Page 66 of Every Which Way

“Yes.” Kenna figured she’d be straight about it. “She was going to abduct one of my team members. It didn’t go as planned, so she ran off.”

Miller didn’t comment on that.

Kenna said, “Maybe she genuinely likes you. She’s interested, she’s falling for you, so she kept the truth of who she is out of it. That way, she can have something nice that won’t get messed up by who she is.”

Miller said, “You really think that?”

Ramon shook his head, staying silent.

“I guess we should ask her.” Kenna closed the maps app. “We’re almost there.”

“See you on the flip side.” Miller ended the call, and in a half mile, Ramon slowed for the corner. After the bend, the roadside widened. The trees moved back from the shoulder to make way for a river on the west side, and on the east, a parking lot and a squat structure with a wood shake roof that was lit up with neon signs.

“Parking lot is pretty full.” Ramon slowed but didn’t indicate he’d turn in. “That’s a lot of motorcycles.”

Trucks and cars also lined the lot.

Miller had turned into the other end of the parking area, so they went the opposite way. Better to make it look like they had nothing to do with each other.

“Now we know why he switched his FBI clothes for jeans, boots, and a leather jacket over his T-shirt.” Kenna frowned. “Maybe he was undercover, and he liked it, and that’s why he turned from a pencil-pushing, uptight city guy into some backcountry, roadhouse guy out for a beer and to meet his lady.”

Ramon chuckled. “I can’t imagine her here either. You think she wears a tiny leather skirt and a torn rock band T-shirt.”

“Okay, that’s a weird image. Have you been thinking about it much?”

He shoved her arm, and they both laughed. Kenna got out of the car. “I have to admit, there isn’t much that smells better than the air in the mountains.”

“Beer, exhaust, and puke?”

“Pine trees. Fresh mountain air.”

“Right.” Ramon slung an arm around her shoulder. “If you’re gonna leave that ring on your finger, we should act like a couple. Otherwise, you’re gonna get propositioned by every biker in there.”

“Because I’m irresistible? They’ll be falling over themselves to snatch me up.” Kenna chuckled.

“I’ll make it clear you’re an acquired taste. More trouble than you’re worth. I’m doing the world a favor keeping you off the market.”

“You should tell Jax that. He can add it to his wedding vows.”

Ramon pulled the front door of the roadhouse open while laughing out loud. It set the tone nicely, and they entered grinning at each other as if they had a shared secret—something that would sell them as being in a relationship.

The place was packed, wall-to-wall bodies but concentrated on the right with rows of pool tables all lined up. Opposite the front door, the bar stretched across at least twenty feet in width. Two bartenders manned the counter, and they seemed to be male identical twins.

Ramon pretty much dragged her—given his arm around her neck—to the corner, where they settled at a small round table in a sea of tables. She clocked the two bartenders, one with long dark hair tied back and the other with his head shaved. Both had sleeves of tattoos and distinctive clothing styles. The long-haired twin had a white shirt and black vest, and the shaved-head one had a tight T-shirt on.

A blond woman who was barely drinking age came over with a notepad. “What can I get you folks?”

Ramon ordered two beers and a basket of fries.

Kenna had to explain her glancing around so much, so she said, “This place is great. Is it always this busy?”

The blonde cocked her hip. “Best fries west of Nebraska.”

Kenna grinned, and they shared a smile.

The waitress said, “I’ll be back.”

“Thanks.” Kenna held up her phone and took a few pictures like a tourist or someone who had to update their social media every time they breathed. In reality, the pictures would go to Maizie as soon as she took them, uploading to their shared folder so Maizie could see everyone present in the room. She and Stairns, back at the campsite, would be able to run some of the faces and see who might be a threat. Or an asset.

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