Page 4 of No Reason to Trust

Jake raised one eyebrow. “That’s pretty ballsy, Livvy.” He jerked his head toward the bartender. “Last I heard, Hiram over there owns this place. You don’t wanna see my face? Go ahead and leave. No one’s stopping you.”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve, Dunbar. If you can face me after what you did, you’re even worse than I thought you were.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Jake asked, frowning.

“You know damn well what you did,” Livvy said.

Jake shrugged. Held out his hands, palms up. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Williams. So either leave or sit down there and fume all you want. I’ll be sitting with Noah in one of the booths. Ignoring you.”

He turned to Noah. “I’m gonna grab a booth. Company at the bar isn’t up to its usual high standards.”

Noah bumped his shoulder to Jake’s. “Yeah, do that. Nick shows up most days, and you can talk to him without it being all official and serious.”

Jake shot his gaze toward Olivia. Then looked back at Noah. “Sounds good. I’ll keep an eye out for him.”

As Jake slid into a booth, he watched as Olivia turned away and leaned on the bar. Her dark red curls cascaded down her back as she leaned forward to say something to Hiram. He smiled and nodded, then moved away from her. Grabbed a glass and pulled a dark, foamy Guinness from the tap and set it in front of her.

Jake snorted as Noah joined him. “No wonder she didn’t want to leave. This is probably the only bar in town that sells Guinness.”

Noah grinned. “You’d be right about that. This is Bud and Coors country. And Moose Drool. The tourists love ordering that one.”

Livvy turned her head to talk to Tom, and those dark red curls of hers bounced on her back. Made him wonder what they’d feel like if he ran his fingers through them.

Jake snorted at the unexpected thought. He’d rather pet a rattlesnake than tangle his fingers in Livvy Williams’ hair.

Noah leaned closer to him. “You have any idea what the hell’s going on with Livvy?”

“Hell, no,” Jake said, letting his gaze drift toward Livvy and those red curls again. Those curls had figured in a lot of his fantasies since she’d taken the Blackhawk Security job. “I’ve got no idea what she’s ranting about. Clearly, a bug crawled up her ass, but I have no clue why.” He shook his head. “Damned odd. Before she left, she had a great reputation with the Bureau. Bright, tough, hard-working. All the mucky mucks had big plans for her. Then she quit to work for Blackhawk Security.”

Noah tilted his head. “You know why?”

“No idea,” Jake said immediately. “I didn’t even know she’d left the FBI until I got here and found out she was working at Blackhawk Security. But I doubt the Bureau fired her. Last I heard, she was on the fast track there.”

He shrugged. Swiveled to face Noah, trying to put Olivia Williams out of his mind.

Noah was studying him, and Jake frowned, waiting for his friend to speak. Finally Noah said, “Don’t let Livvy drive you away.” His voice vibrated with irritation. “Not sure what her problem is, but she’s not in charge here.” His gaze darted to Olivia, then back to Jake. “If she objects to your presence? Tough. She can leave. You came a long way to take Nick’s statement. At least wait and have a drink with him.”

The two of them stared at each other for another few moments, then Jake turned and drank a gulp of his half-finished beer. He flicked a glance at Olivia, who was glaring at him, steam coming out of her ears. After a long moment, he nodded. Turned to Noah. “You know, you’re right, man. I have as much right to be here as she does.”

Determined to ignore Olivia Williams, Jake wrapped his hands around the glass, then lifted it and took a long pull. Noah leaned closer to him. “You really have no idea what that was about?” he murmured.

“Not a clue,” Jake said, shaking his head. “I have no idea what she’s ranting about.”

Noah studied him for a long moment. “You’re serious,” he finally said. “You reallydon’tknow why Livvy’s so pissed at you.”

Jake shrugged. “I mean it. No idea.” He frowned. “But she was always a little jumpy around me. No idea why.”

“She’s been working for Blackhawk Security for maybe four months,” Noah said. “She’s a damn good trainer. Good bodyguard, too.”

“She was a damn good FBI agent,” Jake said. “Or at least I always heard she was. But she clearly went off the rails somewhere.”

Noah touched Jake’s arm. “Maybe you need to talk to her. Figure out what’s going on. That was a really odd reaction to seeing you here in The Trailhead.”

“Yeah.” Jake shrugged one shoulder. “I have no idea what she’s talking about. I thought I’d developed a good relationship with Livvy when she worked for the Bureau.” He scowled. “But talk to her? Hell, no. I value my balls too much.”

Noah’s mouth flirted with a laugh, then he frowned. “She’s been a great addition to Blackhawk Security,” he said, glancing toward Olivia. “Steady. Reliable. Talented. I have no idea why she lost her shit just now.”

“You and me both, man.” Jake shook his head. “We worked together on a few cases when she was with the Bureau, and I thought we’d had a good working relationship. We even went out a few times. She had a great reputation at the Bureau. I remember that.”

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