“Nope. I’ll be here as long as my trucks are on the road tonight.”
She held out her hand. “Thanks for offering to help. I appreciate it.”
“Any time.”
He closed his palm around hers and for a moment the feel of his skin against hers felt right. Even the brief back-and-forth caress of his thumb didn’t drive her back.
“I’m looking forward to our rematch at pool this Friday night,” he said.
“Are you now? You must like losing.” She slipped her hand from his. “Besides, I think we may need to cancel because of the weather.”
“Seems a might early to cancel something that’s almost a week away just because it’s going to snow tonight. What say we wait till Friday and see how the forecast is then?”
Shaking her head, she stared at the floor. “I don’t know, Cain. I always like to plan ahead. Let’s just say it’s cancelled for now and I’ll get back to you on rescheduling?”
“Nope. Game’s still on.”
“Then I just won’t show up.”
Cain walked to the doorway and braced his forearm against the doorframe. “You know, I went through a lot of training as a DEA agent.”
“I can only imagine.”
“Did you know most people have a ‘tell’ for one thing or another?”
If she knew where this was going, she’d feel a lot better. “So I’ve heard.”
“You’ve got one, too. Happens every time you lie to me.” He laughed as he walked out of the office.
She followed him into the hallway as he went out the back door. “What? What’s my ‘tell’ you just saw?”
He grinned as he closed the door behind him. “See? I was right.”
“Damn.” She’d just admitted she lied.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Cain got the lowdown from Earl Millerton as to how the tow truck call-outs were handled, then he headed home. His late-night talk with Shadow coupled with the before-sunrise meeting with JB had put a hole in his sleep. Both had been eye-opening, but neither had given him all the answers. In fact, JB had been blunt about not planning to divulge any of Betsy’s personal life, not even when Cain had shared his informant’s warning.
At least one good thing had come out of stopping by the auto dealership this morning though. Now, besides working on his truck as a reason to show up around Peyton’s, Betsy had hired him as a part-time employee. From the looks of things, he had added a lot to his plate.
Tonight, he’d write his official resignation letter for the DEA, but he wouldn’t send it right now. He was still thinking about that decision. But, at least, he’d have the paperwork done and waiting for when—and if— he decided to quit the Agency.
After installing one of the two kitchen cabinets he’d put on his schedule for today, he opted for an early lunch and a few hours of shuteye. Who knew when tonight’s shift might end. He made it back to Peyton’s just as the freezing rain started to glaze the roads.
The weatherman had been right, rain and falling temps had rolled into the area right as forecast. Trouble was, even though Crayton wasn’t big by any means, it still had traffic problems. Plus some people were out on the four-lane divided highway trying to make it home from Jefferson City almost an hour away.
For the past twenty minutes, Betsy and her primary competition in town, Hal “The Hat” Boone, had laid out the towing map for the evening. Teams had been assigned. Thermoses filled. Sack lunches handed out.
Cain learned he was to tag team with Randy something-or-other, a part-timer from the used car lot down the road. They’d concentrate on the north outer limits of the town, including the rural area in that vicinity. Most of the ditch pulls would be from that direction, and sometimes that’s all that was needed for the driver to be on their way again. By the time the meeting ended, calls from stranded motorists were already coming in. Everyone scattered outside, headed to their rigs for what would be a long night.
Cain’s instincts said that Randy wasn’t going to be a high producer for the evening. The mid-twenties guy was fully capable, but maturity seemed to be on hold. He appeared to be in it for some fast money and nothing else.
“Hey, let me grab a coat from my truck.” Randy opened the driver’s side door and yanked out an orange insulated jacket. “I got another coat if you need one. ’Cause you sure want to have some reflective yellow or orange on you when you’re working the side of the road.”
“Thanks, but Earl gave me a safety vest earlier today.” Besides which, Cain didn’t much care for wearing other people’s stuff. Especially one that had a skunky body-odor scent. “Hey, man. You smoking weed?”
Randy reached in his coat pocket and eased out the corner of a plastic bag just enough to be seen. “Not today. But I got something even better if you need it.”
