Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
“Can’t you drive it over in the morning?” Greeley asked briskly. “It’s close to two in the morning.”
Logan shook his head. “I want chain of custody witnessed by both you and the mayor.”
The mayor frowned. “For what reason? The remains are clearly Justice Bear.”
“Until we know for sure, we’re not skipping steps. If that’s what’s left of Justice Bear, then there isn’t a problem. If it’s someone else, we have to be able to use the evidence to build a case.”
“For Christ’s sake, Storm,” Greeley exploded, “who else could it be? It’s not like Ennis has bodies piling up.” The instant the words left his mouth, Greeley paled and looked at the tooth and partial jaw, along with the small bone fragments he’d pulled from the cremator. “Jesus H. Christ. You think this is Duke?”
_______________
Ty waited at the bar while Jamie and I wiped down the tables. The rest of the night had been uneventful, so we only had a few closing duties to perform before we could leave. Logan had texted twenty minutes ago stating he would be here in thirty, so I had just enough time to clear the empties and put them in to soak. Normally I would have washed all the glasses before leaving, but I was worn out from the last couple of days and in a hurry to get home to my brothers. Logan’s warning about not being alone until Duke’s disappearance was solved had left me on edge. Even though I knew Jake could handle just about anything, I wouldn’t feel easy until we were all under the same roof.
“Got a cell phone here,” Jamie called out.
“I’ll put it on my desk and deal with it tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow’s Sunday. You coming in?” Jamie asked, handing me the phone.
I blinked. With all that had happened I’d lost track of the days. Sundays were my one day off to spend with my brothers. To take their pulse and make sure they were doing okay. It was pancakes and NFL football. A lazy day to regroup.
“Guess I’ll deal with it on Monday if they don’t come looking for it sooner.”
With the last table wiped down, I tossed the towel in the sink then headed to my office to grab my coat and purse. Logan’s duffle was sitting on the floor, so I grabbed it and headed to the front. After a long day, I figured he’d want to shower and would need clean clothes to change into.
When I rounded the corner to the front of the bar, I caught Ty watching Jamie sweep. He had a look on his face I’d seen before, but it had been on Logan as he’d stared back at me. Lust was the only word to describe it, and it stopped me in my tracks. Ducking back so Ty couldn’t see me, I watched him watch Jamie for a moment. He couldn’t peel his eyes off of her as she carried on about this customer or that order. When she laughed, his eyes softened turning the heat into adoration. And Jamie was oblivious to all of it. She carried on as if she were talking with me, to her best friend in the world.
Was she aware of how he felt?
Jamie turned to face Ty as she headed to dump the dustpan, and he quickly schooled his features. Laid-back Ty replaced the hyperalert man who had followed her every movement, but his focus never left Jamie until he caught me watching him watching her. I didn’t know what to think about any of it. I didn’t love Ty like a woman loves a man, but the thought of Jamie hooking up with Ty was unsettling. If they became involved and she wanted to discuss their sex life, it would be like hearing about one of my brothers.
When Jamie grabbed her coat and purse from the backbar, Ty broke eye contact with me and stood, helping her into her coat before watching her wordlessly as she hollered her goodbyes and disappeared through the door.
“Are you hiding for a reason?” Ty asked over his shoulder.
I stepped out of the hall, feeling guilty for some odd reason. “You better be sure about this. You’ve been friends your whole life,” I stated with a resigned sigh. I knew Ty better than anyone. If he decided to pursue Jamie, there would be no stopping him.
“You think I don’t know that?”
I made my way around the bar and stopped in front of him. “How long have you felt this way?”
“Too fucking long,” he rumbled, grabbing his neck and rubbing it.
“What’s stopping you then?”
He quickly glanced at me from the corner of his eye then closed them and took a deep breath.
“Me?”
“I couldn’t exactly protect you from randy ranch hands if they thought I had a thing for your best friend. And there’s the fact I haven’t got a clue how she’d feel about it.”