Page 79 of Bourbon & Blood

I settled her in, bringin’ over a couple of old crates to stack up and give her a place to set her drink and her book if she’d like.

“You relax here, cher. I’ll fix us some plates,” I said.

She shaded her eyes and smiled up at me and purred, “You treat me like a queen.”

“Now you’re gettin’ it,” I heard Hex call out, and turned to catch him wink at my girl.

“Have a minute?” he asked me.

“Course, you can help me carry some food over,” I said, and Hex laughed and gave a nod. We went over to where plenty was startin’ to come out the pots to feast on.

“Word’s out,” he said, careful of the kids runnin’ around playin’ and I nodded.

“Good thing,” I said.

“Made sure to play careful, warnin’ everyone to keep mum in front of ‘Lina. Don’t need her upset, now.”

“Thank you, brother.” He looked past me in her direction.

“She’s a beauty,” Hex said, and I stiffened slightly. “All the boys are sayin’ it.”

I nodded carefully, and he chuffed a laugh. “Ain’t none of ‘em stupid enough to make a move.”

I nodded again, and he smiled at me.

“Seems you got it in the bag, brother.” He clapped me on the back and I looked back to Alina who was lying back, her book propped open in her lap as she read. The hammock was swinging gently and the cool breeze sweeping through was a relief to the heat and humidity that pooled in the air today.

“Was there anything else you wanted to tell me?” I asked. “Any word on our killer or the lackey that hired ‘im?”

“Not yet. Got Louie tailin’ him. Chainsaw’s wit ‘im.”

“The political cocksucker or the man on the video?” I asked and Hex laughed.

“The cocksucker,” he said, and I nodded.

“Think we’re gonna have to pay him a visit to find the triggerman,” I said and Hex nodded. We dished up three plates as we talked, going on down the line and fillin’ ‘em with good things – shrimp n’ grits, fried alligator, gar cakes, and some mud bugs, corn and hushpuppies, and a few taters on the side.

“Think her daddy’s behind it?” I asked suddenly, a few moments later as we took up our plates to go on and deliver.

“Hard to tell, man. All we can do is keep climbin’ the ladder.”

I nodded, and we worked our way out to Alina, Hex runnin’ interference with chatty folk stoppin’ us to talk an’ catch up on things.

“Catch up with you,” Hex said, stopping at a cooler. “Grab us a couple ‘o beers.”

I threw some chin and went on over, handing my girl a plate. She set down her book an’ took it, turning and sittin’ up, patting the hammock for me to sit beside her.

“Room enough for three if that line holding it up is strong enough,” she said, and I chuckled.

“That’s over a thousand-pound test line,” I told her. “It’s plenty strong enough.”

“Good to know,” she said, wrinkling her cute little nose and smiling bright.

CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE

Alina…

There had to be at least fifty or sixty people in La Croix’s childhood home’s backyard.

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