Cain takes it, and they shake hands briefly, then they start to walk. “No. And I’d like it to stay that way. We’re not making any stops before we hit the road.”
Gannon opens the door, holding it in his grasp as he finishes talking to his nephew. “This could have been a phone call, you know.”
“Would you have taken it?”
“Probably not.”
“Exactly why we showed up,” Cain says, then leaves the office.
We follow him out of the police department and back to where our motorcycles are parked.
“Uncle? What happened to old golfing buddies?” Nixon asks before he pulls his helmet over his head.
Cain picks up his helmet and meets Damon’s eyes briefly before shrugging. “That’s how my parents met. My uncles played golf with my dad for years. Now let’s not talk about my family tree, and let's get the fuck back to Ridgewood.”
It’s early afternoon by the time we pull into Andromeda’s parking lot, the sun high and bright in the sky, conflicting with the chill in the air from the season.
That is one thing I still have not gotten used to—the sun shines through the winter months here, casting a warm embrace on even the coldest days.
Nixon pulls into the space beside me and kills his engine, turning his helmet-clad head in my direction. Flipping the face shield up, he trains his eyes on me. “You were awfully quiet back in Northwood.”
“What was I to say?” I ask once I’ve pulled my helmet off. “There never seemed like a place where it’d be appropriate for me to interject, nor was there a reason for me to.”
“True,” he agrees. “Guess you’re right. I didn’t say much, either. Kinda weird how Cain didn’t tell us he was the captain's nephew, though, right?”
I ponder that as I slide off my bike and set my helmet on the seat. Nixon does the same, and we begin to move through the parking lot to where Cain and Damon are standing near the bar's entrance.
“Perhaps. Though I can understand the rift between family members and not feeling the need to disclose the relationship unless necessary. Their tension was clear—there are things within their family we are not privileged to know. I’m sure that is all.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Nixon agrees just as we reach the other two.
Cain looks up from his phone as we stop in front of him, sliding it into the back pocket of his blue jeans. “I just called Church for three o’clock. Tell everyone what the captain said.”
“Sounds good, amico. Come,” I say to everyone with a nod. “It’s five o’clock somewhere, and I feel we could all use a drink after that ride. The first round is on me.”
Andromeda is fairly quiet when we enter, the music not yet turned up, and only a handful of patrons are here this early in the day. As the door closes behind us and my eyes adjust to the dimmed lighting, my eyes catch on a woman I’ve never seen standing behind the bar, wiping it down.
She is beautiful, with chocolate brown hair and tattoos that climb up her arms. She wears a black top with thin straps. The loose fabric bounces as she cleans the bartop.
When she hears the click of the door shutting, she stops and stands straighter, looking up at us with a grin. I notice that her smile falters briefly as her gaze lands on Cain, but she pins it back in place as her eyes sweep over Nixon, Damon, and then me.
Immediately, I am taken with her energy. She radiates confidence, and there’s just something about her I am instantly drawn to. It feels reminiscent of the first day of school as a child, when you finally sit next to someone who you feel is meant to be your friend.
But it is what she says when she finally speaks that fills me with amusement, and I can tell she’s about to become il mia preferita in all of Ridgewood.
Moving from behind the bar, she flips the dish towel over her shoulder and crosses her arms over her chest, giving us a smug smile. “Why hello, boys. I was wondering when you’d show up to meet the bar’s new owner.”
Beside me, Cain looks as though he’s seen a ghost.Nixon’s mouth gapes slightly, and Damon wears his usual look of indifference.
I believe things around Ridgewood just became far more interesting.
Chapter 5
Sly
Two Months Later
“If I ask you something, would you answer me truthfully?” Rosie asks from where she lies naked in my arms. My fingertips drag over her arm as I take a puff of the cigarette she’s just passed me.
