Reckless Marriage Unyielding Love

Chapter 184

"I was so lost in the sauce back then!" Lucas smirked.

Just then, the dude on water duty crashed in, throwing the door wide open, clutching two cups. Mikayla's cup was a store-bought drink.

Mikayla snagged it and tossed him a thanks.

"Captain Grayston, we're out of coffee for Salvatore, so I snagged this instead," the guy leaned close, whispering in Lucas's ear.

"No sweat! No need to go above and beyond for me." Even from a distance, in the quiet, Mikayla caught his words. Knowing she was knee-deep in a sea of dudes like these, she knew the options were limited. That was why she opted for plain water initially. Lucas's hand hung mid-air for a second before landing with a thud. "Out you go!"

Watching their exchange, Mikayla pondered their dynamic. Despite Lucas's prickly demeanor, he cut the kid some slack for his frequent flubs, a rarity.

"He's like me, focuses more on hustle at work, less on the everyday nitty-gritty." Lucas picked up on Mikayla's curious vibes. "That thing we hashed out earlier? He actually rang the bell on that while we were chatting. Made me widen the net, but chewed up some extra time. Things are clearer now, which is why I hit you up. Based on my intel, Kenneth's our prime suspect. Skipped town the day pre-car crash, still MIA. Buddy checked in, spotted hefty deposits into his account, especially around your mishap."

"Who's wire-transferring the cash? Can we trace them?" Mikayla probed.

sis, Mildred!"

guesswork without solid proof, right?" Mikayla

we lock in rock-solid proof,

Josiah's wheels. As she was peeping at the sparkly neon lights lining the street, her mind was all over the place. The dirt they had on hand was pea-sized compared to pinning Kenneth to the crash. Mildred and Winona weren't even in the same ballpark. That surveillance tape was all backside, not painting the full picture. Kenneth bouncing before the crash could be just a fluke. Mildred tossing cash his way could be sibling love at play. It seemed like the stars aligned for some drama, but like Lucas said, without solid receipts, their theories were zilch to the big shots or in court. So, it was their little secret for now. But cracking the

digs, it was nudging 8 p.m. Josiah dropped Mikayla off and

spotted her stepping into the living room and chirped, "Mrs. Ludwig, you are back.

Mikayla nodded at Dexter.

off the TV

lights wrapped his tall build in a soft hue, like a glow-up. His mug and his eyes were like magnets, pure mesmerizing! Carlos was a name etched deep in her brain. Peeping at the TV program he had on, national news on the loop, struck a chord. It was always these types of shows. Not one for delaying, she responded,

all-glass dining zone. "Had a nibble, just

Mikayla's face. "Next time I'll give you a heads-up, you don't gotta wait on me." She had been a

mister twiddle his thumbs at home? A bit of a wait ain't no skin

card.' Mikayla thought as she sized up Carlos.

dinner setup, finally landing a bowl of soup in front of her. Clocking her hesitant mug, he laid down the law. "Gotta sip it up." "How about we go halfsies?" She wanted to ditch this ordeal, but knowing Carlos wouldn't cut her slack, she settled on sipping less. Broth was never her jam, not since kiddo days. The flavor was

was confused by