Page 88 of Rules to Love By

“Excuse me.” Lucky stepped up to stand beside Marcus. “Sorry to interrupt this, but his lawyer isn’t here yet. The rest of your questions can wait until he gets here.”

“Lucky.” Marcus leaned close. “I don’t have a lawyer.”

“You do. Mark Schiffer. I’ve already called him.”

“I can’t affor—”

“I can.” Lucky squeezed his hand. “Just sit down and eat the food Kreed’s making for you before he blows a gasket.”

“Mr.…?” The cop raised an eyebrow at Lucky.

“Denver.” Lucky held out a hand. “Lucky Denver. Can I get you gentlemen coffee while we wait?”

“Mr. Denver, we don’t have all day for this. If Mr. Richards doesn’t want to talk to us here, we can escort him downtown.”

“Because that will for sure take up less of your day while you wait for his lawyer to turn around and drive all the way back to the city.” Lucky smiled, wide and pleasant. “Coffee?”

The so-far-silent cop stepped forward. “I’ll have coffee. Thank you.”

“Clairemont—”

Clairemont held up a hand to stop his fellow officer. “There is no reason we can’t wait for the lawyer. He’s right. If we haul this kid all the way back into town, it’ll eat up half the day.”

“I am not a kid.”

“Sorry.” Clairemont turned to him. “I apologize. We’ll wait for your lawyer.”

Marcus glanced nervously around the room. “Where’s Jake? Don’t you open soon?”

“Not a good idea to bring him back here, under the circumstances,” Kreed said. “Sit.” He pointed to the stools. “Lucky, get everyone coffee.”

“Sure.” He didn’t even make a smart remark over Kreed’s orders. “I called Steph to come help out. She’s fine manning the takeout orders.”

“Great.” Marcus put his head down on the counter. Just what he needed. Jake’s older, highly protective sister arriving to berate him for his thoughtlessness.

“Don’t worry.” Lucky ruffled his hair, then grunted in annoyance at the water that splashed everywhere. “She’s more bark than bite. And she knows you didn’t mean any harm.”

“Didn’t mean it and didn’t cause it are not the same thing.”

He was thinking as much about the diner as Jake, though he’d never imagined by leaving, he’d cause so much damage. But not being there had apparently given Johnathan the incentive he needed to not look after it at all. The state of the place was as much due to Marcus’s neglect as Johnathan’s.

“Care to elaborate?” The less friendly cop shifted his weight, resting a hand on his belt as he did.

Marcus shook his head without lifting it. “No, thank you.” There. Polite, but to the point.

“Leave it,” Clairemont said. “We’ll get our answers soon enough.”

The wait for the lawyer wasn’t long. Lucky had managed to catch him before he’d left for his office, so he’d come straight from his house, which happened to be on the outskirts closest to Griffon’s Elbow.

Marcus was only halfway through his food—which he was barely choking back, but trying, because Kreed kept frowning at him whenever he put his fork down.

With Schiffer’s arrival, thankfully, he could push the plate away with impunity.

“Tell me what’s going on,” Schiffer said, all business as he set his briefcase on the counter and took a stool next to Marcus.

“I don’t actually know,” Marcus said. “These police want to talk to me about my aunt’s diner.”

Schiffer looked over at them. “Why?”

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