“You’re playin’ with fire, bro,” Logan retorts. “And we all know it.”
“Fuck off.” I don’t need my big brother’s approval how I handle this situation. “I’m doin’ what I know is the best course of action. You don’t have to like it.”
“What have we got so far?” Sawyer says. “Or can I take a lone guess at it?”
“Not much to go on,” I say with a sigh. “This jerk made some crazy ass death threat letters, and they were intercepted by forensics, who informed Cameron?—”
“Wow, so the whole department is in on it,” Sawyer pipes up, annoying me further. “That’s gotta suck.”
“Not the whole department,” I say. “As I said, the less who know the better. This will just put Willow into a state of panic, and she has enough stress on her shoulders as it is.”
Logan points at me. “I still think you should fess up. Hidin’ shit from her won’t sit well, and sheisgonna find out. She’s not stupid. Then what?”
“I’ll tell her before that.” I’m not letting these two get into my head, but I still start to pace. “I’ve got it figured out, so the two of you can go about your daily business and not worry about me and mine.”
“Little hard not to when we care about Willow, too,” Sawyer adds. “She’s done a lot for this city. People like her because she’s trustworthy. She gets the job done. Not many around here that make promises and stick to them.”
That’s just who Willow is. After last night’s marathon in bed together, I woke up with a new lease on life. I love waking up with her in my arms. She cussed me out because she slept in, but it was minor details. I kept reminding her she’s the boss now, but of course, she thinks she has to set an example every single day she shows up. My girl has a work ethic like nobody else I know, certainly not me, not even close.
“So what did Rock and Jett find so far?” Logan asks, sticking to the subject at hand.
I sigh. “Not a great deal. A delivery person brought the mail in, so we can rule out him hand deliverin’ it, which wouldn’t make sense, but we had to be sure. Weirder things have happened.”
“There are some pretty creepy dudes out there,” Sawyer agrees. “I can do a deep dive into the system. If Sinclair doesn’t even trust his own, then there’s somethin’ to be worried about.”
I nod. “That would be appreciated.”
It’s driving me crazy that we have no leads. Nada. The prospects are still tailing Willow, and Max is on the beat whenI’m not around. Nobody is getting to her, I’ll make sure of it, but that uneasy feeling washes over me.
I fill both of them in on what Max told me about Cut City Boys, Brew already knows because I tell him everything, and Sawyer said he’d happily call Star, Nevada’s ol’ lady, who’s a PI to find out any further intel on this Aaron Bolt person and if he has any living relatives. That was something I should’ve picked up earlier, though Rock said there was no record of death, not that it means he isn’t dead, or any relatives he could find. But having Star on the case couldn’t hurt. People change their names all the time, especially with a father who was a serial killer. We buried a lot of bodies that day, but that doesn’t mean Bolt is dead.
“On it,” Sawyer says. “I’ll find out what I can.”
I give him a nod. “Didn’t tell Sinclair about Bolt,” I say. “Figured he’s got enough on his plate, and if he starts diggin’ up dirt at the station, Willow will get wind and that’ll be super suspicious.”
“You seen him lately?” Logan asks.
“Nah, he’s layin’ low, and I’m sure he hasn’t laid all the cards on the table. He just knows I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure Willow’s safety. That’s the only reason he came to see me.”
Any idiot can see that, but let’s not go around giving Cameron a fucking medal. The decent thing to do is protect your kids at all costs. Even if it means conversing with a man you despise — me.
Brew appears in the doorway. “You all havin’ a meetin’ and I’m not involved?”
I roll my eyes. “Sawyer knows the whole truth,” I say. “He kinda figured most of it out on his own.”
“Not just a pretty face.” Sawyer winks.
Brew rolls his eyes. “Long as you keep your trap shut.”
“My lips are sealed.” He makes a fake zip motion across his mouth.
“We’re fucked,” I mutter.
“I love how much faith you have in me,” he sings. “Tryin’ to keep me in the dark like that? You guys are hilarious.”
He has a point. There isn’t much that gets by Sawyer, and that makes him an excellent person to have around.
“I’ve gotta head over to the station,” I say. “Only got about another week before Willow gets suspicious about why we’re still there.”
