Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 72401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Dortea was running her fingers through the hair at her temples, Detective Rector’s lips were thinned, and I didn’t even bother looking at Silas. His face would reflect more of the same.
I was just as dumfounded as the rest of them.
“Dammit,” Dortea said. “I don’t like this case. Not one bit. Who’s the victim here?”
That was the million dollar question.
Chapter 7
A boy makes his girl jealous of other women. A man makes other women jealous of his girl.
-How to be a man
Cleo
“Want to go out to eat?” Loki asked me.
I looked over from the TV, downed my beer, and stood. “Sure.”
I was annoyed.
I didn’t know why I was annoyed, but I was.
It wasn’t like Rue owed me anything, but it still bothered the hell out of me that I didn’t know where she was.
I’d driven by her house as soon as I’d gotten off shift, and she was gone. I knew she wasn’t at work today because I’d transported two patients there, and each time I’d asked about her, they’d said she was gone.
My next stop had been the nursing home, but she hadn’t been there either.
Now, with nothing else to do, I was at the clubhouse drinking a beer with Loki.
He’d told me about the meeting he’d had with Rue three days ago, and now I was even more hyped up.
Something big stank about that case, but none of us could put a finger on what it was.
We both walked out to our bikes and drove into the night.
The weather was much warmer at sixty degrees, and it felt really nice out. A perfect night for a ride.
We ended up at Halligans and Handcuffs, the bar that was owned by The Dixie Wardens. It’d become a very popular attraction among the locals, and even garnered attention from the surrounding states, and a majority of the Ark-La-Tex.
The bar was located on the outskirts of Benton, the town where The Dixie Wardens MC called home, and about two minutes from my house.
We pulled into the bar and parked near the front, backing in among the member’s parking spaces in view of the front window.
I powered off the bike and kicked the stand down before standing up and stretching.
The bar was hopping.
“Lot of people here tonight,” I observed.
Loki nodded. “Been like this nearly every night this week. I would know and all since my wife’s decided that she now lives at her work.”
I snorted.
Channing was a hell of a woman. How she opened a business with a kid and a detective for a husband was beyond me.
Loki was beyond busy with work most nights and Channing had set the office up so she could take their baby to work with her if she needed to.
Starting a new business took a lot of work as well as dedication, and Channing had that in spades.
“Stop whining,” I said as we made it into the door.
We both waved at Tunnel Morrison, a police officer for Benton PD, and a fellow member of the Dixie Wardens, who was manning the door.
“If I can’t whine to you, who would I whine to?” Loki asked.
“How about your wife? Your best friend?” I asked.
Honestly, I was a bit of a loner. I liked being in the back of the room just watching what was going on around me.
I didn’t like talking, but when I did, you damn well better listen, because it was probably important.
I didn’t like large gatherings and being in a loud room made me nervous.
It’d only been four months since I was off full time duty with the PJ’s, and I was still a bit jumpy as a whole.
“You don’t like listening to my problems?” He joked.
“I don’t like listening to problems that have no basis on reality. If you don’t like it, fix it. If you can’t fix it, then find someone else who’ll stay with you at home,” I suggested.
Sometimes I came off as an asshole, but this world had a ton of problems that were of more consequence than a man’s wife not being at home when he wanted her to be.
That just made him sound like a whiney bitch.
“You’re such a dick,” Loki laughed.
I shrugged and went to the back corner of the bar and took a seat not in front of the bar, but behind the bar.
I really didn’t want to have to talk to anyone tonight; I wasn’t in the mood to be nice.
“Why do you always sit back here?” Loki asked as he took a seat on the opposite side of me.
He had his back to the room, and I could tell it was bothering him.
Police officers, and those in the military, had habits. Rule number one was knowing your surroundings. Rule number two, was never put your back to a room.
However, he had a mirror, so he was somewhat appeased.
“Because I don’t want anyone touching me, and it’s the closest door to the exit that everyone else won’t have access to,” I said patiently.
Loki rolled his eyes. “Going out the front door would be faster.”
I shook my head. “No, going out the front door would be longer. If there was truly an emergency, then they’d all be using that one door, or the fire exit across the room. They wouldn’t even think to use the back exit.”
Loki seemed to think about it before he nodded his head in understanding.
“Gotcha,” he said as he leaned over and grabbed two beers out of the cooler. “You do have more experiences in this area.”
I snorted.
I did indeed.
That was the last thing I wanted to hear about, though.
I twisted off the cap and lifted the beer to my mouth before taking a swig.
However, a flash of familiar long brown hair caught my eye, and the beer froze halfway down to the table.
That was because my Rue was sitting next to a man who had his arms around her shoulders.
She was in the back of the room, in the furthest booth.
Across from her was Cody and another man, who I assumed was his partner. However, all of my attention was focused on the man that was about to have his face introduced to the table.