Golden Trail (32 page)

“Totally creepy,” Tripp agreed. “Like that
pied piper story, except he skipped the mice and went straight to
the kids.”

Rocky forced him back by turning at the same
time twisting her neck and looking up at him.

Layne looked down at her to see she looked
even paler and that concern he saw earlier that day was flooding
her eyes.

He took his palm from the counter and forced
her back to his front with his arms around her, one at her chest,
one at her ribs and he gave her a reassuring squeeze then left his
arms where they were.

Then he looked at Tripp. “We need you to go
in.”

Tripp’s brows knitted and his head tipped to
the side. “Go in?”

“Undercover, Pal, I need you to work this
case for Rocky and me.”

Tripp’s brows slowly separated, his face
went blank then he smiled huge and bounced once on his stool. “Oh
yeah!” he shouted. “I can do that.”

“Tripp,” Layne said low, “You gotta be cool
about this. This is not a gung ho mission. This requires finesse,
Pal.”

Tripp nodded and his voice was quieter when
he repeated, “I can do that.”

Jasper came to the island stating, “I can
too and Keira would be all over it.”

Layne looked at Jasper. “I’d be open to you
doin’ it, Bud, but Keira, absolutely not.”

“Why not?” Jasper returned. “She’s up for
anything and she’s a girl, that guy at the Youth Group, he likes
girls.”

At this, Rocky’s hand came up, her fingers
curling around Layne’s forearm so tight they almost hurt.

“No to Keira, Jas,” Layne replied.

“She’s a nut but she’s smart,” Jasper
returned, defending his girl.

Layne gave him the honesty. “You wanna keep
her safe you keep her
far
away from this guy. Do you get
what I’m sayin’ to you?”

Jasper stared at him, the blood running from
his face, a muscle ticked in his cheek and he nodded.

Layne looked to Tripp. “Do you get it,
Tripp?”

“He’s a bad guy,” Tripp whispered, the
excitement now out of his eyes and those eyes were wide.

“I don’t know but I’ve learned to listen to
my gut and, on this, my gut is tellin’ me whatever is happening
there is not good. And I don’t know what he’s doin’ but my gut
tells me he likes doin’ it, he’s got a sweet gig goin’ and he’s not
gonna want anyone to make him stop, not anyone, not a cop and not a
high school kid. That means you gotta go in there and be smart. You
feel somethin’s not right for you, you get the fuck out. You feel
safe, you listen, you watch and you got two missions to start with.
One, you get close to the girl Rocky tells you to get close to, you
make friends with her and you do it in a way that, when this is
done, you’re still friends with her. You get her to talk to you and
you do that smart too. You wanna know about Youth Group, you wanna
get involved, you wanna be a part of it all, you wanna be her
friend but you find out everything you can about what they do and
where they’re doin’ it, what you see, what they’ll let you get
involved in but, mostly, what they
won’t
. The other part is
you get me something he’s touched. A can of pop, a pen, I don’t
give a fuck what it is. You do your best not to touch it too much
and I’ll give you a bag to put it in. I want to pull his prints off
it and run them. We gotta know who this guy is and who we’re goin’
up against. He’s in the system, this goes quick. He’s not, we gotta
find another way. You think you can you do that?”

Tripp nodded.

“Good,” Layne told him and then he gave
Rocky another squeeze, dipped his head and said close to her ear,
“Who’d you pick for Tripp, baby?”

She nodded too and Layne lifted his head as
she said, “You have three choices, Tripp. Giselle Speakmon, Sabrina
Tilley or Darcy Cassini.”

“Giselle Speakmon,” Jasper said
immediately.

“Why?” Devin entered the conversation on a
bark that made Jasper, Tripp
and
Rocky jump.

“’Cause she’s hot,” Jasper replied.

“She’s out,” Devin shot back. “Next.”

“She’s hot
and
she’s shy. Freakin’
shy, like, it’s
painful.
She’s a freshman too, like Tripp,”
Jasper continued, his eyes steady on Devin. “Sabrina is nice and
she’s okay lookin’, at a push, but she’s a junior and Tripp would
be outta her league if she wasn’t just okay lookin’ and, like I
said, that’s
at a push
, so, actually,
she’s
outta
his
league. Darcy’s nice too but she’s a sophomore and she’s
big as a boat. It’d look funny, he got friendly with either of
them. He wouldn’t have any reason to do that. This guy’s a predator
like you think he is then he’ll cotton onto Tripp’s game, he gets
close to one of those chicks. Everyone knows who Tripp is and
everyone knows what Dad does.” Jasper’s eyes went to his old man.
“No one would question Tripp gettin’ friendly with Giselle. She’s
hot and girls like Tripp, think he’s cute. Tripp would have to work
it ‘cause she’s so shy but, if anyone could get Giselle talkin’,
it’d be Tripp and Tripp could play it like he’s there
just
to get Giselle to talk to him. That’s the way I’d play it. And
he’ll be cool. He’ll work it, no one will know why he’s there and
he’ll get what you need.”

In that moment, there was a lot happening at
that island for Tanner Layne, so much it was too much for Layne to
process. The first part of it being the fact that he’d gone beyond
vastly underestimating Jasper. The second part was that Devin was
staring at his oldest son with blatant respect, something Devin
very rarely did. The third part of it being the fact that Raquel
Merrick was standing, unresisting, in his arms with her fingers
curled tight, holding onto him. The last part of it was Tripp
looking at his brother with unashamed love shining from his eyes
and Layne had seen a lot of things in his life, the woman he held
in his arms being the most beautiful, or she was until Layne saw
Tripp look at his brother like that.

“Then it’s Giselle,” Layne declared, heard
his voice was gruff and he knew Rocky heard it too because her
fingers gave his arm a squeeze. Layne cleared his throat and went
on. “Youth Group meets tomorrow night, Tripp, seven thirty. You
start then.”

Tripp nodded at Layne again.

“I’ll take him and go with him the first
night,” Jasper offered.

“That works but no Keira,” Layne
replied.

“No Keira,” Jasper agreed.

“How do you know he likes girls?” Rocky put
in and Jasper looked at her when she continued. “Have you seen this
man?”

“Yeah, he’s everywhere, at the games, at
Reggie’s after games, at the Senior Follies last year around about
the time he first got to town. He’s a good-lookin’ guy and there’s
always a bunch of girls around him. He acts all holy and sometimes
even carries a Bible but I think that’s so parents won’t freak.
There’s boys in that Youth Group but there’s only about ten of
them. They go to be around the girls but they stay because they say
this guy is the shit. They say he’s funny as all get out, makes
religion cool.”

“You got friends who go there?” Layne
asked.

“Not friends but I know some of the kids,”
Jasper answered.

“Then that’s your job, you get them talkin’
in school. Learn what you can and let me know,” Layne ordered and
Jasper nodded.

“Does Keira know this guy?” Rocky suddenly
asked and Layne’s arms tightened around her.

“Don’t know but I reckon,” Jasper answered.
“Everyone does.”

“Do you think you could get Keira to point
him out to me at Friday’s game?”

“It’s away, he won’t be there,” Jasper
answered.

“Any game then, without her knowing why
she’s pointing him out,” Rocky pushed.

“Roc, what the fuck?” Layne asked.

She let him go, turned in his arms and
looked up at him. “I want to talk to him.”

“Why?”

“And I want to get his picture and give it
to Merry.”

“That I can see, and that
I’ll
do,
sweetcheeks, but you aren’t talkin’ to this guy.”

“I want to feel him out,” she returned.

“Rocky –”

“I work around kids every day and around
adults who work around kids. I’ll know just by seeing him around
the kids if he’s right or not,” she explained.

“You can use your gut for a lotta things,
baby, but, far’s I know, havin’ a bad feelin’ about someone isn’t
cause for police to instigate a full blown investigation, even if
one of ‘em is your brother. They gotta justify their use of limited
resources, Rocky, and if Drew could pull that off, he’d be doin’
this job himself,” Layne told her.

Her face changed, the fire ignited in her
eyes, Layne braced when he saw it and she didn’t disappoint. “Okay,
then I want to walk up to him, friendly-like, and, just as
friendly-like, give him the indication that I’m not liking what I’m
hearing at school, I’m paying attention and I’m watching and, oh,
by the way, my boyfriend happens to be the town’s badass private
investigator. I’ll do it just enough to make him be careful and
maybe cool off what he’s doing so Tripp can do his work and in the
meantime no one will get hurt, or,
more
hurt but not enough
to make him run.”

Yes, Rocky was a nut.

“Did you catch the part I said to Tripp
about not wanting anyone to make him stop?” Layne asked.

“Yes,
Layne
, I caught that part but I
still want to make him stop, at least until we catch him,” she shot
back.

“Sweetcheeks, you’re not getting
involved.”

“I’m already involved.”

“Okay, then you’re not getting
more
involved.”

“Layne –”

“We’re not gonna discuss this.”

“Layne!”

Layne lifted his hands to rest on her jaws
and he tipped her head back further as his face got into hers.
“Jasper was right when he used the word ‘predator’. Anytime kids
are involved, it’s about predators. And predators are dangerous.
Best case scenario, this is about drugs. Worst case scenario, baby,
you do not wanna know.
Either way, you are not gettin’
near
this guy, no lip, no discussion.”

“These are my kids,” Rocky snapped, pulling
her jaw from his hands and stepping back.

“I get that,” Layne replied, putting his
hands on her neck and pulling her right back.

“Someone has to keep them safe.”

“That’d be Tripp, but like I said today,
Rocky, it’s gonna take time. Give him time.”

“And until then?”

“Until then, you keep your eyes and ears
open, Jas does the same, Tripp does the same, you trust me and we
fuckin’ hope.”

“That isn’t good enough, Layne.”

“It sucks, baby, and I know that but that’s
all you got.” Layne watched her eyes flash and he pulled her even
closer, put his thumbs under her jaws to tilt her head back and put
his forehead to hers. “I know this is frustrating and it’s killin’,
you, baby, but stick with me on this and do
not
make it
worse by puttin’ yourself out there for this guy.”

She stared into his eyes a beat until hers
closed. Then she pulled in breath through her nose and let it out
the same way.

Then she opened her eyes and whispered, “All
right.”

“I like her,” Devin declared and Layne and
Rocky’s heads turned his way. “Bet even with those fancy-ass duds,
she don’t live in no development with an HOA.”

Layne turned to Devin, positioning Rocky in
front of him at the counter and pinning her in again as he replied,
“She lives in a luxury apartment complex.”

“Okay then, I bet she don’t
care
what
her luxury apartment complex rules tell her what she can and can’t
do with her car,” Devin returned.

“You’re right, I don’t care, but with the
rent I’m paying, Devin, I should be able to park my car right next
to the swimming pool if I’ve a mind to do it,” Rocky put in.

“You got a swimmin’ pool?” Devin asked.

“Yes,” Rocky answered.

“Any lovelies who sunbathe there?” Devin
went on.

“I just moved in a couple of weeks ago, Dev,
it’s October in Indiana so I haven’t scoped it out yet and won’t
get that chance until next summer,” Rocky told him.

“Well, I’ll be back next summer, I’ll help
you scope it out,” Devin offered and Layne heard Rocky’s soft
giggle.

His eyes went to his sons and both of them
were looking at Rocky and smiling.

Then he looked at his watch and back to
Jasper. “Too late to get started on pasta bake, Bud, it’s Keira
time.”

Jasper’s body jolted, he looked to the clock
over the microwave and hissed, “Fuck!” Then he held his hand out
and wiggled his fingers. “Devin, keys.”

“Don’t care about no HOA,” Dev grunted.

“You care about it or you go back to my
office and sleep on my couch,” Layne stated and Devin gave him a
stubborn look.

“Devin! Keys!” Jasper fairly shouted,
desperate not to be late for Keira.

“Just go, Jasper, I’ll move Devin’s car and
start the pasta,” Rocky said, slipping out from in front of Layne
and heading to the stove.

“Thanks, Rocky, you’re the shit,” Jasper
muttered then bolted to and out the door.

“You’re not movin’ my car either, girlie,”
Devin declared. “No woman drives the Calais, don’t care how pretty
she is.”

Rocky turned her head and aimed the dimple
at him, saying, “We’ll see.” Then she moved a pot to the faucet and
started to fill it with water.

Layne reclaimed his forgotten beer and took
a slug, his eyes on Devin.

When he dropped his beer to the counter he
muttered, “My money’s on Roc.”

Devin grunted.

Ten minutes later, the pasta was on, the
hamburger was browning and the Calais was in the drive in the spot
behind Rocky’s Mercedes.

Layne found this hilariously funny for two
reasons. One, Devin wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t let women
drive his car and he’d let Rocky drive his car, it was just the
turn into the drive, but he’d let her do it. And two, Rocky had
pinned her own vehicle in for the night.