Chapter 6 #2
“Good,” she chirped, popping to her feet. “’Cause I need a drink and to shake my moneymaker. Let’s roll.”
Lincoln
Walking into the Tap Room, I scanned the crowd until I spotted Hayes sitting on a stool near the end of the bar. Heading in that direction, I offered chin tilts in return to people’s greetings as I passed.
Reaching Hayes’s side, I noticed a shot glass filled with bourbon and an uncapped beer sitting in front of the empty stool next to him.
“Ah shit. Those drinks mean you found somethin’ on the newest town resident?”
“Not sure yet,” he replied. “I’m gonna do some more diggin’, but looks like your shy, plain neighbor’s got herself a checkered past. Or at least her family does.”
My face pulled into a frown. I had to admit I hadn’t been expecting that, and the fact that I didn’t read anything in the woman living a couple houses down from me left me a little unsettled. “What does that mean?”
“Means your girl’s only got a couple things on her record.
Little shit like a ticket for public intoxication when she was eighteen, but nothin’ most young folks don’t have.
But her parents and older brother all got rap sheets a mile long.
Petty theft, running cons, shit like that.
But big bro’s been popped more than once for breakin’ and enterin’, and burglary.
I pulled up everything I could find on Shepley Brenner and put in a few calls, one of those being to his PO in Philly, which is where he was last seen or heard from.
Guy’s been in the wind for months now. Skipped out before his last check-in. ”
“Shit,” I hissed.
“Yeah. Parole officer was a fountain of information. Word on the street was brother got himself in a whole shitload of trouble, stealin’ from the wrong people.
And by that, I mean the dumb fuck took money from criminals a lot goddamn higher on the food chain than him, and they’re out for blood.
You happen to notice anyone comin’ and goin’ from Eden’s place? ”
“Nah. Nothin’. In fact, I’ve never seen her with anyone but Nona Fanning.”
Hayes sighed and picked up his shot glass, downing the bourbon before chasing it with his own beer. “Don’t have the first fuckin’ clue if she’s involved or not, but my gut’s tellin’ me to keep a lookout. Hate to do this, brother. Know you’re busy with your own shit, but I need to cash in a marker.”
Fuck me. I knew that marker would be called one day, it just couldn’t have come at a more inconvenient time.
However, there was no way in hell I’d ever say no.
Hayes wasn’t just a buddy. Being a brother in arms made us brothers in every sense of the word but blood.
I’d give my life for him and knew the man beside me would do the same damn thing for me.
When I first moved to Hope Valley a decade ago, Hayes had helped get Alpha Omega Investigations off the ground by tossing me cases that didn’t fall under the department’s jurisdiction.
Hayes’s recommendation was all I needed to get my foot in the door.
People in this town trusted his opinion, and now, ten years later, I employed eight guys and worked high-paying jobs all over the country that kept our banks accounts more than just comfortably padded.
“Whaddaya need?”
“Need you to try and get close to her. More than just keepin’ an eye out.
I need you inside in case this fucker shows his face in my town, if he hasn’t already.
Know this is asking a lot, but the department doesn’t have the resources for surveillance like that, and the captain would lose his mind if he knew me and Trick were investigating a long shot like this.
Saw her picture when I was runnin’ her. She might not be your type, but she’s not exactly hard on the eyes, man.
What you consider plain, most men around here would give their left nut for a taste of.
And something tells me you won’t have any problems getting in there. ”
It wasn’t getting in there that bothered me.
I’d seen the way Eden’s cheeks burned red and heard the uncontrollable stutter whenever I was around.
I was far from a choir boy, had been with more than enough women to be able to read them like a book.
I was well aware of the fact that Eden had a thing for me.
Problem was I enjoyed variety, and having to pretend to date Eden would put a huge fucking damper on that. But a marker was a marker, and I’d have helped Hayes even if it was just a favor between friends.
“I’ll get close. Don’t worry about it.”
Hayes visibly relaxed, making it obvious that he hated having to ask me to wade in. But there was one thing I knew for sure: Hayes’s gut was never wrong, and if it was telling him something was up with the girl a few doors down, I was going to trust my brother’s instincts.
“Appreciate it, Linc.”
Picking up my shot glass, I downed the bourbon and let the warmth it left behind settle in. “No problem. But just so you know, next round’s gonna be on you too.”
“On it.” Hayes chuckled and lifted his arm to catch the chick behind the bar’s attention, pointing at our empty shot glasses for a refill. Then the two of us settled in to enjoy the rest of the night.