How could she be getting secret texts from some guy and also sleeping with me?
I'd been okay with her secrets until I thought I had competition. By the time I realized I was being a jealous ass, I'd already driven a wedge between us.
I should apologize.
But… should I?
We both knew she was lying to me. She was here in town, in my home, under false pretenses. She said she wasn't here to hurt my family, but how could I know that? Soon enough, either West was going to find out who'd shot Vanessa, or he was going to tell us to go about our lives because he didn't have a suspect. No suspect and no hope of one meant that Scarlett wasn't in danger. She'd leave, and this would all be over.
That should have been a relief. It wasn't. It left me feeling hollow. I didn't want her to go. All the other stuff aside, I didn't want her to go, and I had no idea what to do about that.
Royal's voice cut into my thoughts, dragging me back to the meeting. "He's good," Royal said, still talking about Forrest. "It took longer than expected since his trip out of town delayed our meeting, but, at this point, I've shifted most of the oversight to him."
"Great. Anything else you need to go over with Tenn?" Griffen looked up at me. "I can give you my desk if you need it."
"I don't think so—" A tinny jingle sounded from my back pocket. What the fuck? My attention sharpened as I realized it was Scarlett's phone. A phone that hadn't rung since I'd taken it from her. Forgetting all about Royal and Griffen, I pulled the phone from my pocket and looked at it. The same number that had sent the text the day before.
Swiping my thumb across the screen, I held the phone to my ear. "Yes?"
"Who is this?" A suspicious voice. Male, and much younger than I'd expected.
"Who are you?" I countered.
A long heavy pause. I could hear breathing on the other end, the sounds of traffic in the background. "I'm Thatcher Hall."
"Thatcher Hall, I'm Tennessee Sawyer."
"Sawyer," he breathed, the word tinged with surprise and a hint of wonder. Weird. Then, he sucked in a breath and demanded, "Why do you have my mom's phone? Is she okay?"
"She's fine," I said immediately. I'd thought about playing him for a second, but this was a kid worried about his mom. I wanted to know what Scarlett was up to, but I wasn't a total asshole. "Do you want to talk to her? I can bring her the phone."
I looked up to Griffen and pointed at the phone. He nodded back, telling me he could hear Thatcher's side of the conversation. I thought about putting him on speaker so Royal could listen in, but I didn't want the kid to realize he had an audience and get spooked.
"No, uh, that's okay. I have to go. But, uh, you're sure she's okay? Is she… is August…"
"August is here. I promise, they're both fine. Your mom will be upset she missed you. Hang on and I'll get her."
I turned and headed for the door. Scarlett was just down the hall. I could be wrong, but my gut said that Thatcher was the reason Scarlett had been demanding to see her phone.
"No, wait! Are you in Sawyers Bend?"
I stopped. "We are. Where are you?"
Thatcher ignored my question. "Awesome. I have to go. I'm not supposed to have this phone. Just tell my mom that I'm fine and I'll be there in a few days. I'll call her—" A male voice shouted something. The kid, impatient, yelled back, "I'm coming, one sec—"
The line went dead before I reached the door. I tapped the number to return the call, but it went straight to an announcement telling me I couldn't leave a voicemail. Someone had turned off the phone. Thatcher? Or the person who wouldn't let him have his phone? And why was Scarlett's kid off with someone who wouldn't let him talk to his mother? Had he been kidnapped? But then why hadn't Scarlett called the police? What the fuck was going on?
As if my questions had conjured her from thin air, Scarlett appeared in the doorway, her hand raised to knock on the frame. "Can I come in? We need to talk."
Damn right we did. I shoved the phone in my pocket and gestured to the couch. Glancing back at the desk, I saw Royal still on the screen, watching his view of the office intently. "Is this a private conversation? Just so you know, Royal's on a video call."
Scarlett didn't sit on the couch, but she did turn and give Royal a wave. Her eyes landed on Griffen and she flashed a weak smile. "No, it's better if you're all here. Um—" She scrubbed her palms over her face and I realized how pale she was, her hands trembling as she tucked her hair behind one ear.