by Hadley Quinn
She nodded. “As far as I know, that sounds right. He… Well, the night he threatened me, he demanded the diamonds. He told me he’d leave Van alone if I gave him the jewelry.” She scowled. “He felt I owed him, piece of shit.”
Cole tried not to think about that night. Clearly she was still angry about it and had every right to be. “So he didn’t have them that night,” he stated. “Someone must have taken them from his apartment. It’s the only explanation.”
“Yes,” she nodded. She suddenly shook her head and sighed. “I can’t believe what happened to Quincy,” she said quietly. “I mean he was one of Van’s best friends. He was just…he was a funny guy, playful, and he was nice to me. I trusted him because Van trusted him and…” She sighed again. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to talk about that night.”
He didn’t, either. God, if she broke down and cried about it, he wouldn’t be able to handle it. Why was he even in this position to begin with?
Oh yeah, because she was the nicest girl he’d ever met, and he was the pathetic dipshit that couldn’t stay away.
“You think maybe Andy could’ve gotten his hands on the jewelry?” he asked, reverting the subject. “Was he in Brian’s apartment much?”
She slowly shrugged. “Yeah, he was there sometimes. It’s possible. I can’t imagine he would go against Brian like that, though. I finally realized Andy was scared to death of him.”
“Maybe he’d had enough. Have you talked to Andy recently?” Cole knew she hadn’t but figured he’d keep the subject rolling.
“Nope,” she shook her head. “I’d rather not associate with anyone linked to Brian.”
“Did Andy seem like the type to get into the kind of stuff that Brian did?”
“You mean stealing things and raping women?” she scoffed bitterly. “Not on his own. The guy could barely talk around girls, but as for stealing stuff… I guess he was pretty good with computers. No doubt Brian probably used that to his advantage. And I know he was involved in other aspects of Brian’s evil schemes,” she added with a frown.
He knew she was referring to the sex video, but a key rattled in the door and they both looked toward the sound. Cole had been stupid and lingered too long. He should have just taken the food to go.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Van entered the apartment and Dani stood with a smile. “You’re home early.” She hurried across the room and slid her arms around him for a hug.
“It’s Friday. Figured I’ve beat the shit out of myself enough this week.” He eyed Cole at the table and awareness sank in. “Who’s your friend?” he asked anyways.
“Oh, this is Cole,” she said, turning around to gesture to him. “You guys honestly haven’t met yet?” Neither man responded as Dani led Van to the table. “Cole lives in 4G. You really haven’t met each other in the last few days?”
“No,” Van replied. He did behave appropriately and extended a fist. Cole bumped it and Van added, “Nice to meet you. Welcome to The Block.”
“Thanks,” Cole nodded. He turned to Dani and said, “Thanks for lunch, I really appreciate it—”
“Then sit and finish it,” she pointed with a smile. “Honestly, Cole, just stay and eat.”
She turned for the kitchen and prepared a plate for Van, and when she did, Van shot Cole a look that said, “Might as well.”
“Where’s your sister and the kids?” Van asked. He sat down at the table with a smug smile. Yeah, he knew who this guy was. Didn’t take a genius to figure it out. Between Jack’s insistence that Dani was being “looked after” and Paulie’s warnings about the new guy getting too close to her, it was a no brainer.
“They’ll be over later. Jaime’s mother-in-law—well, ex mother-in-law—stopped by and wanted to take them to lunch.”
Van nodded as she set a plate in front of him. “Thanks, babe. This looks incredible. I’m starving.”
She returned to the spot next to him and said, “We were just talking about Andy.”
Van flashed a glance towards Cole but tried to remain clueless. “Oh yeah? What about that fuck wad.”
“Van, be nice.”
“What for? Stop feeling sorry for him, Dani.” He turned to Cole and asked, “What about Andy?”
Cole held up both hands and said, “I don’t know these people. I’m just a sounding board.”
Ah, so he was going to play that card, huh? Van shrugged. Just as well. “Scotty had to drop out of the tournament,” Van informed his wife.
“What? What happened?”
“Broke his hand,” he said in between bites. Dani gave him a suspicious look and he chuckled. “Hey, I didn’t do it,” he clarified. “Smashed it in an engine or something.”
“Well that’s too bad,” she frowned. “I know he was looking forward to it”.
Van barely glanced at Cole, who got up to rinse his plate in the sink. “There’s an opening now,” he said. “You interested?”
Cole met the challenge with amusement, looking over Dani’s head to return Van’s smirk. “Not sure if I’m ready for it yet,” he answered casually. “Thanks for lunch, Dani. I gotta get going.”
“Do you want to take some with you?”
He shook his head with a smile, but it was sad. What a shame they could never remain friends. “No thanks. Save some for yourself.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Van said as he stood.
“No need. Finish eating.”
“Not a problem. Mickey said you had some extra footage on Mendez,” he lied. “Care to share it?”
Cole nodded. “Sure. Come grab it.”
So Van entered the hall with Cole and shut the door behind him. He didn’t waste any time getting to the point as they walked to 4G. “Why are you still here? The charges were dropped.”
“There’s more to do.”
“Like what? Jack did his job and got me out. Who are you working for?”
Cole took his time replying as he unlocked his apartment. “Mickey.”
“Mickey? What the fuck is going on?”
“You got a gym full of suspects, Van. I suggest you be careful. Were you hoping this would all just go away?”
“So Mickey wants you to find out who set me up?”
“Pretty much. Or at least make sure everyone is who they say they are.”
“Quincy’s gone. That motherfucker is dead to us. Don’t tell me you’re looking into the other guys because I don’t wanna believe it.”
“Well you don’t have to believe it, but you should be careful. Quincy’s not the only one fucking people over. He’s the least of your worries. Jack warned you about the guys living here on The Block.”
“So tell me what you know. I want to help.”
“It’s better that you don’t.”
“The fuck it is! Do you realize what I’ve been through these last few months? What Dani has been through? I want this to be over. If there’s a possibility that someone is still out to do some damage, I will fuck them up.”
“I know you will, which is why you should just back the fuck off and let us do our job. Look, I’m not here to cause any trouble, Van. In fact, I don’t even want to be here. But it is what it is and I’m going to finish this job so I can get the hell out of this place.”
“Well you might not care about the people involved in this, but I do,” Van growled. “If anything happens to my wife—”
“Don’t tell me I don’t care about the people I’m trying to help!” Cole retorted. “Why do you think I do this? It’s to keep people like you out of trouble so you can live happily ever after with your beautiful women. Don’t fucking tell me I don’t care!”
“What’s going on?” a voice asked from down the hall.
Paul came from around the corner with a basket of laundry and Cole wanted to punch a wall. Just what I need, Cole thought.
“Nothing,” Van told him. “I got this.”
Paul only hesitated for a moment and gave him a nod. He left for his apartment and shut the door. Cole motioned
for Van to follow him into his place and closed the door behind them.
“More secrets?” Cole asked. “Is that what you want to know? How about that Dani’s parents paid Brian Thompson thousands of dollars. First to pose as an adoring boyfriend that could hopefully talk her into modeling again. Can you fucking believe that shit? He was so convincing, so good to her, that she actually considered marrying him. Then they paid him to leave her alone. After that they paid him to leave town, and now Andy is blackmailing them over the sex tape that doesn’t exist anymore.”
Van could only stare at him.
“You didn’t know this? Jack didn’t tell you? Because secrets tear people apart! Does knowing that make it easier?”
“Knowing only helps to understand,” Van replied evenly. “That is some sick twisted shit, and Dani is going to be crushed if she ever finds out.”
“Well if she finds out hopefully it’s because her parents have told her. I talked to her dad myself and uncovered all of that garbage. I told him he needs to come clean before she hears it from one of us.”
“That fucker better not even come near her!”
Cole sighed. He didn’t want to be in the middle of this. “You wanted the information, so there you go. I don’t know if he’s going to tell her or not, but that’s not my business. For now I’m on this piece of shit Andy character. If he’s involved in Brian’s murder, the guy could be some sort of sociopath. I don’t fucking know, but I’ve got my hands full.”
“What about Quincy? He doesn’t have anything to do with the murder?”
Cole sighed. “He swears it wasn’t him. Someone from that gym took your shoes from your locker. Someone that was familiar with your truck, your keys, your apartment, and what gym locker was yours. They used it to their advantage. Whether it was for their own vengeance or someone else’s, I don’t know. Just let me do my job, okay? Mickey doesn’t want this to get out. You gotta see that it’s better that way.”
Van couldn’t disagree with that. If Mickey felt it necessary to keep it a secret, he must have been pretty worried. Van was already dealing with the hard part:
Pretending like he didn’t believe everyone at the gym was out to get him.
***
Quincy felt like a deer on the open range in this damn city. He couldn’t go anywhere without feeling like someone was watching him.
He pulled his hood over his forehead and started jogging. He didn’t drive his car anymore—it was too risky. It took twenty minutes to get to the back side of an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. This was the last trip he was going to make out here.
He was done with this mess.
“I don’t wanna fucking see your face again,” he told the guy in the car.
“I don’t wanna see you again either.” He tossed a package at him and said, “Gimme mine.”
Quincy pulled out a large envelope of cash and handed it to him.
“This is done,” the driver said as he counted the money. “The heat’s getting too hot.”
Quincy glanced into the bag he’d been given. “Holy shit, who wears this stuff?”
“Who fucking cares. I got what I wanted; just get it out of my sight.”
“What about Van?” Quincy asked.
“What about Van? Van doesn’t have a clue. He’ll bounce back. He always fucking does. He tossed your ass without a thought, so why are you even concerned about him? We’re nothing to him.”
Quincy slowly shook his head. “Don’t underestimate Van. That’s all I’m gonna say…”
The driver waved off the warning and drove away.
Quincy took a deep breath and shook his head. One desperate moment led him to this. He fucked up big time and Van would never forgive him. At least now he could say he did everything he could to make things right.
He waited until he was for sure alone and walked towards the river. He waited for another few minutes, getting antsy. Where the hell was the guy?
Finally he appeared from the direction of the park.
“Why are you late?” Quincy asked.
“Sorry, just taking precautions.” He glanced at Quincy’s hands and saw they were empty. “Well?”
Quincy reached into his sweatshirt pocket and pulled out a brown bag. “What, you think I’m gonna be wearing that shit out here?”
He chuckled, thoroughly amused. “Hell, might improve your ugly face.”
“Ha. Well here, take ‘em. Stay the hell away from me, okay? And tell your buddy to quit following me.”
“What’s got you so spooked, Quincy?”
“Are you fucking kidding me? I shouldn’t be doing this. I should just count my losses and leave town.”
“You regretting your choice to right your wrongs?”
Quincy sighed. “No. But I’m done, okay? I did this because I needed to, not because you asked.”
“Fine.”
“Look, I hope she’s happy, okay? I feel like the biggest piece of shit because of what happened to her. If that’s a tiny step to making up for it, then so be it.”
“You still don’t want her to know what you did for her? How you got this?”
“No, so shut the fuck up about it.”
He only shrugged and started to walk away. A few seconds later he heard Quincy call his name so he turned around.
“When the shit hits the fan…” Quincy sighed and shook his head. “Just make sure they’re okay. Please?” He didn’t want to wait for an answer so he turned the opposite direction and never looked back.
“They have each other, they’ll be fine,” Quincy heard in the dark.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Dani asked again.
Van playfully scoffed. “Will you stop?” he chuckled. “It’ll be fine.”
She sighed. “I know you’ll do great, I just get nervous.”
“I know you do. But I’ve been preparing for this fight for a while now. I’m ready, and I’m ready to win us some money. There’s no point questioning it. I need to start my kid’s college fund.”
“We’ll worry about the college fund later,” she smiled. “Right now we need to afford diapers.”
“Fighting for diapers. Got it.”
Dani laughed and wrapped her arms around him. “I love you, Van. Kick some ass.”
“Damn right,” he grinned. He kissed the top of her head. “I love you, too. Let me hear you scream out there, ‘kay?”
She gave him a sultry expression. “What kind of scream you looking for?”
“Oh God,” he shook his head. “You’re totally derailing my focus now.”
“No, no, no,” she laughed worriedly. “I’m kidding. I was kidding. I’ll be yelling, ‘Make him bleeeeeed!’” she growled in a gruff voice. “And, ‘Give him the chair!’ ”
He laughed really hard with that one and pulled her close to him again. “Oh man, you make my life complete. That drama is fake, sweetheart. ‘Make him bleed’ was about right, though.”
She smiled as she relished the moment with him. There were a lot of jokes she made about Van’s career, but it was all in fun. And because she worried. She did it to ease her own apprehension. If this really was Van’s last fight like he claimed, she wasn’t going to object. But if he decided that he missed the sport and wanted to go back later on, she would accept that, too.
Their private moment came to an end when Mickey entered, ready for Van to get down to business. She kissed him goodbye, but it ended up lasting a while and Mickey had to clear his throat to remind them of his presence. Dani gave them both a smile and then blew Van a kiss from the door as she left.
“Use that to strengthen you, not weaken you,” Mickey advised.
“I know, I know. She’s my strength and my weakness. How the hell does that work?”
Mickey grinned. “Heh heh. It’s called love, son. Now let’s focus here…”
***
Cole entered the arena cautiously, his eyes open. If all went well, the investigation wou
ld be wrapped up and he could be far away from this place by Monday.
He spotted Sam on the other side and they acknowledged one another with just their eyes. Cole made his way to a seat, glancing at the current match that was going on in the octagon. Two welterweights were going at it against the fence. He was about to grab a seat in the tenth row but caught sight of Dani waving him over. She was sitting in the second row with Paul and Scotty. Cole wanted to pretend like he didn’t see her but it was too late. She even got up and started to come his way.
“Marnie’s home with the flu. Come have her seat.” She grabbed his arm and practically dragged him to her seats, quickly sitting down so they didn’t ruin anyone’s view. “I’m about to throw up, but other than that, life is great.”
He smiled at the joking yet serious tone she spoke with. “Sick from pregnancy? Or nerves.”
“Nerves. I hate this.”
“He’s ready. He’ll do fine.”
“Not without a few kicks and punches to his head. Do you know what it’s like to hear your husband’s head get hit like that?”
“No, I don’t. But I know what it feels like myself.”
She shook her head with sympathy, just as the match in front of them was called with a tap out.
“So where’ve you been this week, Cole? Again, I’ve barely seen you.”
“Just working. Long hours.”
“Yeah, I guess. I mean twice this week I stopped by to see if you wanted to join some of us for a late dinner and you weren’t home. Do you really work on houses in the dark?”
He gave her a side-glance. “I do have other things besides work.”
“True. Your family. How are they? How’s your mom doing? I bet it’s tough on her—your dad’s passing.”
Cole barely nodded. “Yeah, it’s hard.”
“Is there anything I can help with? Maybe I can make a few meals and—”
“It’s fine, Dani. You’ve got enough to worry about.”
