“Brother.” Ax’s hand clamped down on my shoulder. That deep, ever-calming voice of my younger brother breaking the thoughts spinning inside me.
He eyed the water as he slid onto the barstool next to me. He didn’t say anything about it, didn’t address it. Hesimply accepted it, filed it away, and assessed this unexpected situation.
As was Ax.
“You’re here early.”
“Supposed to meet Jagg as soon as he gets off work.”
“Ah. Heard you’ve got the detective pulling some favors.”
“We’ll see if he delivers.”
Ax scanned the crowd, a habit from serving decades in the military.
“Spirit’s drawn quite the crowd outside.”
I blinked, began to surge off my chair.
“Don’t worry, she’s fine. You know she loves the attention.”
I sank back down into my chair as Ax flagged down Frank and ordered a Shiner. “What’s with the axe in the saddle bag?”
“Tree.”
“No. I think…” He tipped his head to the side. “Woman.”
I grunted.
Between Gunner and Jagg, I had no doubt Ax knew about my overnight security watch at Rose’s house.
“Missed you at dinner last night,” He said as Frank slid his beer down the bar. He sipped. “Celeste made pulled pork sandwiches. Well, not made so much as brought them home after a bad date.”
“Another one, huh?”
“Oh yeah.”
Celeste, former Marine and full-time badass, had recently been promoted from office manager of Steele Shadows Security to security detail. She’d become like a sister to us, and while the woman could outshoot anyone in town, her luck with men, however, was another story.
“By the way, Gunner asked me to tell you that our bestfriend, Josh Davis, has spent the last two evenings curled up with a wine cooler and remote control.”
“How does he know this?”
“Got friendly with Davis’s housekeeper.”
“Did she say if he left the house? Even for a bit?”
“Nope. Says he came home from work and was in for the night. Kid doesn’t like the rain, apparently.” He grinned.
“How is she certain he never left?”
“She’s a live-in housekeeper. Said aside from running a few errands at his request, she never left the house.”
“What errands?”
“Flower shop.”
I stilled, my mind turning. If Josh’s housekeeper had delivered the orchids to Rose’s front door and confirmed he’d been home, then that made him a lot less likely to be the one who broke in and left the creepy bear with the hidden recorder. Just like that, my prime suspect dropped down the list.
