Gaines didn’t attend evening service.

“Nope,” Layne answered walking into the house. “Everything in his personnel file is bogus. I’m workin’ cold on this. Until I tag his vehicle and follow him home, I’m operating blind.”

Dev nodded.

“Jas and Tripp are gonna ask questions tomorrow at school. See if they can get a make and model and an address,” Layne went on.

Dev nodded again.

“Where is everyone?” Layne asked.

“Boys are upstairs bickerin’ ‘cause Tripp’s studyin’ and Jasper’s supposed to be studyin’ but he’s textin’ Keira. Your Ma ‘retired early’, her words. Rocky went up just after your Ma.”

Layne twisted and looked at the clock over the microwave. It was barely nine o’clock.

This meant Vera was feeling guilty. Jas and Tripp likely both did have homework. Rocky was a wildcard.

Layne shrugged off his leather jacket and was about to say goodnight to Dev and turn to the stairs when Dev said, “Need a brief, boy.”

Layne’s eyes went to the old man, saw his face was serious and nodded. He tossed his jacket on the back of the couch, walked to an armchair, pivoted it to face Dev and lounged back, aiming his gaze at his friend.

“Hit me.”

“Got the goods on her ex-asshole, need to know how you want me to play it,” Dev replied.

Layne didn’t get a good feeling about the fact Devin was asking. Dev wouldn’t normally ask. Dev would normally play it whatever way he wanted to play it.

“What is it?” Layne asked.

“Campaign contributions that, if taken public, would make him and the Republican Party a bit uncomfortable,” Dev answered.

Jesus, Rocky married a Republican. She must have worked hard on convincing herself she was in love with the dick. Both Dave and Merry were staunch Republicans but Rocky had followed in her mother’s footsteps and voted straight ticket Democrat. Thus a variety of heated political discussions ensued over the dinner table, that heat mainly emanating from Rocky, and Layne had learned to keep his political opinions to himself.

“Over the limit?” Layne asked and Dev shook his head.

“Shell companies set up for the sole purpose of feedin’ into the current Governor havin’ his bed at the Governor’s mansion. Far’s I can tell, Republican Committee knew all about it because Astley sits on it. So do a good number of his buds, all of ‘em paid their dues but Astley was the mastermind.”

“Use it,” Layne ordered, still not understanding why Dev was discussing this with him.

“This hits, it puts him out there,” Dev replied.

“It won’t hit, he’ll back down,” Layne returned.

“Guy’s an ass**le, boy, I get that you get that but I don’t think you get how much of an ass**le he is. Thinks he’s untouchable.”

“He isn’t, no one is.”

“He calls your bluff, you got no choice but to put this out there. You put this out there, first, you make a f**kload of enemies and not the HOA, we’re talkin’ local power brokers here. Second, it’ll be a media circus.”

Layne now understood why Devin was hesitating.

“Roc’s clear of him, Dev,” Layne assured.

“It ain’t Rocky I’m worried about,” Devin returned and Layne shook his head.

“Got markers I can call,” Layne reminded him quietly. “Even if it gets hot and I get on power players’ radar, got markers I can call, markers with people who can trump anything he’s got and you know it.”

“Ain’t you I’m worried about either,” Dev replied.

Layne was losing patience and therefore asked, “We gonna play twenty questions?”

That was when Devin gave it to him. “Worried about Marissa Gibbons.”

“Who the f**k is that?” Layne asked.

“Rocky’s replacement,” Devin answered and Layne’s brows shot up.

“And I care about that bitch because…?” he prompted when Devin said no more.

Dev leaned toward Layne, put his elbows on his knees and his eyes got intense as his voice dropped low. “You care about that bitch because her Dad was a drug dealer, he pimped out her Mom until she bit it due to an overdose, Social Services cottoned on and Marissa went into foster care. Bounced around awhile, managed to get a high school degree, no idea how except a sheer miracle because she followed in Mom’s footsteps and fell in with the wrong crowd and when I say that, boy, I mean it was the wrong crowd. Saw with my own two eyes the results of her acting career. She wasn’t no star but she was good. Even I was convinced she was lovin’ every second of it when she took a huge f**kin’ cock so far down her throat it proved positive she has no gag reflex whatsoever.”

Layne felt his neck muscles contract.

“Porn?” he whispered.

“Three films, none of them starring roles, she did them under false names, different colored hair, carryin’ an extra twenty pounds, hadn’t yet had her boob job, was underage and looks it but no denyin’ it’s her.”

Layne grinned, not because Marissa Gibbons’s life clearly sucked but because he f**king loved it that Astley was f**king a  p**n  star. No doubt he was still shit in bed but at least she’d have the skills to convince him he wasn’t

Devin watched him grin and shook his head, leaning even closer.

“She pulled herself outta that shit, Tanner. Don’t know how she did it, but she did. She’s goin’ to IUPUI, studyin’ to be a social worker. She’s turned her life around. This shit hits, no matter how big the names are around hers, she’s the face of it for…fuckin’…ever. History books, boy. Online encyclopedias, Goggle her name and she could cure world hunger but that’s the first thing you’d see. No more Pacemate, the squad will dump her. She’ll quit school. She’ll go back to what she knows. You tip Astley, you destroy her life. We both know it wasn’t a good choice for her to hook her star to his or how she did it but now we know why she did it. You want me to use it, I’ll use it. I’ll even use all of it which means he’ll set her out before he takes you on, whatever way that comes about. But he doesn’t bite, you go the distance, you take her down. She’s not a good woman because she’s had no role models but, even so, she’s tryin’ like hell to learn how to be one. You do this, you set her back in that task, I’m guessin’ irrevocably.” Devin sat back and finished, “That said, your call.”