She laughed, the boisterous sound carrying through the dining area. “What can I get you? We have baked ziti with salad and garlic bread or a patty melt with sweat potato fries and coleslaw. Dessert is chocolate cake or cherry cobbler.”
“I’ll take the patty melt with sweat tea. Thanks, Thea.”
She flashed him another friendly smile that bordered on flirtatious. Thea was a few years older than him in school, but he was aware that she’d harbored a crush on him. When he was a teenager, he’d considered dating her because he’d counted her as a sure thing. He was glad he’d never followed through on the idea because Thea made a better friend than a bed bunny.
After Thea left to put in his order, Easton remembered to check his texts and saw the new message had come in from Luke. The text was a link to a website that took several minutes to load, and he almost clicked out of it. Then the headline of the news article caught his attention.
He started reading, the story pulling him in enough that he failed to notice Thea returning until she sat his plate and glass in front of him. He thanked her and then returned to the article, his food ignored.
Easton was unaware of the scowl on his face as he completed the article, and then he started his own search. More articles populated his feed, and he got lost in his research.
At one point, he remembered his sandwich and took a bite of his lukewarm meal as he continued reading. It wasn’t until someone banged a fist on his table that he came up for air. His brother had dropped into the chair across from him without Easton realizing he was close. Easton shook the fog from his brain, silently admonishing himself for not being more aware.
Luke waved over at Thea and motioned for her to bring another order of what Easton was having. He stole one of Easton’s fries and popped it in his mouth, his steely eyes watching him intently.
“Did you read it?”
Easton nodded. “Yeah. Then I found some more and read those too.”
“Is this a case?”
Easton saw Thea heading their way, so he waited to answer until after she brought Luke’s food and made sure they didn’t need anything else. Thea wasn’t one to gossip, but Luke’s question was related to the brothers’ work as Legends.
They took their cue from the way English had always worked as Legend. No matter how they handled a case that was brought to them, they resolved it and slipped away without drawing too much attention.
“No,” Easton answered his brother as he watched Luke attack his lunch with gusto. “It’s personal. Sort of.”
Luke chewed and swallowed. “Explain.”
“The name I gave you? She’s Darby Anne Maxwell’s granddaughter. She kind of insinuated that she was in trouble, but she wouldn’t tell me what. I just wanted to see if you could find something to give me an idea of what I’m up against. I’ve offered my help, and all she asked was for me to watch over Darby Anne after she went back home.”
“She’s stepped into some deep shit.”
Easton nodded. “She came here to visit, so she could get away from it for a while. She said she doesn’t think trouble would follow her here, but I think that’s exactly what she’s afraid of. It’s got her spooked. After reading this, I can’t say I blame her.”
Luke popped a fry into his mouth. “I can dig deeper, see if there’s a trail that could lead someone here.”
Easton pushed his plate away, his appetite gone. “I want to say no. I’d rather her trust me to help without me having to dig into her personal life. But she won’t. I’m just a bartender to her. I’ve explained about my military experience, but she’s a cop. She knows the training is not the same. I’m going to have to get creative if I want to help.”
“You like her.”
Easton nodded. “Hell, yeah. She’s sexy and smart and calls me out on my shit. I’m starting to grow on her. She didn’t like me at first. Then she decided we could be friends. Last night, she kissed me. I’m slowly wearing her down.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Of course, you are,” he deadpanned. “So why get involved in her drama if all you want is to screw her?”
Easton bristled. “Since when have we ever ignored someone in trouble? Damn, man, I’m not a jackass. I’m not using hercrisis to get her in my bed. Would I complain if that’s where things between us led? Hell, no. But that’s not what this is. Geez, Luke, give me some credit, okay?”
“Right.” Luke drawled out the word, both agreeing with and doubting his brother with the simple response. “So do you want me to stop digging or what?”
Easton almost called him off. He walked a fine line between wanting to date Bailee and wanting to protect her, meaning he had to tread carefully. If she knew he had his brother look into things that she believed were none of his business, she’d shut him out. He didn’t think he could live with that. Only to truly help her without telling her about his work as a Legend, he needed Luke’s unique skills for manipulating computers and finding intel the rest of them wasn’t privy to.
And then there was the disconnect with his player persona and his feelings toward Bailee. Using women to satisfy his needs was the impression he gave most people because it was better that way. Live a life of fun and games meant not allowing anyone to get too close. Only he wanted Bailee close. To what end, he wasn’t sure.
Yeah, he wanted her in his bed, and he knew in his gut a one-night stand would not be enough. So where that left him remained to be seen.
Regardless, he had faith he could make this work. He could be there for Bailee without imploding the life he enjoyed.
“Keep digging. And I know where you can start.”
