Every muscle in my body tensed, and I took a closer look at the first woman. After a moment, I realized who she was and felt my stomach bottom out.
Hannah Davis.
Ben’s grandmother.
“I mean, seriously, I know my grandson,” she said without turning. “He was miserable after breaking up with Paige. That was why he came back to Creswell Springs in the first place. To start over. He’s on top of the world now that she’s back.”
Suddenly, I was glad I hadn’t eaten yet, because I knew I would have vomited then and there if I had.
“I like the Reid family, don’t get me wrong. That Sebastian does one heck of a job on my car every time I need something done to it, and he is always so cordial. And Raven is a decent girl. I hate that she’s going through so much with her health right now. But their daughter… Well, she’s not exactly who I would want my only grandchild to be with. Look how unstable she is. Taking a bat to a vehicle with or without provocation tells me right there how crazy she is. Just like her biological mother, if you ask me. I heard she was…”
Her voice trailed off as she turned to look at the woman behind her and finally noticed me standing in line.
All the blood drained from her face, and I figured it only matched my own. My hands felt ice cold as I clenched them around the handle of the basket and my phone. Only a minute before, I’d been smiling down at my phone like a fool, happy, even though I was embarrassed as hell to be out in public after my actions the night before.
Now, all that happiness had drained away, and I realized how crazy I really was. Crazy to think Ben and I stood a chance.
“Close your mouth, Mrs. Davis,” a voice I knew and loved commanded as I felt a soft hand touch my back. “You’ve more than said your two cents. Now it’s my turn.”
I grabbed Aunt Willa’s arm when she took a step in the old woman’s direction, stopping whatever she was about to do. Blinking back tears, I cleared my throat. “No. It’s okay. She’s entitled to her opinion. And as she said, she knows her grandson. Of course he’s only playing with me to make his ex jealous.”
“I… That’s not what I meant, actually.” Flustered, she took a step forward, but I took two steps back. “Lexa dear, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“Oh, I think you did, ma’am,” Aunt Willa assured her. “Why else would you say it?”
“Because…” Grimacing, she wrung her hands together. “Because I’m an old fool who likes to gossip.”
“Glad to see you can admit it. But you’ve made your opinion on the subject loud and clear.” Aunt Willa stepped in front of me, her eyes darkening like storm clouds when she saw the scratch on my cheek, but she didn’t comment on it. “What do you need here, sweetheart? I’ll grab it and drop it off on my way home.”
“Ch-cheese,” I muttered, my voice weak. I hated it, but I was so close to tears, I couldn’t really see her face. “Two pounds of the Colby-Jack sliced extra thick.”
She smiled. “Raven must be making chili.”
I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat.
“You go on and check out. I’ll get the cheese.” I let her turn me toward the front of the store, not looking back when her hand dropped from my back. Blindly, I checked out and walked to my car, feeling defeated.
Chapter 16
Ben
Paige shifted uneasily in the chair in front of my desk as I put my phone away after texting Lexa. “What was so important it couldn’t wait?” I asked, trying to focus on her, when all I could think about was how good Lexa had tasted on my tongue the night before.
Paige glanced nervously at the door. It was closed but not locked, and my instincts kicked in, wondering what the hell was going on. Leaning forward, she lowered her voice. “There is something weird going on in Campbell’s office, Ben. This morning when I went in to grab some files, I overheard him on the phone, and he was talking to someone in Italian.”
“Why is that suspicious? His daughter married some Italian guy I guess.”
“He mentioned a name that my father has been following closely lately,” she whispered. “Carlo Santino is a nasty bastard, from what I’ve heard. Some mafioso who is into human trafficking and—” She broke off when the shadow of someone walked by the door. Pressing her lips together, she waited a few seconds once they were gone to speak again. “Campbell was speaking to this guy in an agitated way, Ben. I can understand a little Italian, but I couldn’t keep up with most of what I heard. But…” She blew out a frustrated breath. “But I heard your girl’s name. He’s up to something, and Lexa Reid is part of it.”
“Fuck, Paige.” Getting to my feet, I walked to the door and opened it to make sure no one was out in the hall. Seeing it was empty, I shut and locked the door before dropping down into the chair beside her. “Did anyone else hear this?”
“His secretary?” She shook her head. “I don’t know. She’s kind of ditzy from what I’ve seen. She gets his coffee like clockwork, but she knows nothing of his schedule or dealings. I’m fairly sure she’s fucking him on her lunch hour though, so she might know something.”
“But you’re sure he was talking to Santino?” My gut felt like it was full of lead, and the thought of this bastard doing something to Lexa was making my blood boil. “The same Santino your father is looking into?”
“From the context of what I heard, my instincts are telling me yes. He’s a bad man, Ben. And honestly, I’m not sure I’m comfortable continuing this investigation on my own if Campbell is working under the table with this guy. I thought when you wanted the DA looked into, you were talking about dirty politics and people paying him off to get a good deal at the most. This… My father would freak if he knew I was even in the same room with someone talking about Carlo Santino, let alone digging into his business.”
I scratched at the beard growth on my chin, barely noticing the tightness in my knuckles from the stitches. “No, no. I don’t want to put you in any danger either, Paige. Talk to your father. Have him get someone else to take over the investigation.”