Rock’s chair creaks as he leans back. “I made a deal with her several years ago. She came to me bold as brass and asked me to become her partner and invest in the bar with her. At first,I didn’t take it all that seriously, but after looking into it, I realized she was right; that place could be a real moneymaker. You can’t ask for a better location. I haven’t put much into the place financially, what with everything that’s been going down with the club, but my intentions were to give it a refresh this summer, maybe get some of the more upscale business. That place down the street is raking it in. Anyway, she’s been doin’ a good job running the place with the resources she has. Turned it around big time from almost going under during COVID. Works her butt off, to be honest.”
I nod. “Good to know.”
He reaches into a drawer and tosses me a set of keys. “I want these assholes.”
I catch them in midair and nod. “She filed a police report. That may be a problem.”
“Yeah, we’ll deal with that if it happens. See what you can find out.”
“I’m on it.”
His eyes bore into mine. “This is personal for me, Keno.”
“I get that.”
The meeting wraps up, and Utah and I walk out to the main room and the bar.
My fellow nomad, Shack—the brother I’ve been traveling more roads with than I can remember—twists on his stool.
“What’s goin’ on?”
“Gonna stick around a little longer.”
“We’ve been here since November. I thought when spring broke, we’d be hitting the road.”
“Said I’d try to help find the assholes who’ve been robbing places in town. Last night they hit the Gaslight. Rock has an investment in the place. Between that and them shooting Darko, he wants their heads on a platter.”
Shack pulls the stir stick out of his mouth. “Don’t blame him.” His eyes sweep over me. “There somethin’ else?”
The man can read me like a book, so there’s no use denying it. “Actually, there is. The chick who runs the Gaslight…”
“What about her?”
“I know her.”
Shack grins. “Someone from your past?”
“Something like that.”
“Which one is she? I know all the women from your past.”
“You don’t know this one.”
“Huh. She mean something to you?”
“She does.”
“Well, this should be interesting. Never thought I’d see the day a woman pulled you from the road.”
“No one’s pulling me from the road.”
“Guess I’ll stick around, then. The road’s not as much fun when you haven’t got a brother at your back.”
“You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”
He shrugs. “I like this town. The fresh mountain air. Good as any to put down roots.”
“Who said anything about roots? This is just temporary. You know me. I’m a rolling stone. Never happy in one place for long. That itch to leave eventually hits.”
