“Hey. I’ve been calling your cell phone for hours. Why aren’t you picking up?” Shot’s deep growl thundered through the earpiece and made my head throb. I squinted against a bolt of pain and tightened my grip on the receiver.
“I must’ve left it on silent. It’s upstairs somewhere, and I’m down in the bar…working.” I was snippier than I usually was with him, but I didn’t like the accusation in his voice. “I would’ve called you back as soon as I saw your missed call. You know that.”
He swore, and I could easily picture the familiar scowl that usually accompanied the frustrated sound.
“I was worried about you. Didn’t care for that cop butting in last night.” Shot grunted and quietly reminded me, “You need to be careful who you let get close, Kody.”
I sighed and rubbed at my forehead. It was a warning I didn’t need. It was hard enough to keep Case and Crew out of my business dealings with Shot and the Sons of Sorrow. I knew Case had his suspicions as to how exactly I kept my bar up and running, but he never asked. It was for the best he didn’t pry. He would be greatly disappointed at what he found. As for Hill, there would be no forgiveness and no looking the other way if all my complicated ties to Shot Caldwell and his club came to light.
“The last person you need to be worried about getting too close to me is Hill Gamble.” There was too much history and hurt between the two of us for the gap to ever be bridged. “He’s investigating my father’s murder. He’s Case’s friend. He’s Aaron’s older brother. That’s all he’s ever been to me.” I refused to see him as anything else, even if my heart complained loudly at the thought.
“He wasn’t acting like a friend of the family when he jumped over that bar last night. Just tread lightly, Trouble. You have a knack for finding yourself in bad situations. And take better care of yourself, since you won’t let anyone else do it.”
The biker hung up without saying goodbye, which was probably a good thing. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him Hill had taken care of me and I hadn’t fought it at all. I swore under my breath and let my head fall forward until my forehead banged on the bar in front of me.
Depending on Hill would end badly, so I refused to do it. I’d already learned that lesson the hard way…
Chapter 4
Hill
I’m releasing the body to the family so they can move forward with the funeral. Have you managed to pin down the daughter to ask her if she might have any idea why Lawton was in Austin? Nobody seems to know why he was there or who he was meeting.”
Johnny Hearst was a good cop. Younger than me by several years, he’d moved up the ranks and made it into the Rangers with single-minded focus and determination. I didn’t mind him being the lead on Conrad’s case, because he listened when I had something to add in my role as unofficial consultant. Unfortunately, I was coming up empty when it came to prying anything out of the locals or the Lawton siblings. It was clear the former sheriff had been up to something in his last few days, but figuring out what it was seemed impossible.
Running on minimal sleep and fueled by high-octane coffee, I swore I could feel my bones vibrating under my skin when Hearst brought up Kody. Dragging my hands over my face, I cringed at the sandpapery texture of the scruff.
“No. But Kody isn’t the type to be pinned down, regardless of the situation. I was holding out hope that if I gave her some space and didn’t pressure her, she would come find me.” Wishful thinking. She was so used to running in the opposite direction when she saw me coming, I should’ve known I would never be able to stop chasing her.
“I need a formal statement from her on file. Both the brothers stated all the kids had limited contact with the old man for various reasons. I’d like the sister to confirm.” Hearst leaned back in his metal chair until it was balanced on two legs. He kicked his sneakered feet up onto the table, and I watched out of the corner of my eye as he rocked back and forth.
“If you fall and crack your head open, it’s your own fault.”
The other man shot me a grin, and I silently wondered if there had ever been a moment in my life where I’d been as laid back and carefree as the young investigator. I always felt like I’d been born into the middle of an emotional tornado and the winds had never stopped.
“We know Conrad was comfortable here in Loveless. He had his own little network, had people scared enough of him to look the other way, no matter what he was up to. It doesn’t make any sense to take his schemes outside of town. His reputation doesn’t stretch very far past the Loveless city limits, which makes me think someone or something forced him to make the trip to Austin. I don’t think he went because he wanted to.”
I nodded in agreement, squeezing my eyes closed and rubbing the corners. We’d already gone over Conrad’s property with a fine-toothed comb. There was nothing indicating why he had suddenly taken off for Austin, and no sign he’d been forced out of his home. Conrad was a big, mean son of a bitch. There weren’t many folks I could think of who had been capable of making the man do something he didn’t want to do. This case was one dead end after another, which was frustrating to me as a cop, but even more so to me as a friend of the grieving family.
“Do you want me to take a crack at the daughter? I know the two of you have history. She might be more amenable to speaking to someone without any ties to her past.” Suddenly the legs of the chair hit the floor with a loud thump, and the younger man leaned forward. “I’d like to know exactly how tied into the local motorcycle club she is. That bar of hers was barely hanging on a couple of years ago, then boom, the club shows up in town and her bar is back in the black. Something tells me the timing of those two events isn’t a coincidence.”
No, it probably wasn’t. Especially seeing how protective and proprietary the leader of the club was when it came to Kody. I’d never expected her to stop living her life after Aaron died. In fact, I’d spent many sleepless nights wondering if the relentless infatuation I had for the problematic youngest Lawton would finally go away if she settled down and found someone who made her smile. She deserved a relationship that made her happy. She had earned the kind of love that came without expectations and restrictions. I could never exactly figure out why it felt like my ability to find my own happiness was directly linked to her ability to find hers.
Groaning and climbing to my feet, I stretched my arms above my head and winced as my spine popped loudly. I was getting too old to burn the candle at both ends. Constantly moving so I could outrun my mistakes and the ghosts of my past was starting to take its toll. I was tired in a way that felt suffocating. No amount of sleep was going to chase away the lethargy.
“Give me another day. I’ll track her down tonight and see if I can get her to talk. She might give me some leeway knowing we’re releasing the body and they can move forward with the funeral. Conrad was a grade-A jerk. He was a bully and a dirty cop. But he still managed to bring some really good kids into the world.” I tried to keep my voice even, but I could hear the exhausted, strained rasp in it.
I didn’t know if Kody had calmed down since I’d last seen her a few days ago, but I knew for certain my heart couldn’t handle seeing her so close to the edge again. I’d been giving her time, but I’d also needed the distance so I didn’t do something I knew I would instantly regret. I was careful to stay on the other side of the invisible lines Kody drew between us, but I couldn’t stop myself from crossing them when her hurt was visible and screaming out for someone, anyone, to do something about it.