Discovering You (28 page)

“Are you positive we shouldn't just settle with him, pay up? As much as that galls me, I'm betting it'll turn out to be cheaper than hiring an attorney.”

“I don't care. We're standing on principle here. We won't let him get away with lying about you.”

Rod would feel equally determined, except he didn't want his brothers to be hurt, financially or any other way. He'd do whatever he had to in order to protect them. “Then I'm paying for the whole thing.”

“Don't get your checkbook out quite yet, little brother. We'll see how this goes. With any luck,
he'll
be paying
us
.”

At the clang of the gate surrounding the pool, Rod glanced up. India was back with their drinks. “Everything okay?” she asked, looking concerned.

His irritation had to be showing on his face. He made an effort to clear it. “Of course. Everything's fine.” She didn't seem convinced, so he added, “It's nothing money won't fix,” and told Dylan he'd talk to him later.

“Is Dylan upset that you're still gone?” she asked when he'd disconnected. “Do you need to go back?”

“No, he's supportive. Quit worrying. I'm not going anywhere.”

She sat on the chaise beside his. “I don't want to cause you any problems.”

He almost asked if he'd ever be able to compete with her saintly husband. He understood how different he was from the kind of man Charlie had been. He wasn't going to change the world. Wasn't going to save any lives. Wasn't going to take her to any swanky parties. He could only hope love would be enough, but he wouldn't ask. He refused to put her under any more pressure, not with what she was already going through.

“You're getting burned.” She pressed a finger into his arm.

“That's why I moved out of the sun.”

“When we get back to Whiskey Creek, we're going to look as if we've been sailing in the Caribbean.”

“
You're
not,” he teased. “You're as pale as ever.”

“Because I don't tan,” she complained. “I only burn, which is why I always have to wear sunblock or cover up.”

He held his arm next to hers and chuckled at the difference, but he didn't laugh for long. He sobered as those pretty blue eyes of hers caught his attention. She was looking at him so intently. Then she leaned in and gave him one of those honey-sweet kisses he loved so much.

Surely that meant something. Or would everything change when they went back to their normal lives?

25

T
hat night Rod caught his first break when he followed Sebastian and his brother to the pool hall. Eddie rode in the passenger seat; Rod had seen him come and go over the past few days, and the Siddells had confirmed his identity. For this trip, Sheila and the kids were left behind.

When Rod walked into Solids and Stripes, he was glad he'd been there before—and that the man he'd played pool with was back, too. Dave remembered Rod and invited him to play, giving Rod a comfortable vantage point from which to observe Sebastian and wait for the right opportunity to initiate a conversation.

That opportunity didn't come for quite some time. He was beginning to think it never would, but shortly before midnight, Eddie went to the bathroom, leaving Sebastian to rack the balls after their last game.

Rod sauntered over with a beer in one hand and a cue stick in the other. “Looking for some fresh competition?”

Supremely conscious of the fact that he'd spoken to Sebastian once before, when Sebastian had called India and she dropped the phone, Rod held his breath. He was poised to react quickly, but Sebastian didn't seem to recognize his voice. He merely waved toward the restrooms. “I got my brother here.”

“So?” Rod said. “He can play the winner.”

Sebastian was only an inch or two shorter, had longish black hair and swarthy skin with arms almost entirely covered in tattoos. He also had evidence of acne from an earlier period in his life. But he was handsome in a rough sort of way. Rod could see why India might've been attracted to him. The women at the pool hall seemed to like him, too. Rod had seen him kiss one and feel up another without any apparent concern for the fact that he was married.

“Who are you?” Sebastian asked.

Rod had already decided he'd make the answer to that question easy and use his own first name. He figured he'd be a lot less likely to screw up that way. “Rod Cunningham. You?”

“Sebastian Young.” He removed the rack, leaving the billiard balls in a perfect triangle. “I don't think I've seen you around here before.”

“I'm new in town, from San Jose, but I've been in to play pool once or twice.”

“Oh, yeah? What brings you to Hayward in the first place?”

“My job.”

“What'd you do?”

“I'm an auto body technician. My cousin owns a shop not far from here.” Rod tilted his beer toward him. “What about you?”

“Currently unemployed.”

“Okay. Now I know you and you know me.” He jerked his head toward the pool table. “We gonna play or what?”

Sebastian grinned. “We gonna put any money on it?”

“Why not?” Rod had no idea how good Sebastian was. He'd been careful not to watch him too closely. But the guy's skill level didn't really matter. Rod didn't care if this cost him $100. He actually felt it might be smarter to lose, even if he had to do it on purpose. No doubt Sebastian would like him better—and that was the real goal.

Fortunately, Sebastian turned out to be a talented player, so it wasn't difficult to make the loss look real. Rod wasn't entirely sure he could beat him even if he was giving it his best, so the game looked and felt authentic.

Eddie had come out of the bathroom shortly after they started and stood by to watch. He smiled when his brother sank the eight ball and Rod slapped his money on the table. But Rod wasn't willing to leave it at that. He didn't have days and weeks to develop a relationship. He had to make this opportunity count, had to get close to Sebastian fast. As soon as Sebastian moved to pick up the money, Rod snatched it away. “Double or nothing?”

Sebastian exchanged a look with his brother, then nodded. “Why not? I don't got to be anywhere else.”

Rod gave the second game his full effort and managed to win. He didn't want to fork over $200 and have Sebastian be finished with him. He needed to get Sebastian to ask for a third game—a tiebreaker, so they'd have more time to interact—and it worked. After the twenty minutes it took to lose that last game, Sebastian was clapping him on the back and promising to buy him a shot.

They moved to the bar, where they told stories and drank. Rod couldn't believe Sebastian didn't find his interest a little strange. But most people were egocentric enough not to question the attention they received, and
his
ego was bigger than most. Before long, Rod didn't have to say much. Sebastian did all the talking—to the point that Eddie lost interest and went to throw a few darts.

“What are you doing after this?” Rod asked.

Sebastian rocked back. “Hell if I know. Why? You lookin' for a party?”

Rod grinned. “I wouldn't be opposed to finding one.”

“You got any money left?”

“A few bucks.”

Sebastian leaned close and lowered his voice. “My brother might be able to score you a little crystal.”

Rod couldn't say that he'd
never
taken drugs. He'd dabbled here and there when he was younger, mostly with prescription drugs passed around by kids at school, but not after Dylan caught him smoking a joint when he was eighteen. He hadn't touched anything other than alcohol since, but he knew that acting interested in getting high would be the quickest way to score an invitation to Sebastian's house. “Then what the hell are we waiting for?”

Sebastian let out a whoop. “I like you, man,” he said. Then he called his brother over and whispered in his ear.

Eddie, however, wasn't quite as willing to embrace the idea. “We don't even know this dude,” he said, and he didn't bother to whisper. Rod suspected Eddie
wanted
to be overheard, wanted to watch his reaction. “He could be a cop.”

Sebastian already had a buzz going. Rod could tell he was feeling pretty damn good. “Rod's not a cop,” he said. “I can smell a cop from a mile away.”

“I'm
not
a cop,” Rod confirmed.

“Thing is...we've never seen you before, so how would we know that?”

“Just because you haven't seen me doesn't mean I haven't been in. Ask Dave over there. I played pool with him the other night.”

Dave happened to catch Rod pointing. He looked a little perplexed, then smiled and nodded when Rod waved.

“See?” Sebastian said. “He knows Dave.”

“Go on over and ask,” Rod insisted.

Eddie acted as if he might do that, but then his face cleared and he shrugged. “I guess a recommendation from Dave is good enough for me. I gotta make money somehow. Let's get the hell out of here.”

* * *

Nights seemed to drag on forever. India missed her potter's wheel, wished for a better way to distract herself from the anxiety she felt than watching TV. But without Rod, there wasn't a lot to do in a motel room. He always said she should sleep, that she didn't have to wait up, but she was too worried to go to bed without him. She wanted to be alert and near her phone in case he tried to call or text for help.

She scrolled through her pictures, looking at the ones she'd taken over the past ten days. Rod wasn't much for posing. But she'd gotten a few really good shots of him, in which she'd captured his sexy smile or the personality that showed in his eyes. He was funny and gorgeous and strong—and sweet and tender, too. So what if he and Charlie were different? Did they have to be the same? Was she doing her husband a disservice by picking someone completely opposite to him?

“What am I doing?” she asked aloud. She wished she could talk to Charlie, discuss the terrible conflict inside her and the guilt that was holding her back where Rod was concerned. She also wished she could discuss the fear that welled up every now and then. She didn't want to be hurt again. She'd been through too much, and it was all too recent. Charlie had always been a stabilizing influence. She could trust his judgment. But Charlie was gone.

She flipped through more pictures. Was it really only two years ago that they'd been in Scotland, touring the castles? She'd suggested they go to Mexico, had wanted to lie on a warm beach. But Charlie had been too worried about the danger, what with the drug cartels and the police corruption. He'd said he wouldn't risk his family.

Who knew that he wouldn't live much longer than another year in spite of playing it so safe?

It was all because of Sebastian. And here she was, making Sebastian the center of her life, to the point that she was currently living out of a motel. Was she foolish to be doing this? Would she only get Rod hurt, too?

She'd tried to talk him into going home and leaving the sleuthing to her. He wouldn't hear of it. She supposed that was one thing he and Charlie had in common. They were both driven, both stubborn. She'd begun to trust Rod, to depend on him. But she was also
finally
starting to get along with her in-laws again. What would they say if they learned she was seeing another man? Did she dare tell them? How long could she hide it?

She was just trying to think of a way she might be able to break the news when she received a text from Rod.

Met up with Sebastian at the pool hall. Following him to his place.

Her heart lurched into her throat, and she climbed off the bed. It was happening. Tonight. What they'd been trying to achieve.

Was it a mistake?

Are you sure you should be doing this?

Two hours passed.

He never answered.

* * *

Rod hadn't intended to get high. He hadn't had any choice. He soon found himself sitting in the living room with Eddie, Sheila and Sebastian, and knew instantly that he'd give himself away if he offered a last-second excuse. He could say he'd just received a text, that a problem had come up at home and he had to leave, but if he did that, if he bailed out, he'd probably never get another invitation.

Instead of leaving, he did what he could to distract the others by acting as if he thought someone was coming to the door, so he could get rid of most of his rock by fishing it out of the bowl and crushing it into the carpet. But he had to smoke some, and he had to admit he'd never experienced such a rush. Pot just wasn't the same. A lot of years had passed since he'd experienced even
that
.

The euphoria streaking through him sent his nervous system into high gear, made his heart race and his senses grow keen and receptive. It would've been easy to succumb to the pleasure, but he knew he had to keep his wits about him, remember why he was here. Sebastian had been high on crystal meth when he killed Charlie. Rod would be a fool to assume he'd be any less dangerous just because he seemed to be enjoying himself. Drugs affected people in different ways at different times.

Truth was, Sebastian could be
more
dangerous. And he had his wife and brother with him, who'd most likely do anything they could to cover up any crime he committed. If the next few hours went badly, they'd probably help bury Rod's body.

Rod made a joke Dylan had repeated to him earlier about two computer nerds, and they all started to laugh. He laughed, too. The laughter came easy, while most of the other pretense had not. So he told a few more jokes.

“I like you, man,” Sebastian said. “You're an okay dude.”

Rod got up to pace around. He felt bulletproof, as if he could conquer the world, and he supposed that was a good thing. Sebastian liked him now, but if Sebastian turned on him, he might need the added acuity and strength.

“Where you going?” Eddie asked.

Rod gestured at the hallway. “There a bathroom down here?”

“Yeah, on your right.”

He didn't really have to go; he just needed something to do, some outlet for all his energy. He also needed to figure out some way to get to Sheila's nephew, to talk to him. But how? He didn't want to be caught in the boy's room, didn't want to be mistaken for a pedophile. And what would he say to Van? “Hey, wake up. It's me again. Any chance you know where Sebastian hid his gun?”

The boy might be young, but he wasn't stupid.

Deciding he'd be better off biding his time, Rod returned to the living room, where Sebastian and the others were continuing to smoke. Since he probably wouldn't get to talk to Van tonight, he was hoping he'd have the opportunity to talk to Sheila. Depending on how disgruntled, trusting or just plain stupid she was, she might be a good source of information. But with every single nerve in his body firing at once, he couldn't sit still. The only thing that kept him from flying too high was the TV. The colors seemed unnaturally bright, which he found sort of fascinating. That gave him something to focus on to help him ride out the drug.

Unfortunately, coming down took much longer than he'd anticipated. The last time Rod remembered glancing at the clock, it was nearly five, and Sebastian and the others were
still
partying. They were like rats, pressing a lever that gave them a reward. They wouldn't abandon the
lever
until there was nothing left.

At least they were no longer paying much attention to
him
. That relieved some of the pressure, even though he couldn't really do anything while they were all there together.

He tried isolating Sheila by asking if she had something he could eat. He wanted to draw her into the kitchen, where they could talk without being overheard. But she waved him off, told him to help himself to anything he could find. She was as much of a tweaker as Sebastian was, afraid they'd smoke the rest of the crystal if she took a break.

Then, just when he was thinking he should probably leave, that India would be too worried if he stayed longer, he must've fallen asleep. Because when he woke up, he was lying on the couch alone with the sun blazing through a crack in the draperies.

A knock sounded, and he realized what had disturbed him. Someone was at the door.

Rod hesitated, wondering if one of the household's regular inhabitants would come from the back to answer. But no one did, so he got up—and found a worried Frank Siddell on the doorstep. As soon as Frank saw Rod, his expression changed—filled with relief. But he said nothing to give away the fact that they knew each other.