“Did Quentin tell you about Camden?”

“He did, but I wondered what was taking you so long to tell me yourself.”

“Because nothing’s changed.”

“I never said it had.”

An uncomfortable silence fell between us once again as we both became lost in our thoughts. A part of me wished I’d never come on to Lake and yet a part of me wished I’d been successful. I also wish I knew which part was stronger.

“So, what was that at the hospital?” I knew I wouldn’t have to elaborate given the way he hung his head and took a deep breath before meeting my stare again.

“I fucked up.”

“No shit. I thought things were good between you two.”

“They are… they were. It’s not her. It’s me. I fucked up in California.”

“What did you do?”

“Those men I killed. I promised Lake I wouldn’t murder again. I convinced her I had put the past behind me, but clearly, I haven’t. I don’t even know how to tell her.”

“Are you afraid she’ll leave?”

He laughed though a dark look clouded his features. “No.”

“Because you wouldn’t let her?”

“I couldn’t even if I tried.”

“Is your guilt the reason why you pushed her away?”

“Partly, yeah. That and because I blame her for Kennedy not being home yet.”

“Why would it be her fault?”

“Because if I didn’t care so much about disappointing her, I might have found her by now.”

“That’s insane.”

“No more than you blaming Sheldon for losing Kennedy.”

“Who told you about that? Dash?”

“Q. He told me about the fight, and I know what you’re thinking.”

“You don’t know what I’m thinking.

“I practically raised you. All those thoughts and feelings in your head I planted there just as they did me. You’re going to kill him if he stands in the way.”

“Dash’s future is entirely up to him. Sheldon and Ken are mine. They don’t walk away unless I allow it.”

“Dash is our friend, Keenan.”

“Since when did you ever care about anything other than getting your way? It was you who taught me by any means necessary.”

“Yes, but I also didn’t run away for four years and come back and expect everyone to just fall in line.”

“Not everyone. Just Sheldon and my kid. And you forget… I didn’t come back. You brought me here, and now you’ll bear the consequences. You all will.”

I stood and left without another word or a backward glance.

* * * * *

“Hey, boss.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“Well, stop being so bossy if you don’t want to be the boss.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and prayed for patience. Sometimes I felt like Di was a pain in the ass on purpose.

“Did you do what I asked, Diana?” I used her full name, knowing how much she hated it though she never said why. I never cared enough to ask.

“Yes, I did, boss man, so when should I expect you?”

“However long it takes to find her.”

“I can’t believe you have a kid.”

Yeah, me either.

“It serves you right that it’s a girl, though.”

“And you say that because?”

“Because the players always get a little girl. You’ll be beating the boys away with a bat when she’s older.” She shouted over the phone as if she had just found a pot of gold.

“Will you fucking stop yelling?” I was two seconds away from hanging up on her.

“I’m sorry, baby doll.”

“Don’t call me baby doll.”

“Why not? It fits you because you’re pretty.”

“I’m… what?” I meant it to sound more menacing. Instead, it came out as a shriek.

“I bet the poor, insecure little boy inside you is grateful for my compliment even if the douche isn’t.”

“Why do you refer to me as two different people? And I’m not insecure.”

“Oh, but you are.” She fell silent for a moment before blurting out, “Is that why you’re such a slut?”

I hung up on her.

It took everything not to make the phone a permanent part of my old bedroom wall. Instead, I clutched the phone tight, willing my anger away. I thought I would be used to her by now but had to admit that Di knew where to hit when she wanted to. She always claimed to be a good people reader, but I’d always believed it to be complete bullshit. She just never knew when to shut up.

I wasn’t the least bit insecure.

Why would I be?

I’d never had a problem catching the attention of a woman before. They would always flock to me and I would accept them because…

My ringing cell phone snapped me out of my wandering thoughts, and when I checked the caller ID, I debated not answering, but I knew I couldn’t do that to her again.

A week ago, Di had completely freaked out when she realized I had disappeared, either assuming I was dead or I had ditched her, but once she found out Keiran was behind it, the jokes haven’t stopped rolling in since—

“Does he have you chained in the basement?”

“Would I be on this call if I were?”

“It’s possible. He’s got a soft spot for you, you know.”

“No, he doesn’t. He tolerates me.”

“Well, he hasn’t cut off your hand for touching his girl yet, so I guess toleration will work” She snickered.

I knew I shouldn’t have told her about that, but one thing I realized over the years was that Di was easy to talk to. It’s too bad Sheldon never liked her. Maybe that was why I kept Di so close all these years. We could have parted ways a long time ago but never did. It was my own little pound of flesh.

“What?” I barked into the phone.

“I’m sorry, okay? I know how you feel about being a slut.”

“Di…”

“I meant being called a slut.”

My only response was almost unintelligible, but it was all she would get. Neither of us had ever been good at apologies, and if I were, the last four years would have gone a lot different.

“Just keep everything in place and stay out of trouble.” With that, I hung up and jammed my phone in my jeans pocket.

I headed back downstairs where I had left Quentin and Jesse. Jesse had been up all night digging for simple information that someone had gone through a lot of trouble to bury and keep buried.

“I found an address,” Jesse hollered as if I weren’t just three feet away. The table littered with Red Bulls might have had something to do with his high energy. “Camden is pretty big for a town. It’s bigger than this place, but I found the place. It looks like it sits on its own land. There is no one around for miles.”

“How the hell do you know all this? We’ve never even been to this place.” Quentin asked a little harsher than necessary. The vibe between the two of them was too strange for two people who had only met once, but like everything else, I kept my head low. I wasn’t planning to stick around.

“Satellite. I hacked into one that had slack security and pinpointed the location. We’re getting live video feed of the house now. It’s pretty big, and it’s completely isolated. It’s the perfect place to hide someone.”

“Have you seen any movement?”

“Not yet. If they are smart, they will keep their heads low so it could be a while before we can confirm anyone is even there.”

“We don’t have a while. Text me the address, stay on the radar, and keep me posted on any activity. If a bird shits on the roof, I want to know about it. I’m going out there.”

“I’m going with you,” Quentin announced. I nodded once but was already on my way out the door.

* * * * *

The house was exactly how Jesse described it. Along with the address, I had him send me pictures of the house and surrounding area, so we were able to pick out a scouting spot before ever reaching the house.

Quentin convinced me to wait a couple of hours to survey the area to see if anyone was coming or going, but after forty-five minutes of nothing, I was tempted to ditch the plan and charge in with guns blazing.

It’s amazing how much I was willing to risk and how far I was willing to go for someone I’d never met.