“Take all the time you need…and reconsider the boutique. We can remain partners.”
“I’ll need to think about it,” I said.
“Of course.”
I paused for a long moment. “Bye, Gino.”
“Bye, Giselle,” he said.
Tears trailed down my cheeks. Not because I was heartbroken over the split, but because I still had no idea if he was involved. His friend nearly killed me. I couldn’t let myself believe Gino knew. But I also couldn’t be sure he didn’t. If I’d asked, I’d have clued him in to the fact that I was on to Carlo and possibly him. And, I couldn’t risk doing that. Not until I talked to the police.
The woman next to me handed me a tissue.
“Thank you,” I said as I took it, dabbing away at my tears.
This was supposed to be a good thing. Thayer and I were going to get a fresh start. But now, I was even more confused than I’d been before.
Thayer
“I told you,” I said, stuffing my clothes into my suitcase. “I’ve got personal shit to take care of at home.”
“Dude, by the sounds of it, I’d think you just found out you got some girl pregnant,” Kason said from his bed in our hotel room.
I wanted to tell him the truth because he was going to kill me when he found out I knew and didn’t say anything. “Just let me go handle it. I promise, I’ll fill you in as soon as I can.”
“Thayer. Let me help you,” he said.
It sucked to know I was deceiving my best friend. But if I told him, he’d be on the first plane to Florida, and that would screw everything up. He was impulsive. And loyal to the core. I knew what I needed to do—as much as I hated it. “I’m good. Just let the Kincaid people know I’ll make it up to them.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know why you always think you need to do things on your own.”
I grabbed my bag and brushed past him. “Just trust me on this one.” I nearly choked on the word trust, but I wouldn’t keep it from him if it wasn’t for his own good.
I made it to the airport with a couple of minutes to spare and was on the plane in no time. It was not even a two-hour flight, so it was only three o’clock when my plane touched down in Colorado. I reached my truck in record time and drove to the one place I loathed.
I hadn’t been to my father’s house since the night of my mother’s funeral, and I hadn’t talked to him either. I knocked on the door and waited. The door swung open, and a petite blonde stood there looking closer to my age than my father’s. “Is he here?” I asked, pushing by her and stepping into the house.
My father was in the kitchen holding a glass of wine and stirring something on the stove. “Thayer?”
“I need your help.” I glanced at the girl and then back at him. “Can we speak in your office?”
“Watch the rice,” he said to the girl as he placed his glass down. He led me into his office. The walls were filled with framed images of him shaking the hands of prestigious people. I always hated those photos. Because those strangers got his time, and my mother and I rarely had.
“Sit down,” he said as he sat in his leather chair behind his desk.
I dropped into the chair, my elbows digging into my knees and my hands wringing in front of me. “Kason’s sister’s boutique was robbed, and the guy tied her up and held her at gunpoint.”
“I heard about that. But it’s a local matter. The police are handling the case.”
“Yeah, well, they’ve found nothing,” I said.
“I’m not sure what you think I can do,” he said.
I scoffed. “Right. I was stupid to think a former FBI agent could help his son.”
“That’s not fair,” he said.
“You know what’s not fair, you not even trying to help.” I pushed myself to my feet.