"Yes, that Mitch," Clark confirmed, his face tight.“Word came through the grapevine that there is a plan in place forthe warden to appeal his conviction by discrediting Mitch’s testimony. Any chance you’ve heard anything about it?”
“No, nothing.” I shrugged. “Truth is that I haven’t exactly been out in the world to hear, though.”
“That could work in our favor.” Clark blew out his breath. “We need someone who can blend in over at the bar in Silver Leaf and keep an ear cocked for any scuttlebutt. Word is that one of the warden’s lackey’s is a regular there.”
“And you don’t think Jackson could do it?” I teased with a wink at my friend’s mate.
“Itoldhim I could,” Jackson huffed with a put-out roll of his eyes.
Clark didn’t bother rising to the bait. “Any chance you could help us out? I know it’s last minute but if we could get you in there this afternoon and keep you in place until closing, you’d be doing us a huge favor.”
"Of course, I will," I agreed quickly. I glanced down at my sweaty, dirt-covered clothes. "Can you give me five minutes to clean up?" Clark nodded and I turned toward the house, gesturing for them to follow me. "You might as well come in and get me up to speed while I change. Just give me a hot minute to shower off."
Bypassing the master bedroom, I stripped my clothes off in the bathroom. The water was barely creeping up on lukewarm when I flicked the faucets off. I ran a towel briskly over my head to dry my tight curls, wrapped it around my waist, and returned to the bedroom where Jackson was leaning against the wall and Clark was pacing in front of the window. In all the years I’d known Dex’s adoptive fathers, I’d never seen Clark agitated, so I held back a joke about him wearing holes in the carpet and rifled through the drawers to find something to wear.
Pulling a clean pair of jeans over my hips and grabbing the first t-shirt I touched in the drawer, I glanced over at Clark. "You might as well start talking.”
Chapter Two
Dex
“Hey, handsome. This seat taken?”
I looked up from where I was absolutely not sulking into the glass of freaking lemonade on the bar in front of me. It was bad enough I couldn’t have alcohol, but just to be able to go to a damn bar I had to traipse to the next town over to escape my best friend’s notice. Now I was being crowded and the Alpha standing entirely too close to me was a stranger. My inner bear was bristling which made me even crankier.
“Yes.”
“Yes, it’s taken? I haven’t seen anyone sitting there and I’ve been watching for a while.”
“You’ve beenwatchingme?” I huffed and looked back into my glass. “Tell me you’re a creeper without telling me you’re a creeper, dude.”
“Mind your manners,” the stranger snapped, flooding the area around me with alpha pheromones.
“Or you’ll dowhatexactly?” I snarled back.
“Dex? Everything okay over here?” The bartender, Heidi, crossed her arms over her chest and shot a look at the blowhard.
“Everything is fine,” the Alpha snarled, turning his glare in her direction, “except for the help getting too big for their britches. Why don’t you run along and find something to clean while he and I get to know each other?”
I nearly choked on a sip of lemonade. It takes a special kind of stupid to step to a female grizzly shifter. I was still sputtering when a voice came from my other side.
“How’s it goin’, Dex?”
Glancing to my left, I relaxed at the sight of a familiar face. Myke Kravets was a local Alpha that I only knew casually, but well enough to know he was safe.
“Hey, Myke. I’m okay but thisgentlemanseems bent on getting his ass kicked tonight.”
“You threatening me, Omega?” the stranger seethed, the air around him nearly vibrating with his anger.
“I think you misunderstood him, friend,” Myke chuckled and dropped a friendly hand on my shoulder, pulling my barstool closer to him without any effort at all and nodding over the bar to where Heidi stood scowling. “The regulars know better than to piss our lovely barkeep off.”
The man started to argue but stopped short when a deep, rumbling snarl came from the other side of the bar. Tossing a ten on the bar next to his still-full beer, the Alpha made for the exit at double time, leaving the three of us shaking our heads.
“Some people, huh?” Myke said with a laugh, squeezing my shoulder before removing his hand. “Sorry for touching you without your permission, Dex, but he was a little too close to you for comfort.”
“No problem, Myke.” I reached for his hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “I appreciate the assist.” I winked at Heidi and grinned. “After all, we wouldn’t want the bar shut down again foranothersuspicious death inquiry.”
Heidi shook her head in mock disgust, but I saw the humor glinting in her eyes as she turned away to mix Myke’s drink, assuring him it would be on the house for the help. He accepted graciously but tossed an outsized tip on the bar before sending me another friendly smile.
