Brian Sheppard—the big guy Toni had dubbed the Incredible Hunk—was a Midwest farm boy with a degree in architectural engineering. After seeing the greenhouses he’d designed, Bree wasn’t at all surprised.
She’d saved Nick’s file for last. It was the one she was most interested in. Fortunately or unfortunately, it didn’t contain much more than the bombshells Toni had already dropped.
More importantly, it didn’t hold the answers she wanted. Like, why hadn’t he shared anything about his past when she’d spoken about hers? And how close was he to his family? Were they still in touch, or had he walked away from that life and tried not to think about it, as she had?
Also of note, there was no recent information on any of them.
Frustrated, Bree shoved her laptop to the side and got off the bed, taking a moment to stretch her back and neck. She wouldn’t have answers until she talked to Nick and maybe not even then, depending on how much he decided to share.
She switched gears, returning to her discussion with Lenny. The more she replayed the conversation in her mind, the more bothered she was by it. What was his end goal?
As a police officer, even one from a town as small as Sumneyville, he had to know that hearsay and conjecture without evidence were essentially useless. In fact, the only thing he could hope to accomplish was to taint her impressions enough to paint the Sanctuary guys in a bad light.
Then, there was the way he’d told her. It’d felt staged—from his choice of location in the shadows to a recitation of so-called facts that, looking back now, had sounded rehearsed.
She’d interviewed a lot of people over the years and become adept at determining who was telling the truth and who was spinning tales.
The thing was, in almost every interview, someone lied about something in some degree or fashion. Sometimes, it was as simple as someone exaggerating the truth or omitting certain facts to paint a rosier picture. Other times, the motivation came from a need to manipulate and misdirect, to orchestrate, to hide ugly truths—basically, everything that Lenny had accused the men of Sanctuary of doing.
Bree had to figure out which she was dealing with. She knew what she wanted to believe, but wanting something didn’t make it true. She could only hope that, after talking to Nick, she’d have a clearer picture.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Bree
Bree checked the time on her phone and sighed. She’d stalled as long as she could. There was no point in putting it off. Nick wasn’t coming. Her questions, like her early morning texts, would remain unanswered for the time being.
Pulling the zipper closed on her last suitcase, Bree took one last look around the room for anything she might have missed. Finding nothing, she gathered her luggage and carried it downstairs. She said her good-byes to Martha and Penny, and then she loaded up the Mustang and set a course for Pine Ridge.
The day was overcast, the sky threatening to open up at any minute and rain buckets. It fit her mood. The weather had been awful the day she arrived; it seemed only fitting that it should be on the day she left, too. But since it wasn’t raining yet, she decided to chance it and keep the top down for one last ride.
She made it to Pine Ridge without incident. The same dark-haired woman was at the garage when she arrived, talking to someone in front of one of the open bays. They both turned when Bree pulled into the lot, but by the time she got out of the car and extracted her bags, the man was gone.
“Nicki, right?”
“Right. How’d you like the Mustang?”
“It was awesome,” Bree told her honestly, handing in the keys. “Makes me want to buy one.”
“So, what’s stopping you?”
“As much as I love the car, I need something more practical as a daily driver. Besides, I don’t think it would be as fun to drive on clogged freeways as it is on curvy mountain roads. Is my rental fixed?”
“Yep, it’s all done, and everything’s squared with the agency.”
Bree was amazed. She’d thought she’d have to jump through hoops and waste hours dealing with insurance agents and customer service. “Thanks.”
“No problem. Did you enjoy your time in Sumneyville?”
“I did. Very scenic.”
Nicki smirked. “In more ways than one, right?”
Bree laughed. “I take it, you’ve met the guys who run Sanctuary then.”
Nicki nodded. “I have. I look forward to reading your article.”
“Thanks. I hope I can do it justice.”
After signing a few papers, Bree transferred her luggage to the rental, impressed by how good it looked.
“You do good work. I can’t even tell anything happened.”
Nicki smirked. “Sean’s the best when it comes to fixing cars, but he’s shit with a paint sprayer. That’s all me.”
“I heard that,” shouted a disembodied voice from the bay.
Nicki winked at Bree. “I love getting him riled up. Have a safe trip back.”
Bree thanked her and was once again on her way.
* * *
Cage
The moment Cage’s eyes popped open, he knew he’d fucked up. His internal clock told him he’d slept a lot longer than the single hour he’d intended.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”
His phone held missed texts from Bree from hours earlier. He’d forgotten to switch it off Silent mode after returning with Doc, but even if he hadn’t, he probably wouldn’t have heard it over the pounding of rain on the trailer roof; it was really coming down.
He groaned when he saw the time, wishing he’d thought to ask when Bree was planning to leave. She’d said only that she was flying out late that night, but she might have left early to allow for bad weather and increased travel times.
He fired off a quick apology, followed by a question and a request, hoping he wasn’t too late but fearing he was. When no response was forthcoming, he dialed Callaghan Auto. Sean picked up on the second ring.
“Sean, it’s Cage. Has Bree been there yet?”
“Been
