Chapter Eleven Brad #3
I ran through my head who was on call that day. I turned to him. “Tall, hair kind of like mine, big smile, skinnier build?”
“No, older, weathered-looking, shitty attitude.”
Fuck me, that’s Ray. “Any idea what he was doing with the truck?”
“He just said he needed to see it. Flashed his badge and waved at me to hang back while he rooted around. I didn’t see him take anything—he just seemed to look it all over.”
“I see.” I headed over to the front passenger seat.
I didn’t think there’d be much that could be saved, but Bree had a few things I’d wanted to get for her.
The truck was toast, which was too bad because I know how much she loved it.
I removed the guardian angel clip that she had fastened to her visor and the stack of bracelets on the gearshift.
I put them in a bag I found on the back seat that looked like it had a few outfits inside.
I moved on to the glove box, where her truck insurance and owner’s manual were all stuck together like paste, so I tossed them aside.
“Ouch, dammit!” I jerked my hand back and saw a small bead of blood bubble out of my finger.
I bent down to look carefully inside and found a small knot of barbed wire tucked in the far back corner.
A cold, damp chill raced down my back as I studied the little twist of steel wire with its sharp red tips. Why would she have that?
“That’s odd.” The man looked over my shoulder.
I tossed it into the bag and moved her things into my trunk. “What’s your name?”
“Rudy.” He offered me a hand, and I shook it. “Rudy Vamp.”
“Well, Rudy, how would you like to make a few extra bucks?” People like Rudy were invaluable resources to the job.
He pulled out a smoke from his breast pocket. “I never turned down cash.”
“Anyone that comes to see this truck, I want to know about it. You send me a photo, a video, or just call, I don’t care.
If they even glance at it, I want to know.
If you hear anything at all about it outside of here, or your buddy remembers anything else, I’d like to be the first to know.
” I handed him my business card. “Don’t care how small the detail is. ”
“Copy that.” He added the card to his cigarette pack and put it in his pocket. He blinked as smoke blew into his eyes. “I got some friends that might know some stuff—I’ll see what I can dig up.”
“I’d appreciate it, Rudy, and I’ll make sure it’s worth your time.” I closed the trunk. “Call my cell so I have your number too.” He did, and I quickly programmed his information into my phone. “We’ll talk soon.”
“Yeah.” He waved as I headed back out to the road. It was getting late, and I was hungry. By the time I stopped at the market and then got home, it was close to eight fifteen. I hated to eat that late, but I couldn’t face another cold pizza.
I opened the door to find Ginger sitting impatiently, sock in her mouth, with a full-on bum wiggle as she waited for me to come in.
“Well, hi there, my big girl.” I bent down, and she made her way over with excitement.
I saw Mom’s note on the counter explaining she’d run into Sherry and insisted on taking Ginger back to my place herself.
I appreciated what she did. Sherry was the last person I wanted to see. “Come on, girl, let’s go eat.”
I fell asleep on the couch and didn’t wake up until morning. It was the first good night’s sleep I’d had in a while. Cap’s call woke me up. I must have forgotten to set my alarm, and that was unusual for me. I squinted at the time and saw I was insanely late for work.
“Hey, Cap, sorry, I overslept,” I offered as a greeting.
“If you got sleep, you’ve got one up on me.” He yawned. “Please tell me you and Bree have something for me to report back on?”
I rubbed my head and tried to think straight. “We think we found him, but he’s smart and knows how to hide his face from the club cameras and the body cams. But last night Bree had a few more hours to go through, so maybe she’s found something by now. I’ll give her a call and see where she’s at.”
“I’ll ask her myself. She just walked in.”
“Oh, okay.” I leaned my arms on my legs and fought back the morning fog. “Let me shower and get changed, and I’ll be in.”
“Sounds good.” He hung up, and I raced off to the shower.
I grabbed my clothes and hurried to dress with Ginger on my heels.
I didn’t blame the pup for always sticking close to me.
She never knew if she was staying here, going to Mom and Dad’s, or being shipped off to Sherry.
I wanted her here full-time or at Mom and Dad’s.
I hoped my talk to Sherry had fixed the issue.
Now it was on to the next thing. I eyed the piece of barbed wire that lay on the table by the door. I snatched it up and headed out.
I hurried to the coffee shop to order Bree and me a coffee. I’d probably get stabbed to death if I showed up empty handed without a caffeine fix for her—and I still didn’t know if the new coffee maker had arrived.
“Morning.” Bree’s twin brother, Patrick, smiled over at me from the cream-and-sugar table. “I heard you skipped out on practice this morning.” I threw him a questioning look. “I ran into Kennedy.” He chuckled. “He figured maybe you were with Bree last night.”
“No, I was home.” I paid the lady at the counter and joined him. “The night got away from me, but I won’t miss the game.”
“Good.” He smiled. “Maxine’s working late, so I figured I’d swing by and use the rink to keep me up.”
“Happy to have you there.” I’d known Patrick for as long as I’d known Bree. He was a great guy and had followed my footsteps by marrying his high school sweetheart.
“Hey.” He stopped me when I went to leave. “Fuck.” He rubbed his head. “I’m sorry, man, but I have to ask, is there something going on between you and my sister or not?”
My skin heated when my mind flashed back to when we’d kissed. Her lips had been so soft, and her kiss had been tender, but it had been laced with a hunger that I’d felt straight to my core, and her taste . . . her taste had been what I expected heaven to be like.
“No.” I instantly felt like I’d betrayed him somehow by sidestepping that Bree and I had actually had a few very intimate moments. “I’m not saying there’s nothing there, but a small town and an ex-wife is tricky to navigate.”
“If you need me to run interference, let me know.” He laughed. “My sister’s been in love with you since I can remember. But don’t tell her I said that, or she’ll push me out of our drinkin’ loft.”
“Really? She told you that?” I beamed at his comment. Bree was often a closed book when it came to sharing her emotions, so to hear this made me excited. I’d been in such a heavy place with Sherry, and his comment only confirmed how wrong I’d been in my choice of woman.
“Not in so many words, but I know my twin sister.” He tapped his heart.