“You asshole.”
“I’ll show you asshole if you keep talking shit about Poppy.”
“Everyone is talking about her being a Vegas showgirl that worked the strip. She probably fell off that stage on purpose. Guess it’s easy to see how she caught your attention.”
His already solid body goes to granite, his shoulders trembling. I peek up and catch the same expression from his office. Evin told me Tony had insulted his professionalism and dedication to his clients. I didn’t push, even though I suspect there was more to the story. Now Pierce’s statement clicks; Tony thought the same as Rina.
There’s no stopping the giggle that bubbles out. Evin’s hand goes to my scalp, caressing supportively. The giggles turn hysterical and he tilts my face to his.
“Baby?”
“Let me handle this.” Years of surviving in a competitive environment click into place. I remove the tie holding my bun, shake out my hair wildly, and whirl around.
Her reaction is instant, her mouth dropping open as she glowers at my appearance. The judgment seeps all the way to my bones.
There’s a low whistle from the side, followed by a strong jerk from Evin, which results in a grunt.
“I will kill you.”
“Sorry, man, heard about it, but couldn’t picture it. The new ink is…” Evin’s growl cuts Miller off.
Miller’s response boosts my confidence, and I smile sickly at Rina. “We haven’t properly met, I’m Poppy Graham. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Poppy,” Evin groans.
“No, sweetie. When was that first time she came up? Oh, yeah, during our date at the Cosmopolitan when she sent that pleading text wanting you back. That was such a buzzkill.”
“I remember it worked out pretty well in the end,” he joins in the fun, sliding his hand to cup my ass.
“Ahhh, and then that time in the airport. Ick, that was rough. Heard you had better days. Public rejection isn’t really in my repertoire.”
“Once again worked out in my favor that time, too.” Evin nips the tip of my ear.
Rina’s glare turns deadly, laser beams of hatred aimed at me.
“Not sure where you have been getting your information, but be careful. Don’t you think, honey?” I twist to Evin and run my hand down his soft cheek. “I miss the scruff.”
“Growing it back.” He grins, brushing his lips across mine.
I pivot, kicking my leg out for effect. “Rina, I’m a Vegas performer on the strip… at the Bellagio Theatre. I’m sorry to squash your delight in the details. But there was no falling off a stage. Whoever fed you your information is mistaken. I was injured on stage.
“And since you’re worried, let me ease your concerns. I don’t know specifics about medical insurance for adult entertainers, but my employer takes care of us. Jesse is being compensated for my therapy. As for Evin losing respectable business professionals, once again, be careful who you listen to.”
She remains still.
“Last, don’t worry your little mind about the Graham family. They aren’t wallowing in humiliation.” I lean back, gaining balance, and wrinkle my nose at Evin. “It had to happen, eventually. Surprised it took a month.”
“What had to happen?”
“I’d run into one of your jaded lovers.”
“We have different definitions of lovers.”
“Tit for tat. She’s jaded.” I shrug, feeling the fury singing my flesh.
“You bitch,” she seethes.
The air changes, all my mocking sucked out of the space between us.
“You’re done, Rina. Thought I’d made it clear many times there was nothing between us, but now you’ve pissed me off. If I hear you talking shit about my wife again, it won’t be pretty,” Evin grates out icily.
“Here’s a friendly suggestion, woman to woman. Look in the mirror; the color green looks terrible on you.”
The flicker of pain in her eyes is the only reaction before she storms away. For a split-second, I feel bad, but it vanishes when I remember she’s slept with my husband. My jealousy surfaces.
“Where are your clothes, and why are you out here alone?” Evin clips.
“I’m wearing them, and I’m working out.”
“She hasn’t been alone long, Evin,” Jesse clarifies.
“I asked you to keep an eye on her—Oww, shit!” he howls, his torso lurching back. “What was that for?”
“Being an overbearing Neanderthal. I’m capable of getting around on my own.” I pinch harder, twisting my fingers this time. “Lighten up.”
Miller and Pierce chuckle, and I slice my attention to them. “Why are all of you here?”
“Darby called when she got held up. We were all together at a job site, so they rode with me.”
“Together at a job site? Why?”
“Investor interest.” His reply is vague, further heightening my curiosity. Several times over the last few weeks, I’ve gotten a weird feeling he’s hiding something.
“Care to share more?”
“Nothing to share. Where is your shirt?”
“It’s on the bench.”
“Put it on.” He barks the order, guaranteeing it’s not happening.
“No.”
We go into a stare-down, his eyes growing darker with each second.
“For what it’s worth, I agree with Evin,” Miller throws in, breaking my concentration, and I cast my focus to him. He’s grinning like a boy, enjoying this.
“No one asked you.”
“Just saying, Ashlyn would be over my shoulder by now.”
“That’s exactly what’s about to happen,” Evin warns.
“I’m ready for a beer and my wife. Can we get on with it?” Pierce adds.
I open my mouth to tell him to shut it, but all that comes out is a girly squeal when Evin bends, hooking his elbow under my knees, and swings me in the air. “Jesse, will you get her bag?”
“See you tomorrow, Poppy.” She hands my things to Pierce.
“You’re making a scene,” I mutter, then something catches my attention across the room. Rina is staring at us, her face fallen and eyes welling up. “Evin…”
“Next time, she’ll think twice about listening to gossip and learn respect.”
The venom in his tone reminds me of earlier. “She’s not the only one that listened to gossip, is she?”
His silence is my answer, setting off alarm bells in my brain. A trick like this has Natasha’s name all over it. She was in Charleston, targeting people in Evin’s life, and spreading malicious lies about me. Tony’s ordeal was three weeks ago, which means Evin has been keeping secrets.
“He shouldn’t have told you,” Marco states bluntly. “We’re working on it.”
“You don’t get to make that call. Neither does he.”
“Don’t be too hard on him, Poppy. He’s trying to keep you focused, safe, and living your life. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
This is only the second time we’ve actually spoken since the day in the hospital. It is still odd to hear him refer to me as Poppy. “Figures you’d take his side since you’ve been conspiring to keep me in the dark for almost a full month. Time’s up. Tell me what you know.”
“Natasha has stayed low. There’s been no communication with anyone in her circle. Our last lead was when she was in Charleston. That’s now dead.”
“It’s not too dead, considering yesterday I came face to face with someone from Evin’s past that thought I was a stripper! Tasha is in this town trying to throw shame on my family and ruin Evin’s reputation. Someone has to know something.”
Darby and Ashlyn nod encouragingly from their chairs. I settle back on the massive swing on Darby’s front porch with Runner’s head on my lap.
“She’s making it difficult to find her.”
“What about Karen?”
“Your moth… Karen,” he corrects, “swears there has been no communication.”
“And you believe her? She doesn’t
exactly have a track record for telling the truth. Tap her phones, monitor her accounts, hack her email—do whatever you have to do. Tasha is getting money and support from someone.”
There’s a rustle on the line and the voice of someone in the background.
“Marco?”
“Poppy, where’s Evin?”
“I don’t know.”
“I need to call—”
“Whatever you need to say to him, you say to me. Swear to God, Marco, you have a chance here to come clean, but if you screw it up, I’m done.”
He sighs, muttering under his breath, and hope springs when he says, “Where are you?”
“Does it matter?”
“Are you alone?” The question catches me off-guard and my eyes go to the girls.
“No, I’m with family.”
“Jesus,” he pauses and my heart sinks.
“What???” I whisper desperately.
Ashlyn is at my side in an instant, taking the phone and switching to speaker.
“My man just handed me a report. Natasha cashed in a CD for twenty-five thousand dollars a few days ago.”
“She has money.”
“That’s not all. Natasha shopped her grandparents’ heirlooms. She’s sold most of it.”
All the breath leaves my lungs, and my hand snaps around Ashlyn’s wrist. “No!”
“Baby girl,” he says sympathetically, his voice ragged with emotion.
“We have to stop them.”
“I can’t, it’s done.”
Tears spring to my eyes. My grandmother’s jewels, my grandfather’s coin collection, the priceless trinkets they collected through life and gifted to us. Mine are safely locked away, but knowing she pawned hers breaks my heart.
“How much did she get?” My question comes out more of a croak.
“The estimates so far are around eighty-thousand.”
“But why? She’s not a fugitive. She’s not a criminal running from the law. As far as anyone knows, she went away on a goodwill mission. Why is she hiding? We know she’s here.”
“This is my fault. I was harsh on her after returning from Vegas.”
“Harsh? You weren’t harsh, you were generous. I lived the life of harsh and it sucked. She’s held on to her reputation and social standing, and no one has a clue what she did or the messes she created.”
I’m referring to the string of men she’s deceived. Tony Sanchez is only one in a long line of men she targeted and duped. When Evin finally came clean last night, he was forced to share all the information Scottie had found. While serving different positions during Marco’s political career, Tasha caused lots of scandals, but he could always keep her name clean. Even during my ordeal, the video wasn’t leaked. They kept our attempt at a protection order quiet, and she could leave the country with her head held high.
“She sold all of those irreplaceable treasures to hurt me. She knew I loved everything about our grandparents’ collections,” I go on.
“Poppy, these auctions should give me a lead to where she is. If I can find her, then maybe we can sort this out.”
“She thinks you chose me over her. That makes you the enemy in her narcissistic brain.”
Annie’s car flies into the driveway and Darby groans. “Oh, hell.”
“Marco, we need to go. I’ll talk to you later.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I know.” My finger hits end right as Annie and Jill pile out of the car with grocery bags in their hands and trample up the porch stairs.
“This looks seriously like a gal-pow-wow without the wits of the group.”
“Mom, not now,” Darby tries.
“Nope, y’all aren’t leaving us out of this one,” Annie insists, producing a bottle of wine from a bag. “We’re angry, too.”
She disappears inside the house, Jill grinning widely as she follows.
It turns out, all the Kendrick and Graham men knew of Natasha’s appearance in Charleston. Evin had confided in them and included Dante in the mix. Outside of Tasha seducing Tony and disappearing the day of his meeting with Evin, there was no more word of her until yesterday. It was stupid and silly but made total sense why I was never alone.
When the women found out, everyone had their own words. Not one man showed guilt. They tried to justify their omission. Darby and Ashlyn had a lot more experience with this from their husbands, but they also had their own experience in hiding things. Their icy attitudes melted much quicker than mine.
I couldn’t believe Evin didn’t tell me Tasha had been in Charleston and attempted to sabotage his business. It was maddening, but it hurt more than anything.
Annie and Jill join us again. Annie hands me a glass of chardonnay before scooting in on the swing.
“Okay, ladies, what have we found out?”
“This woman has over a hundred-thousand dollars accessible to her and is a ghost. She has a ridiculous vendetta against her estranged sister. I don’t like it.” Darby gets to the point.
“She pawned all my grandparents’ priceless heirlooms,” I add broken-heartedly.
“Anyone caught wind of her whereabouts?” Jill inquires.
“No,” I answer, taking a healthy gulp of the wine.
“If she’s in the vicinity, we’ll know ASAP,” Annie declares confidently.
“How?”
“Those men will never learn. They spout on and on about having our best interests at heart but do not know we are the ones that make things happen. One call to my crew and the quest is active. If she shows her face anywhere, we’ll know.”
“Mom! You’re brilliant.” Darby’s fingers fly across the screen of her phone. “Natasha likes high-rolling, and with the new windfall of money, she’s going to want the best. I’m messaging Renee to have the Brasher install security surveillance.”
“Not a total old bat, am I?” Annie gloats.
I smile despite the glum mood. “Thanks for hanging out with me today.”
“My brother made a stupid mistake. That’s on him, not you.”
“Evin hurt me.” The words tumble out of my mouth.
Ashlyn replies softly, “It sucks when our husbands keep things from us.”
“This was more than keeping things from me. It makes me question if I can trust him, and I hate this feeling.”
A silence settles around us, and when I glance around, all eyes are on Darby. Her beautiful amber eyes, identical to Evin’s, grow soft, and she gives me a small, sad smile. “I know exactly what that’s like.”
“Darby, I didn’t mean—”
“It’s okay, but it would be hypocritical to ignore the truth. Evin took a page out of my book by thinking it was best if he handled things on his own.”
“Your situation with Pierce is majorly different.”
“Is it? I kept things from Pierce, destroying us and changing his life forever.”
“I’m mad at myself, too. He didn’t think I was strong enough to handle it. All my crying, the pity parties, the lashing out when this first happened. He thinks it’s too much for me.”
“When Pierce went to battle with Connie, he hid things from me because of my previous reactions. I can see how you’d think it reflects on you, but it doesn’t. Evin wasn’t hiding this because he thinks you’re weak. He did it because you are precious to him.”
“I’m not scared of Tasha. She hurt and humiliated me, but this accident was a series of bad luck. She tripped me to make me look like a fool. There’s no way she knew it would tweak my ankle or heel.”
“No one thinks you fear her. And no matter her intent to embarrass you, it was the next chain of events that led to your knee.”
“Scared of her? Hell no, I hope the woman is still in town,” Annie pitches in.
“If she is not here right now, she’ll be back.”
“How can you be sure?” Jill asks.
“Because she wants something from me. I have no idea how her lies spread to someone like Rina, but the stint with Tony Sanchez was a direct
message.”
“Well, she didn’t do her research into Evin very well. Tony Sanchez is an idiot,” Annie quips. “I’m glad Evin fired him.”
“A professional temptress played him. Tasha has been perfecting the art since high school.”
“Well, a man in his position should be able to spot a shark.”
We will never know exactly how Natasha scouted Tony, but Evin and I suspect it was basic research. Evin’s client list is private, but his reputation is widely known. His profile on the bank website has several testimonials, one of them Tony’s.
“Since we’re on the subject, I have gossip.” Ashlyn’s eyes brighten.
“Well, spill child. We need some juicy news to turn this grave mood around.” Jill settles in her chair.
“I met with Jackson Wednesday and Tony is not going away quietly. He’s petitioned everyone in an executive position to convince Evin to reconsider. Tony is—and I quote—‘eating a shitload of humble pie to get back in good graces’. Jackson belongs to the same country club, and word spread that Tony Sanchez has a newfound commitment to abstinence after being hustled. Hasn’t slept with a woman since Tasha disappeared, which is a big deal. He’s also on the lookout for her.” Her mouth splits into a satisfied smile.
Jill was right. The mood lifts at the little tidbit. A sense of righteousness shoots through me, and I swallow the rest of my wine in one gulp.
“I’m ready for her. Since we were fourteen, she’s had the upper hand and I’ve been complacent. But not now. She’s fucked with me for the last time.”
“Let me make one little suggestion.” Ashlyn pinches her thumb and forefinger together. “Whatever happens, don’t try to serve justice alone. If Evin is anything like Miller, it won’t bode well for you. Take it from experience.”
“She won’t be alone! She has me,” Annie exclaims.
“She has all of us,” Darby agrees, straight-faced. “We’ve served up a dose of medicine.”
My gaze falls to where Darby’s hands rests on her bowling ball belly and then over to Ashlyn, who’s stomach is just as round on her small frame. I press my lips together, which only makes my giggle sound strangled. Annie and Jill outright snicker.
The girls share a look and both burst into giggles as well.
Evin's Fight (Southern Charmers Book 3) Page 34
