Page 69 of Capture My Heart

“Yeah, I have another stop I want to make. You don’t have to come with me.”

He gave her a side-eye glance. “If you’re thinking of going to Gardiner’s, I’m coming, too.”

“I don’t need backup.”

“I don’t know if I agree with that, but I wasn’t coming for you. I don’t want to see you shoot anyone today.”

“Just today?”

He thought about it for a minute. “Yeah, just today.”

The restaurant was closed but there was activity in the back. Delivery trucks were unloading.

Trey parked behind the restaurant and Amy couldn’t wait until the car was in park to jump out. She was fuming for a fight and nothing Trey said would change her mind.

“Pauline Gardiner, come out here.” She readied her stance. Trey stood to her left.

“What do you want now?” Paulie stuck her head out the back door.

Amy’s hand hovered over her weapon. “All the way out. Now.”

The other woman complied. Her gaze dropped to Amy’s gun. “What? Are you gonna shoot me or arrest me?”

“Not sure yet.”

Paulie took in both Amy then Trey before setting down the clipboard in her hand. “Fine, you can eat here.”

“Like I care about that.” Amy took in her defiant look. She wasn’t the only one who was pissed. “You think I’d let you use Tommy like a crash test dummy?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Like you don’t know. You kick me out of your restaurant because you can’t handle a little police heat and the next day a car jumps the curb and goes after my brother. You know I’m not that gullible to think it’s an accident.”

The color washed from Paulie’s face.

“Is he alright?” Her voice was barely audible.

Some of the starch in Amy’s shoulders relaxed but she didn’t let her guard down. Good thing Trey had her back.

“Where were you at nine this morning?” He asked.

Paulie rubbed her forehead. “I was here. I’ve had orders coming in since seven.”

“Like you don’t have people to do your dirty work. Hell, Stephen gets off on that kind of thing.”

Shit, she shouldn’t have said that.

Paulie’s posture changed in a blink. Her back straightened and her brows flattened.

“You leave him out of this.”

“Don’t know if I can. Is he around?”

“No. I run the restaurant.”

Yup, and he does the drug business. She didn’t have to say it. They both knew it was true. “If he’s innocent then he’s got nothing to worry about.”

“Are you arresting me for something or not? I have deliveries to check in.” She picked up her clipboard.