Elliot shook his head. “Not anymore.”
Jay tilted his head to the side, sensing that they had hit the core of the matter.
“Three years ago, Stella came to find us. Looks like some loyal sycophants of the Goldsteins had gotten in their head that the best way to get back at you was to kill Ruby Wei.”
Jay cursed loudly, feeling the sudden, intense desire to hit something.
“We helped her protect the girl and eliminated the threat.”
Jay nodded, a sharp jerk of his head. Stella had told him nothing of this. Anytime he had asked about Ruby, or Frank Morty, Stella’s answers had always been very brief. Ruby was well. She was getting beyond the loss of her grandmother, beyond her hatred of Jay. She was growing up mentally, catching up with her physical growth. Morty was still with her, doing a good job of keeping Ruby grounded and not returning to his past life as a drug dealer.
He looked up to find Elliot still watching him closely and sighed. “Thanks for letting me know. Did you hear from her since clearing all that up?”
Elliot glanced over at his brother, who vaguely waved one hand, never taking his eyes from the code streaming on the screen in front of him.
“We kept an eye on her, much like we kept an eye on you.”
Jayden felt his heart quicken. If they had been watching her, they might have something better for him than Hector’s folder. “And?”
Elliot’s gaze held a hint of sadness at his clear desperation. “And, well, we knew she was chasing this Miranda Williams, like most. We also know one of Stella’s father’s people hounded her when she came here for you, followed her all the way to Shreveport. She finally caved and agreed to go see him. Last we knew of her, she had been on her way back to Washington.”
Jay’s eyes had narrowed. What had her father been after?
“Her father also spoke to Miranda’s personal assistant around about the same time Stella was being trailed in Shreveport,” finished Elliot.
Jay shook his head, not in denial, but irritation. Had her father and this Miranda colluded on something that had backfired? In truth, he didn’t know much about Mr. Haraby, other than he seemed to be of a similar mold to the senior Mr. Goldstein. As that person had ended up murdered by his own son, he didn’t think it wise to underestimate such a person, or those he interacted with.
“We also know that Miranda had chosen Stella to represent her and invited her to a meeting to settle things.” Joe spoke with his head still bent over the laptop, his fingers flying across the keys as if they had a life of their own.
Jay turned toward Joe and asked the question, even though he was certain he already knew the answer. “Where were they supposed to meet?”
“Salisbury, Maryland.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jayden left Elliot and Joe’s mansion two days later with a whole case full of tech and an open window to request more favors, if needed. It would all go on his tab.
He snorted at the idea. The Serpent Brothers only ever did one favor at a time. Now he was racking up a tab, a debt he may well spend the rest of his life repaying.
A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of what they might ask for, but he pushed it away. Whatever the cost, he had meant what he had said. He owed Stella for her loyalty during the whole Matthew Goldstein business.
“Are you alright?”
Jayden glanced to the side, where a young man with strawberry-blond hair, green-blue eyes, and freckled complexion looked up at him in concern.
That had been his final surprise. A phone call from Dave Tiller telling him he wanted the job. Initially Jay had told him that he would meet with him in a few days to a week, because he was currently down in New Orleans. At that, Dave had laughed and said he knew.
“I’m fine,” he replied. “I will often look like this. Thinking things through. Don’t make a habit of interrupting.”
Dave chuckled but nodded. “Yes, boss.”
Jay shook his head. “Seeing as you did interrupt, I may as well get the answer to the question I asked earlier this morning when I came to pick you up.”
Dave grinned. “You mean how I knew you were in New Orleans? Oh, that’s simple. Your friend, Stella Haraby, had left a Natchitoches address for the residence of the car’s owner. I went there and found nothing but an empty plot with a ‘For Sale’ sign.”
Jay held up a hand. “Wait, why didn’t you just call me when you decided to take on the job?”
Dave flashed him a sheepish grin. “I worried you might have changed your mind. I figured that if I turned up at your doorstep, you’d be impressed.”
Jay huffed a surprised laugh and shook his head. “Okay, you’re a little weirder than I thought but, to be honest, it sounds like the kind of thing I would do myself.”
Dave gave him a lopsided smile and continued. “Anyway, I stood there a while, not sure what to do next, wracking my brains over everything Ms. Haraby had said. Then it hit me, and I remembered that she had gotten a phone call from some Detective Piers, and said she’d be in Natchitoches the next week.”
“So you tracked down Hector?”
“Yep. Went to the police station, asked for a Piers. Told him I was trying to find you. By the way, are you two friends, or not? I mean, when I asked after you, just your name seemed to make him angry, but then, when I asked how to find you, he suddenly became cautious, as if protective of you.”
Jay only shook his head, trying to
