Buried in Secrets (Carly Moore #4) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,19
he came back for his mother,” I said. “And we can’t forget that he and Wyatt were hiding Lula from their father. It sounds like a complicated mess.”
“Now you’re defendin’ him?” he asked in surprise.
“I’m just sayin’ that everything’s not always cut and dry. Obviously Max feels like he has good reasons for what he’s doin’. And if it’s on the illegal side, you’re a deputy sheriff. An honest one. Maybe he became privy to the family secrets, and now he feels bound to protect them.”
“Makin’ him an accessory.”
“It’s not easy to turn your back on family. I’m the perfect example of that. My father treated me like crap. I tried to cut him out of my life, but truth is, I didn’t fight too hard when Jake sucked me back in. Maybe the same thing happened to Max, only it was his mother who reeled him in.”
“And yet he won’t tell me any of it.”
“Again, you’re a deputy sheriff. He knows if he was part of something truly heinous, you’d turn him in. He saw proof of that when you questioned him about Lula.”
He didn’t respond.
“Maybe you should go to him as a friend, tell him you left the badge at home and everything he tells you has impunity.”
He leaned his head against the back of his chair and released a heavy sigh, making me think he’d given this plenty of consideration. “The badge doesn’t work that way, Carly.”
“Then maybe you need to decide what’s more important—the badge or your friend.” He started to say something, but I held up my hand. “I’m not saying you condone anything truly bad, but maybe he feels trapped and the one person he always thought he could turn to is no longer available.”
“It’s not that simple, Carly.”
“I know.” Nothing was simple. I’d learned that lesson long ago.
Chapter Seven
“There’s something else I need to talk to you about,” I said. “Something that has me worried.”
“Okay…”
“Bart offered Carson Purdy’s job to Jerry.”
He bolted upright. “He what?”
I relayed everything Jerry had told me and also Max’s reaction.
“So Max isn’t happy about it either?”
“No.”
“Maybe that’s my in to talk to him,” Marco said as he ran a hand over the top of his head leaving his hair ruffled.
I found myself wanting to smooth it out. Wanting to touch him.
Marco continued, unaware of my inner struggle. “I’ll tell him I heard about Jerry and ask him what he thinks.”
Focus, Carly. This was why I needed for us to remain friends. Starting something with Marco would only distract me. “You think he’ll give you an honest answer?”
“It’ll give me a better in than anything else we’ve discussed.”
He was probably right. “When do you plan to talk to him?”
He glanced at his watch, then back up at me. “I’m thinkin’ about goin’ tonight.”
“You should probably talk to him without me around.”
Pushing out a sigh, he said, “Agreed.”
I started to get to my feet. “Then I’ll head home so you can do that.”
He leaned over, reaching for my arm and tugging me back down. “I’ll wait until after closing. I want to have his undivided attention and I don’t want anyone else around.” He hesitated. “Why don’t you stay here while I’m gone, and then I can tell you what he says when I get back? You were plannin’ to stay anyway, weren’t you?”
I felt torn. “I don’t think I should tonight. I didn’t warn Hank, and it’s too late to call him. He’ll worry if he gets up and my car’s not out front.”
“I should have called you earlier,” he said, his voice heavy with regret.
A week ago he probably would have, which only reminded me that we still hadn’t addressed the elephant in the room.
“Marco, there’s something goin’ on between us. Not seeing or talking to each other for five days just isn’t like us, and I think we need to talk about it.”
“What’s there to talk about?” he asked, but he sounded slightly defensive.
So I was right, not that it made me feel any better. Actually, it filled me with dread.
“I think I’d like to know what answer you were looking for when we had that discussion about marriage,” I said carefully.
Marco had invited me to a friend’s wedding in Atlanta, which had led to an awkward conversation. He’d mentioned he wanted to get married someday, and given his parents’ difficult relationship and his preference for serial dating, I’d reacted with surprise. He’d quickly changed the subject.