Ride With Me (Paige and Jace) novel Chapter 228

CHAPTER 131-2

“What if the missing pages explain everything?” I asked.

“They might.” He said.

“And what if someone already has them?” I asked.

“Then we’ll need to find out who.” He said as I closed the journal.

“I hate waiting.” I said and Jace smiled.

“I know.” He said.

“You sound very pleased with yourself.” I said.

“I’m trying to keep you from breaking into someone’s office.” He said.

“I wasn’t planning that.” I said.

“You were thinking about it.” He said and I smiled despite myself.

“Maybe.” I said.

He reached across the table and squeezed my hand.

“We’ll figure it out.” He said and I nodded.

After breakfast, we took the journals back to the clubhouse vault.

I didn’t want them sitting in the office at Lawson Customs, and I certainly didn’t want them anywhere that

Charlotte or anyone connected to Victor could reach them and Derek met us downstairs.

“Everything okay?” Derek asked as I shook my head.

“Not really.” I said.

Jace explained what we’d discovered and Derek listened carefully.

“Five years?” Derek asked and I nodded.

“Every missing page falls somewhere between 2008 and 2012.” I said.

“That’s specific.” He said.

“Exactly.” I said and he looked toward the journals.

“Do you want me to look into Uncle Will’s business records from those years?” He asked and I looked at Jace.

“Yes.” Jace said and Derek took out his phone.

“I’ll see what I can find.” Derek said.

I carefully placed each journal into a protective sleeve before putting them inside the vault and I checked

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the lock twice. Then I checked it again as Jace watched me.

You trust the vault?” He asked.

“I trust the vault.” I said.

“You just checked it three times.” He said.

“I like being certain.” I said and he smiled.

“Fair enough.” He said.

We headed upstairs, and for a little while, I managed to focus on normal things.

Lawson Customs was busy again, because Ryan and Tyler were handling routine servicing while Ben worked on two motorcycles that needed more complicated repairs.

Mia had the office running smoothly, and customers were coming through the door all morning.

One man dropped off a vintage motorcycle for restoration, while another customer picked up his bike after a complete engine rebuild.

I spent most of the morning moving between the workshop and office, and the work helped keep my mind occupied.

By lunchtime, I had almost forgotten about the journals. Almost.

Ethan walked into the workshop carrying a small cardboard box.

“Paige.” He said and I looked up.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I found something.” He said.

I wiped my hands on a rag and walked toward him.

“Where?” I asked.

“In one of the journal storage boxes.” He said and my heart immediately started beating faster.

“Which one?” I asked.

“The fourth journal.” He said.

Jace, who had just walked through the door, stopped when he heard that.

“What did you find?” Jace asked as Ethan opened the box.

There was a stack of old paperwork inside, and beneath it sat a folded newspaper clipping.

I carefully picked it up and the paper was yellowed with age, and the edges were brittle.

“That’s old.” I said and Ethan nodded.

“It was tucked inside the journal cover.” He said so I unfolded it carefully.

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CHAPTER1ae

The headline was faded, but I could still read most of it.

LOCAL BUSINESSMAN QUESTIONED AFTER MOTORCYCLE CLUB INVESTIGATION

“Uncle Will?” I asked and Ethan nodded so I continued reading.

The article mentioned an investigation involving several local motorcycle clubs, suspicious financial activity, and a series of unexplained incidents and Jace leaned over my shoulder.

“What’s the date?” Jace asked as I looked at the top of the clipping.

“October 2010.” I said and Jace went silent.

I stared at the date.

Clam

Right in the middle of the five-year period and I read the article again, but several lines had been cut away.

Someone had deliberately removed a section from the clipping.

“Why would Uncle Will keep this?” I asked as Jace pointed toward the bottom.

“Read that.” He said and I looked.

The article mentioned that investigators had questioned several people connected to the case, but only one name was printed.

William Lawson.

“There’s more.” Jace said as I turned the clipping over.

Something had been written on the back. The handwriting was unmistakably Uncle Will’s and I read the sentence aloud.

“They think the investigation is over, but they haven’t found the money.”

“What money?” Jace asked looking at me and I shook my head.

“I don’t know.” I said as Ethan looked between us.

“Should we get Derek?” Ethan asked.

“Yes.” I said and Jace nodded.

“Immediately.” Jace said.

I looked down at the newspaper clipping again, because the more I read it, the more questions appeared.

Uncle Will had been connected to an investigation. Victor had apparently known him and the journals from those years had been selectively destroyed.

And now we’d found evidence that Uncle Will believed someone was hiding money.

I carefully folded the clipping again and then I noticed something written in tiny letters beneath his original

note.

My pulse jumped and I held it closer. There were four words.

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