Taking It Slow - Reese Knightley Page 0,62
around the mound of dirt and casket off to one side. The top was draped with an American flag.
With burning eyes, he watched as one of his friends was laid to rest.
Both the minister and Liam said a few words, but Spencer couldn’t tell anyone what they said. He blocked it all out.
This was his fucking fault. If he’d told Mayer to take a flying fuck instead of paying the guy off, then Isaac would have never been involved in the sting.
The flag was folded and presented to Isaac’s mother, who sat in a foldout chair next to Dillon. Her shoulders shook and Spencer had to look away.
He gazed blankly around for a moment and then studied each face of those gathered.
Zane was still missing.
Boom.
And just as the gunfire faded, another cracked filling the silence.
One final round echoed.
Then the silence became deafening.
He clenched his fists and stood as still as stone when the last gunfire echoed in respect for a man who’d given his life in service.
Dillon took a step forward and stood silent and still staring at the gravesite. His face a mask of stone. Spencer couldn’t imagine his pain of losing his little brother.
Oliver stood with tears streaming down his face and River’s arm around his shoulders. Across the distance, he suddenly caught Maddox’s dark gaze.
Something whirled in their depths. After a moment when Maddox didn’t look away, something crawled across the distance between them.
He frowned and some insane urge had him glancing left and then right before he gazed back at the casket.
A closed casket.
No viewing.
Why would they have a casket with no viewing when Isaac died of a knife wound?
With burning eyes, he ripped his gaze away from the shining metal and focused back on Maddox.
What the fuck was going on? His heart clenched.
Very slightly, the corner of Maddox’s lip twitched.
Fucking Christ!
“Ready,” Liam murmured from his side.
He spun and stalked away toward the car, leaving Liam behind. He waited impatiently until he heard the door unlock and then he slid inside and slammed the door.
Liam hurried around to the driver’s side and slid behind the wheel.
“Son of a bitch!” He punched the dashboard and glared out the windshield.
A moment of silence rang against his ears.
“I wanted to tell you,” Liam said gruffly.
“Oh really?” He turned and sneered. “Is that why you told Maddox first?”
“I didn’t tell Maddox.”
That drew him up short and he felt a bit better.
“When were you going to tell Infinity?”
“There’s a top-secret meeting happening in the morning.”
“Dillon is going to kill you,” he huffed.
Liam stayed silent.
“What happened?”
“Mayer wasn’t dead. He took off running and Zane and Isaac followed him to a residential area. It seems like Councilman Coulier wasn’t at the top. Governor Van Vorst answered the door. Zane and Isaac entered the backyard and saw Van Vorst kill Mayer in cold blood.”
“Jesus Christ,” he whispered.
Governor Van Vorst was one powerful son of a bitch.
“Yeah. The Governor’s men cornered Zane and Isaac. They fought their way out of there, but there’s a three million dollar bounty on each of their heads.”
“Fuck. So, you staged Isaac’s death?” He frowned.
“No. That was all Forest. He also helped Zane disappear.”
Spencer snorted and then rubbed a hand down his face. “Fuck. I’m at a toss up between being relieved and being pissed.”
“I was set to tell you after the funeral.”
“So, how did Maddox find out?”
“Isaac called Dillon and then Oliver.” So much for secrecy.
Spencer gaped. “Oliver’s tears were staged?”
“Yup.” Liam cracked a smile.
“That little turkey,” he said and then gave a loud laugh.
“And their mom was acting as well.”
Spencer laughed at that.
Liam grinned and pulled the dark car away from the cemetery.
Spencer ran his hand over the expensive leather of the black Lincoln town car.
“How many cars do you own?”
“A few,” Liam said evasively and took the on ramp to the freeway.
“How many is a few?”
“Eight.”
Spencer thought about that for a minute. He fucking needed a car bad. He couldn’t keep using Dillon’s car.
“Do you think I can borrow one until I get my truck fixed?” he asked in a hurry. “It won’t be for long. Maybe a week or two. I -”
“Spencer.” Liam cut into his gush of words.
“Yes?”
“You can borrow anything of mine for however long you need.”
Fuck if that didn’t melt his heart. How had he gotten so lucky? Here was a guy that would give him the shirt off his back. Had given his heart to him, and he was still keeping distance between them.
What was he waiting for, the other shoe to