“One day, Gamble. I’m tired of banging my head against the wall. We’ve given the family more leeway than we would anyone else in the same situation, since you vouched for them, and because of Case Lawton’s spotless service record. But something’s gotta shake loose, or this case is going to go cold.”
Hearst clapped a hand on my shoulder and reached for the open laptop on the table in front of him.
“I think we’re done for the day. I’ll update the bosses. Get some rest. You look like shit.” He bumped his shoulder against mine and walked out the door, sneakers squeaking on the linoleum floor. I’d never worked with a Ranger who didn’t wear cowboy boots or polished dress shoes. Hearst was a different breed, but he got the job done.
And he was observant as hell. I’d learned a long time ago how to hide the soul-deep exhaustion I lived with. It annoyed me that the younger man had no problem seeing through the iron mask I’d worn since I was a child.
I swore under my breath, but the swearing almost immediately turned into a yawn. I blinked bleary eyes and headed out of the small conference room. The motel where Hearst and I were staying had let us take it over and turn it into a makeshift office. The motel was by no means five-star accommodations, but it wasn’t the worst place I’d had to stay during an extended investigation. And even if it had been roach infested and falling down around me, it would still be preferable to the house where I’d grown up and where my brother had died. I avoided my parents’ place like the plague. I wish I could say the same for the memories tied to that house. Those were never too far out of reach.
I nodded absently to a couple as I walked down the hallway, and lifted a hand to rub my eyes again. It would be nice if I could catch a quick nap, but if I wanted to try to catch Kody before the bar got busy, then I needed to shake off the dull fog hanging around my head and get my ass in gear. I had my doubts I was going to be welcome, especially after the way I’d strongly “encouraged” her staff to stay late and clean the bar. But I had a job to do, and giving Kody her space was no longer an option.
I drew to a sudden stop, nearly tripping over my own feet, when the profile of a figure sitting against the closed door of my motel room came into sight. While I wasn’t currently undercover, I wasn’t exactly making the fact that I was back in Loveless known. The last thing I needed was for either of my parents to show up and make a scene. The only people who should know my exact whereabouts were the employees of the motel, Hearst, and Case. The long legs, unruly blond hair, and sharp green eyes glaring up at me didn’t belong to any of those people. I had no idea why Kody was sitting on the floor in front of my room, but I couldn’t stop the way my heart lurched at the sight of her.
I took the last few steps required to get to her. I braced myself against the railing dividing the walkway from the parking lot and crossed my arms over my chest while we silently sized one another up. She looked a lot better than she had the other night, but any of the softness she’d shown toward me while drunk was long gone. Her green gaze was as hard as glass, and her pretty, plush mouth was pulled into a tight frown.
“I promised Case I would come and talk to you before the funeral, so here I am. Let’s get this over with.” Kody pushed back against the door to my room and levered herself up to her feet.
She was wearing a pair of coral-colored jeans and a bright teal top. It should’ve looked garish and tacky, but for some reason, all the bizarre color combinations she favored worked for her.
“Case tell you which room was mine?” That would make me feel a lot better than the motel staff randomly giving out the information to anyone who asked for it.
Kody nodded. “He called and told me one of the reasons we haven’t been able to lay Dad to rest yet is because you haven’t interviewed the whole family. I was properly chastised for being a brat and told him I would come talk to you as soon as I could get away from the bar.” She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped the toe of her silver cowboy boot on the concrete. “I don’t have all night.”
I dipped my chin down and tried to hide a yawn. “Give me five minutes. We can meet at the diner across the parking lot. I’ll buy you a cup of coffee and keep the questions quick.”
Kody gave a stiff nod and moved to the side so I had a clear path to the door. I pushed off the railing I was leaning against and sucked in a surprised breath when the ground tilted suddenly and my vision went blurry for a split second. I must’ve lost my footing, because the next thing I knew, small, soft hands were braced on the center of my chest, keeping me from toppling over. I blinked rapidly and slowly gave my head a shake.
Instinctively I wrapped my fingers around Kody’s slim wrist and tried to ignore the way her pulse was racing underneath my touch.
I cleared my throat and took a step back. “Sorry about that. I guess I need that cup of coffee more than I realized.” I let go of her when she gave her hand a little tug.
Kody’s gold-tinted eyebrows furrowed into a frown as she cocked her head to the side. “When was the last time you slept? And I don’t mean a nap.”
I shrugged and fished the key to the room out of my pocket. “I’m in the middle of an investigation. I left in the middle of another one to come back to Loveless. I’m used to the lack of sleep. Strong coffee is enough to shake most of the cobwebs loose.” I grunted when I felt her slight weight bounce off my back as I stopped once I was inside the room. Surprised, I looked at her over my shoulder.
Kody pushed her wild fall of hair out of her face and scowled up at me. “How effective can you be at your job if you’re practically a zombie? Everyone is all up in my face because I’m not taking great care of myself lately, but what about you? You look terrible.”
It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear, but considering she was the second person in an hour to say the exact same thing, maybe I needed to do a better job at hiding just how run down I was.
“I’m going to change my shirt and splash some water on my face. After we talk, I’ll come back and try and catch a couple hours of sleep.” I figured she would run the other way when I told her I was about to start taking my clothes off. Instead she wordlessly followed me into the small motel room, reminding me that all she ever saw me as was Aaron’s older brother and that she was still reckless when it came to her own safety. She shouldn’t be following any man into his motel room so casually, even one she’d known forever.
Throwing my Stetson on the bed, I tried not to react as she closed the door behind her. Sighing, I made sure there was nothing she shouldn’t see relating to her father’s case lying around and started to unbutton my shirt. I’d had the patterned button-up on for over twenty-four hours and was ready for a T-shirt and a cold beer.
“Neither Case or Crew have any idea why your old man might’ve been in Austin the night he was killed. I know he tended to have a soft spot for you. You have any clue why he made the trip out of the blue?” I pulled the tails of the shirt out from my jeans and crouched down to dig through my open suitcase for a somewhat clean tee. Once I found a black one I shook the button-up loose and stood so I could make the switch. “Conrad wasn’t much of a sharer, didn’t like anyone in his business, but maybe he mentioned something in passing, something he wouldn’t say to the boys?”