Jordyn followed my line of sight. “Do you know him?”
I acknowledged Lester Worthington with a nod before he hung his suit jacket over the back of the bar chair and said something to his friend.
“Some dude who showed up at the house earlier. He’s interested in buying a horse.”
“I missed a lot while I was packing.”
Linda deposited our drinks. “Is Layla meeting you here?”
Nodding, Jordyn picked up her cup as the two started chatting about Layla.
That was my cue to contact the pilot. “I’ll be right back.” I was never one to sit idle and make small talk. And waiting for Layla was driving me mad.
A strong breeze whipped by the minute I stepped outside. The storm clouds had grown darker, and a sudden eerie feeling dropped to the pit of my stomach. Inhaling, I crossed the gravel lot as the scent of rain invaded my nostrils. Man, I hated flying in a storm. I could withstand a bomb, but I just couldn’t get excited about falling out of the sky in a metal tube. Webb and a few of my comrades had survived a plane crash a few years back, but they’d had parachutes strapped to them.
I tapped the number for the pilot. He answered on the first ring. “I was just about to call you, Sam. The weather isn’t looking good. I suggest we leave as soon as possible.”
“Ten-four, man. I’m waiting on one person who should be here shortly. Give me an hour.” After I hung up, I strutted over to my rental, which was parked alongside a black SUV that I was sure was Lester’s, since there wasn’t another one like it in the parking lot.
My suspicious nature had me checking out the inside. A folder with the Aberdeen name on it lay on the back seat, and a small black case with the name Camden Industries etched into the plastic was next to the folder. The first thing that came to mind was a gun case. I couldn’t help but think of what Conrad had mentioned about Jack having a new weapon.
Maybe Lester wasn’t buying a horse but selling Jack a weapon, though I doubted whatever was in that box would kill a vampire. The only sure ways that someone like me could die was by fire, a cobalt stake to the heart, and losing my head. Even the cobalt stake had to be embedded until my heart burned to ash.
I called Tripp.
He answered on the first ring. “Are you on your way home?”
“I should be shortly. There’s a storm coming in.” I scanned the inside of the SUV again. “I need you to have Sawyer look into something for me.”
“Anything wrong?” Tripp’s voice dropped an octave.
“Not sure.” I didn’t see anything else that would lead me to believe Lester was lying about buying a horse.
“What’s going on?” Tripp asked.
“Have Sawyer do some digging on Camden Industries when he has a chance.”
“Sam?” A familiar female voice trickled on the wind before Rianne came into view from around the SUV.
Where the fuck did she come from?I scanned the lot and didn’t see anyone with her. “I have to run,” I said to Tripp. “I’ll call just before the plane takes off.” Then I hung up.
Rianne smiled as she raked her brown gaze over me. “I didn’t believe Jordyn when I heard her message that you were in town.”
I kept my senses open as I looked down her dirt-covered jeans to her mud-encrusted boots. “Have you been mud wrestling?”
“I was helping my uncle with something,” she said, staring at me as though she was trying to bore a hole in my skull.
I did another sweep of the lot but didn’t see anyone else with her. I also didn’t smell another human nearby. “Have you been here long?” I sniffed the air just the same. I couldn’t even pick up her scent, although the wind was whipping around pretty strongly, and a thick aroma of cooking oil wafted in the air.
She flicked a thumb at the bar. “I parked behind the club.”
There were plenty of parking spaces in front.
As if she knew what I was thinking, she said, “My cousin knows the bartender.”
That still didn’t satisfy my suspicions. “I have another call to make. I’ll meet you inside.”
She tucked her hands into her coat pockets and hesitated as if struggling with what to say.
