Page 30 of Bourbon and Lies

“Be a gentleman and give me your shirt,” she demands.

I laugh. “It’s almost as wet as you are.”

“Fine.” She hooks her finger into the strap on her left shoulder and lowers it.

Fuck, did I want her to keep going.

“Alright. Alright.” I grip the hem of my damp shirt, whipping it over my head and tossing it to her. She stares at my bare chest, and it fuels my self-esteem. Something I never typically struggle with, but damn, it’s nice to see it up close and feel it. There was a time when the gym and working out was a part of my job, but the physical labor of the cooperage does plenty to keep me in shape. Snapping out of her perusal of my arms and chest, she balls up my shirt to wipe her face. Then she moves it down each arm and bends to wipe her legs.

Once she’s done, she throws my balled-up shirt back at me and starts to walk away. “Haven’t gotten that wet for a man in a long time. So, thanks!”

I look up at the pitch-black sky. What am I supposed to do with that?

“Laney,” I call after her. When she turns, I toss the spare key for her place. “You know I’m not going to let it go, right?”

She catches it with a smirk. “Neither am I, cowboy.”

I snort a small laugh to myself. That ridiculous nickname.

Turning around, she yells over her shoulder, “And I’d be very disappointed if you did.”

Chapter 15

Grant

I stompthrough the front door and find Griz on the couch, reading a floral-covered paperback with big, bold purple letters that reads: “Marriage Assault.”

“Where’s Ace?”

“Fuck if I know.” He lowers the book just enough to give me an annoyed glare. “What’s gotten your panties in a pucker?”

“You’re in everyone’s business.” He has to know at least something about Laney that I don’t. It’s not in his nature to be out of the loop. I put my hands on my hips and square off with him. “Did Bea Harper happen to fly into town with our newest resident in tow?”

“That’s a very specific question,” he drawls out. “Sounds like you already have the answer. So what the hell are you really askin’, Grant?”

Raising my hands, I rest them on top of my head like I’ve just run miles and need my lungs to open up and make room for air. “The last time Bea fucking Harper decided to rustle shit up inthis town, people ended up out of sorts and dead.” As soon as I say it, I regret it. I stopped being angry at Fiona for going out on that call, but I’m not even close to forgetting.

“There are three girls who have gone missing in this county in the last six months and not a single person is asking the one question they should be,” she said, biting on the end of her coffee stirrer.

“I’ll bite,” I teased with a smile, kicking my feet up on the desk. “What’s the question?”

She gave me that signature ’don’t be a prick’ look. “Why here?” Standing up, she closed my door. “I’ve been looking into inconsistencies with property ownership in places that sit on city borders between Fiasco, Victory, and Montgomery. There are at least three of them that have sold in the past year.”

“Fi, when do you have time to be looking into this? You’re patrol, not detective.” Not to mention, any time that she wasn’t at work, she was either bowling with her old man or spending time with me. Not that anyone but me knew about the time we’d been spending together.

“I remember a long time ago, my mom talking about how they were always buying up properties in threes to utilize as relocation options. A single property purchase that wasn’t used right away would normally look suspicious, so they bought in bulk. Like an investor might.”

“So you think this relates . . . how? I’m not following.”

“Grant, if we haven’t found bodies, then they’re still alive, being kept somewhere that nobody ever planned to look.”

She looked at me with sheer excitement. The thrill of this line of work was always there for her. Before she ever considered the academy, she was hooked.

I was anxious about the idea. Without substantial evidence to even look in the direction she was suggesting... “It’s a helluva reach, Fi.”

“Yeah, but it’s a starting point.”

A starting point. I needed to know,why here?“I’m asking, what’s Laney’s story?”

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