“There are clues. For instance, I never saw needle marks on his body. Not even on his thighs or feet. I don’t think he’s a user.”
“And a good friend like you regularly checks his body. I see.”
Shit. “Not the point.”
“The lack of track marks doesn’t mean anything, Manon.”
“I know, okay? It’s just hard to believe he’s that.” God, I hope my voice won’t crack now. “He’s a good guy.”
“He does seem like a damn good guy,” Rafe agrees. “But one can’t rely on that. Sad fact of life.”
True. “I want to talk to Zane. He read Seth’s file, right?”
“That’s right. He’ll be back in town within the hour. Why do you want to talk to him?”
“I want to know what the file says. I may…” I hesitate, because hunches aren’t taken seriously most of the time, and something in my gut tells me I need to do this. “I may have information regarding Seth’s past.”
“Do you, now?” Rafe again sounds amused, and it annoys me. “All right. I’ll call you with a place and time to meet him. And, Manon?”
“Yeah?”
“No matter what, you should know… Seth may be unlucky in many things, but he’s damn lucky to have a true friend like you on his side.”
***
Hawk’s Bar and Grill. Haven’t been here in ages. It’s loud inside, the tables full. Zane’s sitting at the back, I can see his tall blue Mohawk from where I’m standing inside the entrance.
He’s not alone, I realize as I approach him. Rafe is with him, blond and tall, with cat-like eyes. They’re all kind of hot in this group, with their handsome faces and ink.
Not as much as Seth, though.
And God, that’s not what I should be thinking about right now.
Rafe gets up to greet me and pulls my chair. He’s every bit the gentleman, even with the tattoos climbing up his neck, his inked, muscular forearms bare and a wicked grin on his face.
Zane merely lifts a dark brow at me and nods.
“You know what I’m here for?” I’m nervous, my palms damp. I don’t really know what I’m doing. I just know I don’t want Seth to be a bad guy.
Which is probably just wishful thinking, as Rafe helpfully pointed out over the phone, but still.
“Said you wanna know what’s in Seth’s rap sheet.” His almond-shaped eyes narrow. “Didn’t say why.”
I glance at Rafe who stares steadily back at me, giving away nothing. “I thought if you tell me, I might be able to work with you on this.”
“On what?”
I lick my lips, my mouth suddenly bone-dry. “On finding out the truth. On proving Seth’s innocence.”
Now I have the attention of both boys, and quite frankly, I am a bit stunned myself. No clue when I went from doubting the truth of Seth’s guilt to believing he’s innocent.
That’s it, I’ve gone round the bend.
Maybe it’s a side effect of being in love with him. That I want to believe the best of him.
“What makes you believe he might be innocent?” Zane wants to know, folding his arms over his chest. “He was convicted. Served his time in prison.”
The thought of him behind bars is too much. I shake my head to dislodge it. “The same thing that makes you believe it.” I stare into his dark eyes, somehow similar to Seth’s, and tell him the truth as it comes to me, uncensored. “You know him. You’ve lived with him, worked with him. You know how bad his past was. You know he’d do anything to help his brothers—Micah. Shane. Jesse. You’ve seen it. Seen him get beaten up for them, stand up for them. He’s no druggie. He’s not a person who’d deal drugs. If he was, he’d have done it. He’s dirt poor, Zane. You know all this. So why do I have to spell it out for you?”