Heating up a can of vegetable soup, I then took my bowl into the living room and found something to watch as I ate slowly. The heat from the soup felt good on my still-aching throat, and I found myself drinking the broth from the bowl in search of more of that same soothing warmth.
I was draining the last from the bowl when there was a knock on the door. No one else was up, so I put the bowl on the coffee table and stood. A glance through the peephole showed a guy in a brown courier shirt and khaki pants.
It was Sunday. Who the hell sent packages on Sunday?
Frowning, I opened the door a few inches. “Yeah?”
The guy looked from me to the clipboard and the thick envelope in his hands. “Looking for Roanna King. I’ve got a package for her.”
I opened the door a little more. “That’s me.”
He thrust the clipboard at me. “Sign here.”
I scribbled my name on the bottom of the page. As soon as I handed it back, he put the envelope in my hands. “Have a good day,” he said, tipping his chin before walking away.
I waited until he was on the elevator before shutting the door and turning the envelope over in my hands.
The return address was from a private investigation firm based in downtown LA called Lewis and Son Private Investigating, Inc. My name was right under it, with my address along with “Urgent” and “Important Documents” stamped in red. The envelope wasn’t heavy, but there was something thick inside of it from the feel of it.
Curiosity getting the better of me, I tore it open as I sat on the couch. At least a dozen pictures fell facedown on my lap, and I instantly felt on edge. Fingers trembling, I gathered them into a pile before turning them over.
The first picture was of Sin, standing with Gray, Kale, and Cash outside of some building. From the dark sky above and the flashing lights from the surrounding buildings, I knew it had been taken in Vegas. Sin had a grin on his face, telling me he was having a good time. From the looks on the other three’s faces, they were all enjoying themselves.
I smiled at the picture, glad he was getting to hang out with his friends. I still might have been upset he hadn’t told me, but I wanted him to be able to go out with the guys and relax.
The next picture was obviously taken from a longer distance than the first but with a good enough lens that I was able to make out exactly who was in the picture and what was going on in the background. I could see each face perfectly. Cash, Jace, Harris, Kale, Gray, Caleb. And right in the middle of them was Sin. They were in what looked like a private box, the picture taken from an angle below, making me think they were on a second floor while the photographer was on the first.
They were all drinking bottles of beer, laughing, playing around or on their phones. But on the stage in front of them was a brunette sliding down a pole in nothing more than her thong.
And of course, Sin’s eyes were glued to her as he lifted his beer to his lips.
The next picture showed Harris standing up, and Sin leaning forward to slip money into the stripper’s panties.
I quickly flipped to the next picture. Harris was walking toward the door, and Sin was leaning back on the huge sectional, his lids heavy, desire or drunkenness shining out of his eyes as the brunette smiled down at him. I couldn’t tell which.
In the next picture, his beer bottle was raised as if he were chugging the last of the contents, and the stripper was off the stage, standing right in front of him and Cash.
Two more pictures showed the same thing, but when I lifted the next one, my heart dropped into my stomach with a sickening thud.
The stripper was sitting in his lap, and I didn’t need to see the next one to know she was grinding on his cock.
Not able to stomach looking at more, I threw the entire stack of pictures on the floor. They scattered across the carpet. Pissed and with my heart hurting, I stood, only to nearly slip on one of the pictures. Righting myself, I glared down at the sight of Sin’s face inches away from the brunette’s bare tits.
Enraged, I picked up the envelope the pictures came in and stomped into my room where my phone was. Turning it on, I was instantly bombarded with over twenty texts fro
m Sin. The last one came in at just after two that morning.
I’m drunk and wishing you were here. Fuck. I miss you, sweet girl.
“Was that before or after you had her practically humping you, asshole?” I growled at my phone’s screen.
“Huh?” Aubree asked groggily from her bed.
“Nothing,” I snarled.
Ignoring the rest of his texts, I did a quick search on the private investigator who sent me the pictures. Less than ten seconds later, I had his number and was calling.
Pacing out into the living room, I waited for someone to answer.