that Agent Shook was the law enforcement’s foremost expert on Charlie Bingham, they probably were. “And that’s where you met Charlie.”
“Yes.”
Now his eyebrows rose. They were expressive. “There are no records of the two of you working together.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, there wouldn’t be, now would there? We are professionals. Have you ever considered that much of what you know about Charlie is information he wanted you to have?”
Leo exhaled long and loud, squeezing the bridge of his nose. Yes, he had considered it. “There were reports of a kid who worked with him sometimes,” he said slowly. “A teenager. A nephew or something.”
I tilted my head in Leo’s direction and raised my eyebrows, neither confirming nor denying anything.
“That was you?”
I gave one of my longer, more expressive shrugs as if I couldn’t care less about whatever we were talking about. “Charlie had several 'nephews and nieces,' I don't know who exactly you're thinking about, but it could have been me.”
“Charlie was like Fagin?” Danny asked. “Running an army of child thieves?”
I laughed. “Maybe a little. An army of kids in Hollywood can come in very handy in gathering information and gaining access to all sorts of inner sanctums.” I leaned forward over the table, reaching for Leo. “Leo, I promise I will tell you everything I know. Just not now. Trust me?”
Leo’s grin was all teeth and no warmth. “Not even a little bit. But I’m holding you to that, Grieves. Full disclosure.”
“Do I have amnesty?” I asked, arching one eyebrow, another thing I’d practiced in the mirror.
Leo grimaced and ran his fingers through his thick salt-and-pepper hair. He looked away and then back at me. “Yeah. Sure. Fuck it. I’m not sure what side I’m on anymore. I’m not even sure what the sides are anymore.”
There was a general murmur of assent from the rest of the guys. “Tell me about it,” Steele said with a quiet snort of laughter.
Breck worried his thumbnail with his teeth, eyes unfocused.
“What are you thinking, Brekkie?” Ridge asked.
“I think we should do some reconnaissance on this Eric guy,” Breck said. “And the mother and stepfather, too. We don’t want to go into this blind. We need to know what they all think about Carson. Are they pissed at him for disappearing? Is Bob still mad? So, you went to boarding school and just never went home again? Was there an official breakup? Did Eric dump you or did you dump him?”
How to explain what had happened? Maybe it did look like I’d left without a word and never come back. But it hadn’t been just Eric’s betrayal that had set me running and kept me away. Of course, it hurt that Eric wouldn’t touch me, would barely look at me. That he barely called me the entire time I’d been away, instead he focused on hockey and school, trying to be perfect at everything, so his mother would have no reason to look down and be disappointed in him. Having me come home for Christmas and then leave again had ripped Sammy’s heart out and left him crying for days.
If that hadn’t been enough, watching my mother and Bob together had hurt for some reason. And everywhere I looked were memories of Aunt Bitty, the woman I’d turned to when nothing made sense.
People had made fun of her ditziness, her seeming lack of common sense, but she’d had the biggest, most loving heart I’d ever seen. She’d seen nothing but the best in everyone, and anyone who had been lucky enough to spend time with had her loved her.
The crowd at her funeral had overfilled the church. We’d had food delivered from friends for months. Two years after her death and people still stopped Bob and Eric on the street to tell them how sorry they were for their loss.
But never for mine. No one ever told me they were sorry I’d lost the one person who had loved me unconditionally. Who knew all of my darkest secrets and still thought I was the best thing since sliced bread. Since her own son, Eric.
It had been unbearable.
“You were so young,” Danny said. “Younger than I was.”
“Oh, no. I had it better than you, Danny, so don’t feel bad for me. I was fed and housed and safe. I ran away from school; my mother didn’t kick me out of anything. It was my choice never to go back home again.”
Breck had gathered Danny into his arms. I was glad they had