I clapped Vince on the shoulder and laughed. “It’s okay. You and I are close enough in size that you can borrow a sport coat of mine. Throw that on top of some clean jeans and a fashionable shirt, and you’ll be able to get away with it.”
Just as I finished, the phone rang, not giving Vince a chance to respond. “Hello?”
“Kade, it’s Layla. How are you?”
I blinked, shocked. “Uhm, hi, Layla. I’m doing okay, I guess. How can I help you?”
“Derek’s memorial service is Monday, and I . . . I didn’t want that to happen with animosity between us. Is Alix there?”
Alix, whose eyes had widened and was standing in front of me with her hands clasped at her chest and her face full of questions, looked at me in a near panic. I nodded and held up my hand. “Yes, she’s right here. I’m going to put you on speaker phone. Just a second.”
I set the phone down on the table. Rita and Vince looked at each other and faded back into the bedroom, closing the door politely behind them. I turned on the speaker and reached for Alix’s hands. “Go ahead, Layla.”
“Alix?”
“I’m here, Mom,” Alix said, tears trickling from her eyes. “I . . . I miss you, Mom.”
There was a choking sound on the other end of the line, and I knew that Layla was fighting back tears as well. “I miss you too, honey. Oh, Alix, I’m so sorry about what I said and did in the hospital. I know it wasn’t your fault, I’m so sorry . . . ”
“I’m sorry too, Mommy,” Alix said, breaking down. She put her head in my shoulder and sobbed, both women crying for a few minutes. “Mom, I want to see you.”
“Me too, baby. Can you two come to the house? It’s your house too, you know. I’ve been a fool in that regard too.”
I looked at Alix, who looked over at the bedroom door. “What about Rita and Vince?”
“You made plans for the night already,” Layla said, overhearing Alix’s question. “I understand.”
I shook my head. “No, Layla, we’ll be there. Tell you what: how about, instead of us coming to the house, you come out with us? We’re taking two close friends out to dinner as a bit of a celebration, and I think it would make the night complete if you were there too.”
Layla’s voice came back, curious. “Kade. Celebrating?”
“Yes,” I said, thinking quickly. “I asked Alix to marry me, Layla. I know it’s weird, and I know this might be awkward, but . . . ”
“I’ll be there,” Layla said with finality. “Where and when?”
“How about we come pick you up?” I said instead. “Alix’s car can easily seat five. We’ll just stick Rita in the middle in the back, between you and Alix.”
“Okay. I think I’d like to meet your friends anyway. When can I expect you?”
I looked at Alix, who smiled and wiped at her eyes. “As soon as we can get changed, Mom. Nothing too formal, but say, not casual either? I’m going with a summer dress I have.”
“Okay, honey. Alix . . . I love you.”
“I love you too, Mom. See you at the house.”
Chapter 30
Alix
Salinas, California is supposed to be the center of the California wine country. It’s situated in an area a few miles inland of the Big Sur coastline region, and is located in the middle of the biggest grape producing valley in California.
The reality of Salinas is that it’s a pretty poor area, actually. With lots of undocumented immigrants, migrant farm laborers, and not a lot of good schools, Salinas is a picturesque crap-hole of a town. Gangs and gang violence are always bubbling beneath the surface of the town, and even when I’d come up to do modeling shoots, my agency had been very specific about me being in and out of town during daylight hours only.
Still, driving down main street, the town looked pretty. “This place looks nice enough to me,” Rita said, looking around. “It looks like an old-fashioned small town.”
“Mostly,” Vince said. He pointed toward a store on his right. “But check out the wall on the corner there.”
I looked, seeing lots of spray-painted graffiti, and nodded. Indecipherable to me, it was still a clear sign that there was lots of violence in the area. “So what now?”
“Now, we put out the bait, let Sydney try and bite, and deliver him to Vince’s friends,” Kade said. “Then we go back for Dad’s service.”
“It was a nice touch that Layla, even when she was so angry, delayed the service so you could attend,” Vince said. “Just sayin’.”
“Well, I am his son, but yes, I agree.” Kade said. “Go ahead and park here. Rita, do you have a wireless signal?”
“Strong and clear,” she said. “What do you need?”
“Have you gotten any more updates on Syd’s location?”
“None. He’s gotten wise about Web usage, and that hit at the ATM certainly wasn’t him.”
Considering that the feed had shown a woman, I nodded at the understatement. “Probably another one of his targets,” I muttered. “So are you ready?”