“Sloane?”
“Lay it on me,” she said, holding a pen poised over the notebook she’d dug out of her purse.
“We need people in town on the lookout for Duncan Hugo and his henchmen. The earlier the warning we have, the more time we have to prepare. Grim already agreed to continue keeping tabs on the Hugos’ men. If any of them head in our direction, we’ll know. But we need people here who can keep their eyes and ears open and their mouths shut.”
“Ooooh! Pick me! Pick me!” Mrs. Tweedy said, coming halfway out of her seat, hand raised like an eager student.
“Okay. Mrs. Tweedy is our first official spy,” Sloane agreed.
“That means you can’t be blabbing about this to anyone,” Knox reminded his elderly tenant.
“I know when to blab and when to keep my trap shut,” she shot back.
“Choose people you know you can trust not to run their mouths about this. The last thing we need is a whole town looking for a fight,” Nash cautioned Sloane.
“Maybe we can spin a few tall tales to a couple big-mouthed gossips so they can be on the lookout without knowing exactly why,” Mrs. Tweedy suggested.
“How would that work?” I asked.
“Take Face Tattoo Guy. I can casually mention to Neecey at Dino’s that I heard a guy with face tattoos is looking to buy up acres of farmland to build a bunch of hipster condominiums and vape shops.”
“That’s not a terrible idea,” Lucian and Sloane said at the same time. They shared a long, simmering glare.
“Knox,” I continued.
He still had Naomi glued to his side with one tattooed arm around her shoulders. “Let’s have it, boss.”
“Local security. Beef up the system at your place and here at Nash’s. Lucian, can you find a way to track Nash, Naomi, and Waylay in case they get separated from their phones?”
Nash’s eyes swung back to me. “Now hold on a minute. I’ve already got a federal shadow—”
“Don’t bother arguing,” Naomi said to him. “If it’s a precaution Waylay and I have to take, you have to take it too.”
“I have access to some interesting technology that might help,” Lucian volunteered.
“Great. Knox, work with Lucian on that,” I said.
“What do you want me to do?” Naomi asked me. “And don’t even think about leaving me out of this.”
I looked at Nash for help.
“Self-defense,” he said. “You and Waylay are gonna sign up with Fi’s jujitsu instructor for private lessons.” Knox opened his mouth to argue, but Nash shook his head. “Hugo’s not going to get near either of you. But we’re taking zero chances.”
“I look forward to building on my knee-balls-nose repertoire,” Naomi said.
Sloane yawned and looked at her watch. “Okay. We have our assignments. Let’s nail this asshole.”
There was a murmur of agreement around the table.
Mrs. Tweedy noisily slurped up the remainder of her bourbon.
“Come on, Daze. Let’s get you to bed,” Knox said.
The way he said it and the way she looked at him made me think sleep was the last thing either of them had in mind.
Sloane stuffed her notebook back into her bag. “I’ll start a WhatsApp group so we can keep everyone updated.”
“Good thinking,” Nash said.
“Graham,” Nash said to Nolan, jerking his head toward the kitchen.
“A word,” Lucian said, appearing at my elbow.
“What’s up?”
“What’s my real assignment?”
My smile was slow and smug. “I didn’t want to make the ask in front of a U.S. marshal, even if he is batting for our team.”
“I gathered as much.”
“Can you dedicate your creepy shadow network of intel gathering to finding a man with no name and no picture?” I explained Duncan’s faceless, burner phone friend. “He’s the only one I couldn’t track down, and that makes me think he’s the one we need to find.”
“Send everything you have over to me, and I’ll get my team started immediately.”
“Good. Oh, and how do you feel about keeping an eye on Sloane? The rest of us are either trained to deal with this or live with someone who is. Sloane’s by herself, and since you stay next door to her when you’re in town, you’re the most convenient candidate.”
Icy fire danced in Lucian’s eyes. “No one will get near her,” he promised.
“She’ll probably give you shit about the attention,” I warned.
Something that almost looked like a smile played over his handsome face. But then it was gone. “I won’t be run off as easily this time.”
Personally, I was dying to know what other time he was thinking about and how a five-foot-two-inch woman had run off Lucian “Lucifer” Rollins. But it didn’t seem like the time for questions.
We said goodbye as everyone except for Nolan filed out the door, a buzz of purpose and anticipation between them.
Sloane paused in the open doorway. “Still up for being my date to the wedding Saturday?” she called to Nolan, who was lounging against the kitchen island.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, cupcake.”
“Pick me up at—”
Lucian slammed the door, cutting Sloane off midsentence.
“Those two are going to implode one day. Right, Pipe?” I asked the dog that was tap-dancing playfully at my feet.
“Angel, I need your key,” Nash called.
“Door’s unlocked,” I told him, meeting him and Nolan in the kitchen.
“Good. Go get your stuff and bring back your key,” he said.
“My stuff?”
“Graham’s taking over your place until this is over. It’ll help to have him closer than the motel.”
“Not gonna lie. I’m lookin’ forward to a real bed and not having to stomp on half a dozen roaches before my shower,” Nolan said cheerfully.
“Uh, you get the couch, my friend,” I told him.
“No. He gets your place,” Nash countered. “You’re staying with me.”
“You expect me to move in with you?” My voice went up an octave. I instantly began to sweat.
“On that note, I’ll go get my shit. Be back here in however long it takes to scare the rats out of my suitcase,” Nolan announced and ran for the door.
“Fight me on this,” Nash dared me.
“I can’t just move in with you, Nash. That’s insane. We barely made it through the day without fighting, and you want to share a bathroom with me? Do not smile at me like I’m the crazy one!” I could hear the hysterical tinge to my words but there was no dialing it back.
He was still smiling, but now he was heading toward me.
I held up my hands and began to back away. “It’s one thing to accidentally fall asleep after sex, but to bring my clothes here and… Do you even have closet space? I can’t just leave my things in a suitcase. They need to breathe.”
I needed to breathe.
Nash caught me, his hands settling on my hips and tugging me closer. I hated the fact that I instantly felt calmer.
“Take a breath,” he insisted.