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Anger returning, Logan’s features morphed into a snarl. “Whatever happened down there, I had nothing to do with it. Nothing. You hear me?”
“All the same, we’re going to need you to come with us.” Nico was bluffing of course, since they didn’t technically have the authority to bring him in, but he had to try something before this got out of hand.
Either Logan knew it, or didn’t care either way, because the look he turned on him was pure venom. “Suck my dick, asshole. I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”
“Logan, please,” Seth said. “I know you didn’t do this, but you’ve got to cooperate to clear your name. This will only get worse for you if you don’t.”
The assembly of men shifted, some clutching their rifles a little tighter, their axes a little higher. Nico had no idea how far they’d go to protect one of their own, but if this didn’t de-escalate—and quick—they might just find out.
“You’re not under arrest,” Nico said, hoping the reassurance might take things down a notch. “Just some routine questions, that’s all, help us figure out what happened.”
In the few seconds since Seth announced Isabelle’s death, Logan’s eyes had gathered enough moisture that Nico wondered if he cared a lot more than he was willing to let on. Confirming his suspicions, he watched as the man appeared to reel it back in, peeking over his shoulder to ensure no one else saw his display of emotion, then planted a cold smile on his face.
“That bitch was nothing to me. Now you and your boys get back in your car and get off my mountain.”
Seth winced. Frank huffed his disbelief.
“You heard him,” Nico said. “Let’s go.”
Frank and Seth backed up a few steps—the latter a picture of disappointment—and retreated to the cruiser.
Nico hesitated. Slowly, he took his wallet out of his back pocket and removed a card. “This isn’t over, Logan. If you decide you want to help yourself”—he let the card drop to the ground between them, knowing he would never take it with so many eyes on him—“you know where to find me.”
Once back in the relative safety of the car, Nico waited until they were well on their way before asking, “You guys see what I saw?”
“You mean the blood on the truck?” Frank replied. “Hard to miss.”
“I don’t think he did it,” Seth said stiffly.
“I’m starting to doubt that myself,” Nico told him. If he was guilty of murder, why leave such blatant evidence? “But we can’t abandon a lead on a gut feeling alone.”
“They hunt their own food up here.” Seth said. “That blood could have come from anywhere.”
“Only one way to find out for sure,” Nico replied. “We need a sample.”
“Those are some brass balls you’ve got there, Lieutenant,” Frank remarked. “Tell you what, I’ll wait here and guard the truck while you guys go back and get it.”
One look in the back seat told Nico the man wasn’t kidding. He shook his head. “You’re such a pussy.”
Chapter ten
By the time Nico walked into Rusty’s that night, it was well after ten p.m. Things were winding down, the novelty of an active police investigation and a killer at large evidently wearing off as residents gradually returned to their regular evenings at home. It was good. It gave law enforcement some much-needed room to breathe and do their work in peace. Only thing was, they hoped it didn’t mean locals were using the respite as an excuse to become complacent.
Nico’s eyes searched the restaurant for any sign of Lexie, finding none. Maybe she was out the back somewhere? Or in the lady’s room? Could be that she’d already gone home for the night, in which case, he’d make a trip out to her house to make sure she was alright. He checked his phone again. No reply to his last message—one of two he’d sent her in the past hour, plus a call she never picked up. Knowing full well he was acting like an overbearing asshole, Nico couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. He hadn’t heard from her all day, didn’t know if she had plans, or was going out of town, or accidentally dropped her cell in a toilet and that’s why she hadn’t checked in. Hell, he didn’t even know if she had another man casually warming her bed. She had no obligation to tell him anything, after all. But still, total radio silence seemed off, and he knew his insides would continue to churn until he knew she was safe.
“Hey. Wade, right?” he said to the hulking man behind the bar.
He looked up from the glass he was polishing and gave Nico a once-over. “You must be the new cop that’s got all my girls swooning.”
Nico snorted. “If I am, it’s news to me. I’m, uh, looking for Lexie. Is she here?”
“Nah, man. She had the lunch shift today.”
“Oh. Any idea where she might be now?”
“Home would be my guess.”
“And my chances of getting her address off you would be . . .”
