Protecting Her(83)

I smiled. I was thrilled to hear his voice again. “How are you able to do this? They can track a cell phone. They can hack into it and listen to our conversation.”

“With an ordinary cell phone, yes. But not this one. I rigged it so it can’t be tampered with. I’ve already tested it out, and trust me, we’re safe. Those f*ckers will never find out. But keep it hidden away in a safe place. I don’t want them finding it.”

“Jack, thank you for doing this. I’ve had no one to talk to and—well, I just really needed to talk to you again.”

“How’s Rachel doing?”

“She’s very hurt that Martha won’t return her calls.”

“I’m sorry about that. Martha feels horrible about it. Every time Rachel calls or leaves a message, Martha turns into a blubbering mess, wanting to call her back. Rachel was like a daughter to her and she misses her terribly. And don’t even get me started on Garret. Martha loves that boy. She feels like she lost her grandson.”

Jack and I talked for an hour that day, and ever since then, we’ve talked once a week, sometimes more. I seek out his advice, or he just listens when I’m struggling with the Dunamis side of my life. He’s more than a mentor. He’s like family to me. I’m closer to him than I am my own father.

The waiter brings my drink, waking me from my thoughts. Logan and I give him our order.

“How’s Shelby?” I ask once the waiter is gone. “Rachel said Shelby wants another baby.”

“Yes. We’ve talked about it.” He doesn’t sound very enthusiastic.

“You’d rather stop at three?”

He swirls the liquor around in his glass. “I wouldn’t mind having a fourth. Shelby’s a great mother. She loves the kids more than anything. When the twins started kindergarten a few months ago, Shelby could barely let them go. Now all three of her babies are in school. I think that’s why she wants another one.”

“And yet I’m getting the feeling you don’t want that.”

“It’s not that. It has to do with something else. That’s why I drove here to talk to you.”

“What is this about?”

“Shelby.” He looks down at the table. “And her past.”

Shit. He knows. He knows about Shelby.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” I say.

“I’ve become aware of some things over the years. Things I wish you had told me, Pearce.”

We can’t talk about those things. Not here. Not now. Logan should know that, but since I’m not sure if he does, I feel the need to tell him.

“We could talk about this after lunch. Someplace more private.”

He glances left and right. “I’ll keep it vague.”

“Then go ahead.” I drink my bourbon. I may need a couple more to get through this conversation.

“I know about the associates. One of my patients came in last week and—well, it doesn’t matter how I found out. But I did, and ever since then I’ve been putting some things together.”

“What are you referring to?”

“The way Shelby behaved when we were dating. I could never figure out where she went at night. She’d disappear. She wasn’t at her apartment. I couldn’t reach her on the phone. And when I asked her about it, she’d get very defensive and tell me to stop spying on her.” He picks up his glass and finishes his drink. “I always wondered how she was supporting both herself and her parents. When I was treating her father, her mother told me how proud she was of Shelby for working two jobs to help pay for her father’s medical bills. But I knew Shelby only had one job and I knew it was only part time. Again, I asked her about it, but she wouldn’t give me an answer. I started to think that maybe she was selling drugs. She always had that pager with her wherever she went. But there were no signs that she was selling drugs. I couldn’t find any at her apartment and she didn’t have buyers coming to her door.”

“What are you saying, Logan?”

His glass is now empty but he takes a drink anyway, the ice clanking around. He sets the glass down on the table and looks at me. “I think Shelby was an associate.”

I keep quiet and wait for him to continue.

“I know that’s horrible to say, but when I think about it, it makes sense. The money. The pager. Being gone almost every night.” He shuts his eyes and squeezes the bridge of his nose. “I just don’t want to believe it.”