Page 40 of Armed ’N’ Ready

He dragged a hand down his face. “You know it.” He hadn’t been drinking while on duty—bar duty, that was—but tonight, he could sure use a cold one.

As soon as Mark poured them both a Sam Adams, Nick held up his glass to Eric’s. Eric, however, was staring across the dining room again.

“What’s her story?” He nodded to the DPC’s feisty manager. “She’s cute.”

Nick sent his friend a disapproving look. “Stay away from her. At least until this assignment’s over. I don’t want to complicate things more than they are already.” Truthfully, in the past two weeks he’d come to like Tess, but Eric was commitment-phobic, and he didn’t want to see Tess get hurt.

“You should talk, bro.” Eric took a sip of his beer. “Every time I walk in here, you’re eyeballing the lovely Ms. Andi Hardt.”

He took a long drink of beer, not willing to admit anything. Not even to Eric, who was one of his best friends.

“You know,” Eric continued, “I don’t believe she’s guilty any more than you do. Once she’s in the clear—”

“Not gonna happen.” His gaze found the subject of their conversation chatting with Meera and Frank, who’d just sat down at a table near the piano. “There’s too much riding on this case to fuck it up.” Besides, he was no better than Eric at commitment, although their reasons for detachment were totally different.

Eric set down his glass, holding up a hand. “Just sayin’.”

“Yeah, well, don’t.” He gripped his beer tighter.

Whether she was innocent or not, he’d be lying if he didn’t admit that his motivations for bringing in Myer were becoming murky.

Since he’d found Tanya with the gun in her hand, he’d made it his life’s mission to get illegal guns off the streets. It was his own personal brand of justice, and a way of saying his final goodbye. He still wanted to nail the gun dealer, but now his mission had a new component—proving Andi’s innocence. To do that, he needed Myer.

“Something already happen between you two?”

He caught Eric watching him, concern in his eyes.

“No.” Liar.

“Well?” his friend prodded.

“I almost kissed her.” Twice, but who the fuck’s counting?

“Ah.” He smiled briefly, then nodded in understanding. “She almost kiss you back?”

Hell yeah.

Eric’s face sobered. “Tanya’s been gone a long time. She’d want you to be happy. We all do.”

He knew that. Tanya had wanted him to be happy. She’d said so in the letter she’d written him the day she’d killed herself.

Someone touched him on the back. Andi. As always, her flowery scent preceded her.

She gazed up at him with a hopeful expression. “Do you have any good news? Do you know where Joe is?”

“Hi, Andi.” Eric smiled.

“Special Agent Miller,” she said coolly.

“Call me Eric,” he insisted.

“Eric, then.” She smiled back, but her mouth was tight, and he knew her expressive face well enough to know it was forced.

“Joe crossed into Canada two weeks ago,” Nick told her.

She let out a heavy breath. “Not exactly the sign of someone considering turning himself in, is it?”

He opened his mouth, about to agree with her assessment, when five men shouted in unison.