I stared down at my hands. Sometimes, I felt as though I should see blood staining them. “The cops eventually cleared him of all wrongdoing, even though he was the one who bought the drugs. But not even that was a wake-up call. I cut him out of my life. I had to.”
“I’d need to do the same.”
“He hasn’t handled that well. I thought once I was out of LA, I wouldn’t have to deal with it as much, but he still texts. And today, he was waiting for me outside Ramsey’s gate.”
Hayes straightened in his chair. “What did he want?”
“He said to make amends, but I could tell he’d been high recently. He was hungover. He likely wanted money. That’s what it always comes down to with him. More money and to make me suffer.”
Hayes tapped a few keys on his computer. “Let me run a search really quick.”
I was quiet as Hayes scanned the screen.
“Shit,” he muttered.
“What?”
“Eli Cavanaugh was arrested two weeks ago for possession. There was enough that they could charge him with intent to distribute.”
I leaned forward, pinching the bridge of my nose. The fact that I hadn’t heard from my mom or dad about this told me that they didn’t know. But then who had covered his bail and lawyer fees?
“Give me one second.” Hayes picked up his phone and began dialing. “Hello, this is Sheriff Hayes Easton in Wolf Gap, Oregon. Could I speak with the detective in charge of the Eli Cavanaugh case?” He paused. “Sure, I can hold.”
Hayes tapped a pen against a pad of paper as we waited. “Yes, this is Sheriff Hayes Easton. I’m sitting here with Boden Cavanaugh, who just had a visit from Eli. I was hoping to get the lay of the land and see if there was anything Boden needed to be worried about.”
Hayes was quiet for another moment. “No, Boden isn’t hoping to get his brother out of a jam. He’s wondering if there are things at play thatheneeds to be concerned about. Eli didn’t issue overt threats, but they weren’t warm and fuzzy greetings, either.”
Hayes began scribbling on his pad of paper, his jaw tensing as he wrote. “I appreciate the transparency. I’ll have my officers keep an eye out and report anything back to you that we might find.” A pause. “No problem. Talk soon.”
My foot tapped in a rapid beat as Hayes hung up the phone, but I forced myself to wait for him to speak.
“Your brother is messed up with some seriously bad people and shouldn’t have crossed state lines.”
My hands gripped the edge of the chair, knuckles bleaching white. “Who?”
“A cartel that’s moving product into Southern California. This detective thinks they have your brother dealing to his wealthy friends.”
Dealing. A cartel. Eli had gotten mixed up in some bad stuff before, but nothing on this level. “They’re sure?”
“This detective seemed to be. She didn’t share the evidence she had, but she stated everything as fact. They’re taking him to trial. Boden, cartels don’t like to take risks with people turning on them.”
My gut twisted. No wonder Eli had shown up in middle-of-nowhere Oregon. He was desperate. I released my hold on the chair. “I came to talk to you because Eli knew I was at a cabin up on the mountain.” I swallowed against the burn in my throat. “I thought there might be a chance he hated me enough to take a shot at me.”
Just saying the words killed something inside me. That I believed my brother could be capable of something like that.
Hayes met my eyes. “And now?”
“I think he’s desperate. For money. A place to hide. None of that is a recipe for good things. Especially if he’s using.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out.
Addie:Your brother is at The Gallery. He doesn’t seem like he’s in a good state of mind.
Everything in me froze for a split second. Then I was pushing out of the chair, my panicked gaze meeting Hayes’. “We have to go. Eli’s at The Gallery.”
33
Laiken