idea of signing a lease in a brand new apartment complex three miles from here.  I could imagine bringing Cami there, undressing her slowly, making love to her eagerly and then holding her tenderly as we fell asleep together. 

Yeah, I was doing it.  I’d just made up my mind. 

I fell asleep on the couch and awoke to the sound of knocking.  The fierce sunlight pouring in through the sliding glass doors made me think I must have slept too long and now housekeeping was visiting.  But then I saw that the time only seven thirty. 

When I opened the door I had some hope that the visitor might be Cami.  Instead it was Griffin. 

“Hey,” he said, leaning tiredly against the door frame in the same clothes he’d been wearing when I last saw him at the club.  Then again, I hadn’t bothered to change out of my own clothes before passing out on the couch so I couldn’t judge. 

“Are you going to let me in?” he asked because I was blocking the door with my arms crossed.

I backed off enough to let him pass.  He sat down on a stool at the small dining table while I closed the door.

“Why did you run off last night?” I accused.  “You must be aware we’ve got a few things to talk about.  Yet you didn’t answer any of my texts.”   

He yawned.  “Yeah, sorry about that.  I had another minor emergency to tend to.” 

“You mean another scheming cover up for the benefit of one of your vile associates?”

He exhaled irritably.  “Shit, you’ve been listening to Cami’s wild tales too much.”

“Tell me something different then.”

Griffin scowled.  “Believe me, I know Anders is an asshole but his interests are tied up with the family so when he feels like setting up a hot piece of ass in a luxury suite I’m expected to accommodate him.” 

I shook my head. “I don’t get it.” 

“His girlfriend.  Or whatever you want to call her.  Anders has been underfoot these last six months because he’s been fucking this girl six times a day.  I warned him that it was going to lead to trouble and that there’s no young pussy magical enough to risk a man’s career but it’s not like Jeff Anders listens to me.  Anyway, now that he’s going to be running for governor he has to cut back on his extracurricular activities.  I guess he tried to break it off last night and she ran to her room and swallowed a bunch of pills.  So that’s what I was dealing with.” 

“Holy shit.”  I leaned against the wall, feeling sick.  I thought about the girl I’d seen glaring unhappily at all the action the day of the press conference.  “She killed herself?”

“No, thank god.  She just swallowed enough to earn a nice stomach pumping and a few days in a private hospital room at St. Anthony’s.  Still a pain in the ass to keep quiet though and I wish there was a way around it.”

My jaw hardened. “Because there’s nothing more important than making your life easier.” 

He grimaced over my words.  “That’s not what I meant.  I’ll do everything I can for the girl.  And I already told Anders that from now on he has to move his party off my damn resort no matter what my father says.”

I clapped my hands, slowly, obnoxiously.  “What a hero, finally standing up to daddy.” 

He narrowed his eyes but didn’t argue. 

“And what about Carmen?” I asked him.  “What did you do for her?”  

“Carmen,” he said and made a sour face. “Two weeks ago I found out that Carmen has been happily ensconced in some five star Puerto Vallarta resort since the night she disappeared.  She was up Anders’s ass, found out he’d been accepting huge bribes in exchange for support of a new football stadium on the taxpayer dime.  She was going to expose him and consequently fuck with his political aspirations.  So he made her an offer.  One of the requirements was that she needed to skip town for a while.  She didn’t hesitate to accept.  She probably tossed her own fucking handbag in the lake.  Apparently Carmen Carerra is a woman who has always wanted to be mysterious.  And rich.  Now she’s both.”   

“Why the hell should I believe that?”

“You can call her if you want to confirm.  I did.”

I mulled the information over.  Somehow it had the ring of truth.  “I need to tell Cami this.” 

He nodded.  “Sure, tell Cami. Just as long as she understands that this will never become public knowledge.”  Griffin caught my eye.  “And you know she can’t work here anymore.” 

I glared at him.  “And I suppose you expect me to tell her that.” 

“No.  I’ve already informed Anne who will pass the word along to Eleanor.  Cami will be told this morning. I arranged for her to receive a month’s pay to compensate for this ah, misunderstanding.”

“You might be disappointed to discover that Cami is not someone you can buy off.” 

He snorted.  “If I were trying to do that I would have been a hell of a lot more generous.”  He frowned and raked a hand through his hair.  “I feel bad about this, Dalton.  I know this thing will cause trouble between us.” 

I was incredulous.  “That’s the only thing you feel bad about?  Jesus, Griffin, what the hell else are you and your family wrapped up in?  Don’t think I haven’t forgotten about those Russian mafia investors you were entertaining around here last month. Now you’re up to your neck with a slimy politician who seems all too eager to make people disappear.  What would have happened to Carmen if she hadn’t gone willingly?  What could happen to the next reporter who digs up some dirt on that guy?” 

He nodded.  “You’re worried about your girlfriend.”   

“And should I be worried about my girlfriend?” I asked in a low, deadly voice. My fists were clenched at my side.  God help Griffin Sullivan if he gave the wrong answer.  “Tell me, Griffin.  Do you know a reason why I ought to be worried about my girlfriend?” 

He sighed.  “Let’s just say it would be better if she kept her mouth shut.” 

A low, involuntary growl emerged from my throat.  “You piece of shit, if you or any of your thugs go near her I will rip your fucking kidneys out.” 

Griffin’s head snapped up and he closed the distance between us.  When he was mere inches away he looked me straight in the eye but there was no menace there, only an appeal.  “For god’s sake, Dalton, I’m not evil.  But you don’t imagine that I have any control over what these fucking people are capable of, do you?”      

And then I understood. 

Griffin wouldn’t hurt Cami.  But he was warning me that others might.

“You should go,” I told him. 

There were other things to talk about, such as the fact that I was leaving this entire place behind and he’d be stuck finding another manager for Aqua Room but this wasn’t the time to get into that.  I needed to figure out how I was going to convince Cami to forget about going after Anders.  Of course I despised the guy and his scandalous political sphere but I wasn’t going to risk Cami’s safety in order to see him ruined the way he deserved to be. 

“I’m sorry about all this, Dalton,” Griffin told me on his way out.  I believed him.  But I didn’t know if that would be enough to give him the courage to push back against the dangerously powerful people who inhabited his world. 

 After I got out of the shower I made a call.  There was no one available at the apartment leasing office yet but I left a voicemail saying I was interested in a long term lease on the first available unit. 

The spa wasn’t yet open for the day and Cami’s car wasn’t in the parking lot.  I tossed around the idea of texting a warning to her because she likely wouldn’t suspect she’d already been fired. I hated the idea that she was about to be blindsided.  But she deserved to hear the news in person and so I knocked on the locked glass door, figuring Eleanor would probably be there already. 

Her usually placid face was grim when she saw me and I knew she’d already been ordered to fire Cami this morning. 

“She’s not here yet,” Eleanor told me, opening the door.  “But I heard corporate’s version of what happened.” 

“I figured.” 

She twisted her hands together.  “This is all terrible.  Such destructive karma.”

I didn’t know much about karma.  All I knew is that this whole thing sucked. 

“Can I have a few minutes alone with her?” I asked.  “The blow might land a little more softly if it’s coming from me.” 

Eleanor nodded and I thought she was probably relieved to surrender this particular task.  “Of course.  I’ll be in the storeroom, taking inventory of the essential oils.  You are free to use my office.” 

“I appreciate it,” I said. 

Eleanor gave me a wistful look.  “I really did like having Cami work for me.  She’s a very intelligent, kindhearted young woman.” 

“Yes, she is,” I agreed and went out front to wait for Cami’s arrival. 

She was right on time today.  Even before she turned off the ignition I could see she was smiling, happy to see me in spite of last night’s tension. 

“Hey you,” she said, beaming but approaching a little shyly. 

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, a shadow that emerged briefly and disappeared around the corner. 

“Good morning, beautiful,” I said and took her hand.  “Let’s go inside.” 

Cami was confused when I steered her past her desk.  One of her coworkers emerged with a cup of coffee in hand.  Cami greeted her by the name Holly and the woman looked at us quizzically but said nothing as we proceeded down the hall to Eleanor’s office. 

“Am I in trouble, sir?” she asked when I closed the door and even though the question was lighthearted it was obvious she was beginning to wonder.  

I sat on the edge of Eleanor’s wide desk and started with the good news.  “Carmen Carerra is fine.  She’s been living it up at some resort in Mexico this entire time.” 

Cami stared.  “I don’t understand.”

“She was getting under Anders’s skin, threatening to write an article about the fact that he’d been taking bribes.  So he offered her a generous financial compensation package and a ticket out of the country if she would keep quiet.” 

“How do you know this, Dalton?”

“How do you think?  Griffin told me.” 

Her expression immediately grew doubtful.  I held up a hand. 

“Look, I know you think he’s sketchy and I don’t blame you but he says he’s talked to her, even offered to hand over her phone number if I wanted to do the same.  I guess Ms. Carerra has a taste for mystery and she skipped town with no forwarding address because that’s the way she wanted it.” 

Cami didn’t look completely convinced but she was getting there.  “And what about Anders?”

“He’s got plenty to keep him busy, what with dodging reporters, running for governor and dealing with a suicidal mistress.  Cami, you need to listen to me now.  The guy can’t be trusted and there’s no telling what he’d be willing to do if his back was against the wall.” 

I must have gotten through to her because she was pale. 

“What did you say?” she whispered. 

I reached for her.  “Powerful people with a lot to lose are dangerous creatures, Cami.” 

“No.”  She backed away, wouldn’t let me hold her.  “I mean, what did you say about a suicidal mistress?”

“Anders has got a girlfriend living here at the resort.  They fought and she swallowed a mouthful of pills last night.” 

“I know her,” Cami said.  She held her hand over her mouth briefly and then removed it.  “I know her, we went to high school together.  I saw her last night. She was crying.” 

“Shit,” I said, surprised to hear that Cami would have any connection to the girl.  It was unfortunate, not only because Cami was obviously upset but because it would be even harder to convince her to steer clear of Anders and his problems if there was a personal connection involved.

“Oh, god.” Cami slumped against the wall, grief all over her face.  “I should have gone after her instead of confronting Anders.” She shook her head in disgust.  “That son of a bitch.  Who does he think he is, playing with people’s lives like he’s a god damn king? Dammit though, I wish I’d known how much trouble Debra was in.”   

“She’s okay,” I said reassuringly.  “Griffin says she’s recovering at St. Anthony’s Hospital.” 

Her eyes narrowed.  “And why the hell is Griffin playing the henchman to a corrupt congressman?”

“Family ties,” I said, “or something.” 

“Or something,” she mumbled.  “So why did he bother to confide everything to you?  It sounds like he hangs around with some pretty untouchable people.” 

“We had a talk early this morning. Griffin wanted me to know that he doesn’t have any influence over Anders or anyone else who has a stake in this mess.  He’s worried.  So am I.  I’m worried about you.” 

“You don’t need to worry about me, Dalton.  I’m not going to create another public spectacle.” 

“Are you going to quit investigating Anders?” 

She was astounded.  “Why would I do that?  He’s obviously a shady bastard and he deserves to get caught.  Otherwise he’s a shoo-in for governor and there’s even talk of a presidential run. I can’t just stand back and watch a guy like Anders collect more power.” 

“Camille.”  I said her name sharply so she would look at me, so she would listen.  “You’re not in any legal position of authority and you’re chasing around a very influential man who has a lot to hide.  The threat is plain enough.” 

She was thinking.  But then a mask of stubbornness settled over her face. Camille Gentry was not a woman who changed her mind easily once she was set on a course of action.  “Dalton, we ought to table this discussion. I’ve got to get to my desk and start work.” 

I sighed.  “Actually, you don’t.”

“What?”

“You’ve been let go.” 

“Fired?  I’ve been fired?  Why?  Because of last night?”

I nodded.  “Because of last night.  I wish there was something I could do to change Griffin’s mind but it’s a done deal.”  I swallowed.  “I’m sorry, Cami.” 

She closed her eyes for a second and then shook her head.  “You and I have been saying that to each other too often in the last twenty four hours.” 

I went to her, gently tipping her chin up.  “Let’s go somewhere.  Right now.  I don’t give a damn about this place.”

A small smile touched her lips.  “Where would we go?”

“Anywhere.  We can drive up north for a few days.  It doesn’t matter.  Let’s just get the hell out of here and leave all this bullshit behind to sort itself out.” 

For a hopeful second I thought she would agree.  I was already picturing it, just the two of us away somewhere.  But then her jaw set and she looked up at me with the stubborn resolve that I was learning to both love and loathe.  “I’ve got to see this through, Dalton.” 

“What does that mean, exactly?”

“I’m not sure.  But I can’t just run off into the sunset.” 

“And why not?  I’ve heard the sunset is a hell of a nice place.” 

She gave me a rueful smile.  “Always able to charm the pants off me.” 

“I’m trying my best.” 

Cami kissed me quickly.  “I’ll call you later.”

“Where are you going?”  I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like the answer. 

Cami probably suspected I wouldn’t like the answer either so she was vague.  “I’ve got some errands to run.” 

“I’m not doing anything important right now.  I’ll come with you.” 

She shook her head.  “No. But you can walk me to my car.” 

The woman Cami had greeted on the way in was seated at the reception desk.  She looked at us like she wanted to speak but didn’t know what to say. 

Cami waved to her.  “Bye, Holly.”

The woman looked at me and then back at Cami.  “Goodbye.” 

Every instinct I had was telling me that I ought to grab Cami in full caveman fashion and carry her away until I was sure she’d be safe. She seemed to read my mind as we approached her car. 

“You’re going to have to trust me, Dalton,” she said firmly, chin jutting out, a silent warning in her eyes that she was unstoppable when she put her mind to something.   

“I do trust you.  I’d just like to toss you in my truck, drive to a remote location and keep you there until all this nasty fucking garbage is over.” 

She laughed.  “If only that wasn’t kidnapping.”  She kissed me one last time.  “I’ll call you later.”

I seized her, lifting her off the ground so we’d be eye level. “Cami, don’t do anything stupid.” 

She pressed her forehead to mine.  “I won’t.” 

My fists were clenched as I watched her drive away.  I wondered if I’d made a terrible mistake by letting her go.  In the real world we couldn’t force the people we cared about to do what we wanted. 

I was still in the middle of that thought when something caught my eye again, in the same place I’d noticed a shadow this morning.  Only now the shadow had a face.  I’d seen it before. 

“Hey!” I shouted, barreling over to the man who usually was skulking around silently as he watched over Congressman Anders.  “What the fuck are you doing over here?”

The bodyguard looked at me impassively.  “Taking a walk, asshole.” 

“Bullshit.”  I glanced at the parking spot where Cami’s car had been.  “Were you following her?”

He tilted his head like a dog that was trying to understand a spoken question.  “Who?”

The guy didn’t have much of a poker face.  My fists tightened. 

“You stay the fuck away from her.  And tell your employer that if he keeps this up then he’ll have a much bigger problem on his hands because I’m no five foot two college girl.” 

The bodyguard looked bored.  “I’m sure he’ll be very concerned to hear that.” 

I grabbed the guy by his blazer and shoved him hard into the wall.  Surprise skated across his face as he stumbled, but anger swiftly replaced it.  A second later I was thankful for great reflexes because if I hadn’t ducked away from the meaty right hook that swung in my direction it would have done some damage.  Quickly assessing the fact that the big man was briefly off balance I swept his leg out from underneath him.  He was down on one knee but red-faced with fury.  Despite the fact that in recent years I hadn’t kept up with my teenage martial arts phase I was still able to deliver a roundhouse kick right to his jaw. 

I circled warily as he sat up, wiping the blood from his face.  If he was game to keep this going then so was I.  But he suddenly flashed a terrible bloody grin and reached for his waistband. I felt like an absolute fucking idiot for failing to see the gun he openly carried in a holster.  Fists and feet would never prevail in a gunfight. 

“What’s going on out here?” Eleanor was suddenly there, having come outside to see what all the commotion was about. 

“Nothing,” I said, watching the man slowly replace his firearm in the holster and get to his feet.  “I thought this guy was up to something shady but he has assured me he’s leaving now.” 

“I am leaving now,” the man agreed, swiping the back of his hand across his bleeding mouth.  “But I’m sure we’ll run into each other again, Dalton.  And you can pass the message along to Camille that she might be seeing me around.”   

He whistled as he walked away. 

“Motherfucker,” I muttered. 

Eleanor stared at me.  “Dalton?”

“Everything’s fine,” I said before I started walking in the direction opposite to the one Anders’ personal thug had taken.  

If I had any doubts that he’d been trailing Cami his last statement eliminated them. She was in over her head here. Sure, Cami was strong and independent.  I had admired those qualities in her from the beginning.  But this dogged resolve to chase after the truth might put her danger. There was no way in hell I could stand by and let that happen, no matter how pissed off she got.  I didn’t know how to convince her.  I’d already tried. 

I stopped in my tracks.  

No, I wouldn’t be able to convince her on my own.

But with some help I might. 

Because fortunately I knew I wasn’t the only man around who would do anything to protect Camille Gentry.    

I searched through the list of contacts on my phone and found the number I needed.  He answered on the second ring. 

“Hey, Teacher,” I said.  “We need to have a talk.”