“Good to see you, too, ‘Vil.” I open the door for Laurel and hand her up into the truck. “Mill, you drive. I’m going to sit back here with my wife.”
“Sure.” Miller gets in, looking as sober as a judge.
My eyes narrow.
C catches the look and murmurs in a low voice, “Yeah, we’ll talk about it.”
Hmm. Not good. Of course, Miller wouldn’t be driving anyone anywhere if there was a real problem with him. Still, I’m curious.
The gears in my brain churn, already back to work like the honeymoon’s been over for months.
Chapter
Nine
CONNOR
When we reach Coynston after picking up Trick and Laurelyn at the airport, she goes over to Anvil and Rachel’s for a visit, while he comes to the castle to meet with me.
We drop our phones on the kitchen counter and head to the basement where we’ve had hundreds of meetings. It’s the one place in the house that no craftsman or contractor has ever been since the original build. Anvil, Trick and I carried all furniture and the rugs down ourselves. No electronics that are linked to the internet come down with us.
In the inner sanctum, Trick drops onto the couch as I make us drinks.
When I hand him a Jack and Coke, he says, “My first one in a week.”
“Clean living hasn’t done you any harm.” I take a drink and lean back against the table. “That’s some suntan you’re sporting.”
“The beach is all there is there. That and a big house.”
“Surprised you stayed the whole time. Thought you might hit Europe like you planned?”
“C,” Trick says, holding up a hand. “Let’s table the vacation talk and get to what we’re here to discuss.”
I give him the full report, including that I had Anvil try to bait Miller into complaining about body-guarding duty. Miller was circumspect, but said nothing concerning. Apparently though, that tactic rubbed him the wrong way because Miller’s been quiet ever since, which I also mention.
“He didn’t even crack a smile when I paid him his bonus,” I add.
“Hmm.”
I don’t say more about Miller because I know I’ve already said enough. One of Trick’s talents in opening people up, and he’s been training Miller since the guy came on board. If there’s reason for concern with Miller, Trick will find it.
“So what’s up with your little sister grabbing a downed gun? I didn’t realize you were training her.”
He downs his drink, stretching out his legs. “Guess I’m gonna have to call her Baby G from here on out.”
“Where the G stands for?”
He flashes a smile. “Gangster. Gunslinger. Girl with gun?” He tips his head back against the couch, looking up at the ceiling, and chuckles. “There are two guns in my mom’s house that I put there for emergencies. I showed all of them the basics a couple of times. Ash didn’t seem interested. Then she turns sixteen and decides she wants to learn. She swore there was no trouble in her life, just got the urge from watching a T.V. show.” He rises and pours himself another drink. “I took her to a local range near myma’s. Ash watched and listened for about ten minutes and then said, ‘Okay, let me try.’” He swirls the glass and shrugs. “I knew even before she pulled the trigger. It was the way she handled the gun.”
My brows rise. “Like you?”
“Exactly like me.” He rubs a hand over the couch cushion. “From then on I took her practice shooting in private. The woods. Some of our crue training courses.”
“How good is she?”
“Not as good as me yet.” A beat passes. “But better than anyone else you know.” He smiles, and there’s an unmistakable look of pride. “It was just hitting targets though. She didn’t want to hurt anything living, not even birds, so hunting was out. I wondered if she’d falter in a real situation. I thought she might not have the nerve to shoot a human being. I warned her never to pull a gun she wasn’t prepared to fire. She said she understood.”
“She’s got nerves of steel when it counts.”
