Their lips met in a heartfelt kiss. By confiding his darkest secrets, he had tied his soul to hers. And in that moment, he felt free.
In the morning, she and Sin stopped by four Easy Does It rental locations, but they were given the stiff-arm. None of the franchisees would provide them with any information regarding their customers.
Despite the setback, Sin and Jacoby spent the afternoon knocking off a few more locations while Evangeline contacted all the churches in the greater Asheville area. With every phone call she made, her suspicions grew. No one she spoke with knew Pastor Joey Thomason. By day’s end, she was convinced Joey Thomason was here on business, but that business did not include providing counsel to church-going parishioners.
Three long days of visiting every truck rental shop yielded zero results. Regardless of their approach, neither Sin nor Evangeline could get anyone to discuss the rental date in question.
Throughout the week, Sin maintained his in-control demeanor and well-seasoned poker face, but she could feel his frustration growing. With each passing day, she’d become more and more concerned about him roaming around the region with his usual take-on-the-world bravado while someone stalked him from the shadows.
Late Friday afternoon, under cover of darkness, Evangeline arrived at Mac’s in Arlington. Armed with Sin’s night-vision camera, she drove to the end of the shopping strip, pulled around the side of the building beside the grille, and cut the engine. Dressed in all black, she covered her hair with her hoodie and climbed into the cargo area of her SUV to wait for Joey.
Thirty minutes later, she spotted him. But, as he made his way across the parking lot, he kept his head down. C’mon. I’ve gotta get a break here.
Four women hurried past him toward the entrance and he jerked his head up to check them out.
Click-click-click-click.
He spoke to them and they turned around. Now, he was full-on grinning.
Click-click-click-click.
One of the ladies took a few steps toward him while Evangeline continued snapping away. One of these pictures has gotta work.
As soon as they entered the bar, Evangeline checked the viewfinder. Hopeful she had a picture she could use, she tucked the camera behind the back seat and moved her vehicle to the front lot. Then, she called Sin.
“Hey, babe,” he answered. “How’d it go?”
“I got some pictures and I’m heading into the bar now. Where are you?”
“Down the street from Joey’s place.”
“Good luck.”
“You, too.”
She hung up, removed her sweatshirt, and entered the bare-bones grille wearing pants and a long-sleeved shirt.
Joey was hanging at the bar with the four ladies he’d met outside. As Evangeline sauntered over, he spotted her. After breaking into a grin, he whispered something to one of the women before greeting her. “Hey, you made it!”
Evangeline glanced over at the woman. “I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.”
“Not a problem.” He paused to check her out. “You look great. You wanna grab a booth?”
Once they got settled in one, she asked, “You drink beer, don’t you?”
“I’ve been known to toss one back on occasion.”
Like when you were ogling topless women at a titty club?
“I thought you couldn’t stay long,” he said when she opened a menu.
“I’m famished. Plus, a few Buffalo wings won’t spoil the soup-n-sandwich experience with my dad.”
He laughed as a waitress showed up to take their order. “Be right back with that pitcher of beer.”
“You must be relieved you’re no longer at the center of a sex scandal.” An attractive woman walked by and Joey glanced at her backside.
No way was she letting him take control of the conversation. “I’m moving on from that. Speaking of moving…what are your plans now that the holidays are over?”
“Nothing firm yet, so I’ve been offering my counseling services at a few homeless shelters.”
Sure you have. “Oh, yeah? I’ve done some local volunteering. Which ones?”
“What’s your situation with Sinclair Develin?” Joey asked.
What the hell? She leaned against the back of the wooden booth and he glanced at her breasts, though they were well hidden behind her shirt. “Tell me which shelters. Maybe we know the same people.”
“I’m terrible with names.” He leaned in. “So, this Develin guy, what’s his story?”
Their tug-of-war for control continued. “Want an introduction?”
His eyes went flat. “No. I wasn’t sure if you two were…you know…seeing each other. Every time you talk to the press, he’s your mouthpiece.”
The server set down the plastic pitcher and two set-ups. “Wings and nachos will be out shortly.”
Evangeline poured their beers and drank down a swig. “Let’s not talk about him. Tell me about you. What drew you to the Lord?”
“I felt a calling to save a few sinners from eternal damnation.”
My gut tells me, you might want to start with yourself.
Dressed in all black, Sin covered his face with a black ski mask and exited the back seat of the town car. He kept his head down as he cut between the houses on Texas Avenue in southeast D.C.
Evangeline’s concern for her sister had reached an all-time high, so while she was keeping Joey occupied, he would search Joey’s rental house for evidence either corroborating or discrediting his story. Though concerned about surveillance cameras, he figured he’d be long gone before any cops arrived.
After picking the lock, he opened the back door, and stepped inside. The place reeked of cigarettes. Pausing, he let his eyes adjust to the darkness. The kitchen counter was cluttered with dirty dishes. Empty beer bottles and an ashtray crowded the small table.
He snatched a cigarette butt and dropped it into one of the plastic baggies he’d brought, then turned on his phone’s flashlight and rifled through drawers in search of anything that would shed light on who Joey was and what he was up to. Finding nothing, he moved into the living room. No papers, no laptop…nothing. He continued up the stairs.
The first bedroom sat unused. As he entered the master bedroom, he spied something on the unmade bed. Strewn at the foot appeared to be numerous photographs of various sizes. Two long strides and he shone the light on the pictures.
No fucking way.
There were over a dozen photos of Evangeline taken at different locations. Sitting with her sister at a coffee shop. Facing the press with Sin. Leaving the Justice building. A few of her in her car. But the one that stood out was the close-up of Sin and Evangeline on the sidewalk outside his nightclub, a blanket draped over her shoulders.
That was the night of the fire.
Rage rocketed through him. His instinct told him to get the fuck out of there and head to Mac’s. Evangeline wasn’t safe with this man, though Sin had no idea who he was up against. But he forced himself to stay in control. He needed to gather as much evidence as he could.
After snapping pictures of the photos, he headed into the closet. There he found a few pairs of pants, several shirts, and a jacket. He searched the pockets, but they were empty.
In the bathroom, he eyed the worn toothbrush. He couldn’t take that, but he could remove strands from the hairbrush. He pulled a second baggie from his pocket and shoved the hairs inside.