"Nope." She pointed.
Don Winthrop sat at the table talking to Canon and Mrs. Rivera. Gigi was at the stove and Esmeralda Rivera was serving plates.
"Donald, hi!" Newton reached across the table, shaking his hand. "Wasn't expecting you here, Boss."
"There have been developments. Oats' retaliation has spread. He blew up Don's trailer last night."
"What?" Rivera yelped. "I didn't know about that!"
"There's another possible player," Don said, almost embarrassed. "Rick Butler, the man behind the ruby heist. Might have an ax to grind."
"Should we discuss this here? Now?" Newton asked.
"You deserve to know," Anton said. "I was hired to steal the Tangiers Ruby."
"And abducted the doc and set her free," Eilene said, sounding slightly shell shocked.
Don nodded, decidedly embarrassed.
"We figured it out," Canon said. "But you're a good guy, and we like you."
"And what Oats did was all kinds of wrong," Bailey added.
"Besides, Dr. Lister wasn't hurt, the rubies were returned, and there's a thief in custody," Canon said. "But we appreciate the honesty."
"Do you think this is Oats?" Rivera said. "Couldn't it be that Butler guy? You said he's got connections. Rich."
"It would make more sense than Oats," Anton agreed. "But how would he know?"
"There's been a fair bit on the news," Eilene said. "All he needs is your cover name, he can make it happen."
"Shit. Tabitha. The Roeder Sisters. CV. The doctors. They could all be in serious trouble. If he's found my trailer, he could find my house!"
"Your house?" Canon said, bursting out laughing. "Out of town friend, my ass."
"I own it—under another name."
"Is Don your real name?" Esmeralda asked. She was a pretty girl of about fourteen. Her long, black hair framed her heart shaped face.
"It will do. I like it better than the others. I met some good people with this name."
"Does Butler know it?" Eilene asked.
"No. He's never been to the house, but he's got resources. Even in jail, he could work things out."
"Too much is happening from jail cells," Mrs. Rivera said. She'd been silent up to now. Her voice cut through their talk like a knife. "You need to find out how. Do you know anything?" she demanded of her son.
He looked ashamed and his ears reddened. "There are some people who will smuggle messages in and out, make arrangements, take care of payment. Look at the lawyers first. I think you will find they are connected. And look for a woman they call La Rosa Blanca."
"Do you know here real name?"
Rivera hung his head, tears falling as he played with the hem of his shirt. Esmeralda hugged him and he clung to her, sobbing.
"Her name is Rose White. She's the mother of my son," he choked out the words.
"Where can we find her?" Canon asked.
Anton walked up to the house, hands in his pockets. The unfamiliar feel of an earbud made his ear itch. It was a comfortable home in a nice, but not fancy, neighborhood. Rose White knew how to live simply, and not flash wealth. The only thing that screamed money and nefarious dealings, was the security system. He recognized it, because he had the same equipment, better concealed, at home.
He tapped on the door and the curtain on the pane by the door, fluttered. To an untrained eye, it wouldn't have registered. The glass was bullet resistant, the door, steel.
"Who sent you?" a woman's voice said sharply from beside the door.
"A friend sent me to seek La Rosa Blanca."
"And?"
Anton didn't like the cloak and dagger shit, but he needed this contact.
"The werewolf howls at midnight during the full moon."
A number of locks disengaged and the door swung open. He knew she was behind it, armed. That was why he wore no jacket or boots, merely jeans and a clinging T shirt with sneakers.
The door slammed shut when he'd entered, and he found himself facing it. Rough hands frisked him, leaving no inch untouched.
"I'm clean. Would I risk getting shot?"
"Not if you're smart."
"I'm a f**king genius," Anton replied.
"You said you need my help."
She was an attractive woman in her mid-twenties, with a voluptuous figure. Her hair was long and thick, true blonde, not from a bottle.
"I thought you'd be taller," he said.
She was a petite 5' 2"
"And I thought you'd have a bigger dick."
©2021 Dellani Oakes
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