“Yes, we know. He’s focusing on both states, just to be safe,” Grayson assured me.
“Joey says Gordon shouldn’t have his phone number,” I continued, looking at the bar owner. His back was to me, his arms resting on the railing, his eyes on the pretty Black woman getting out of her car. She shut the car door with her hip and walked toward the building, a box of files in her arms. I let out a sharp whistle, getting Joey’s attention. “What’s Rachel carrying?”
He turned to me and rolled his neck. “The Buoy’s tax records for the last six years and some before my father’s death. I asked Rach to bring them to me. I need to go through them.”
I nodded and held up his phone. “You good if I take this?”
“No.”
“I’ll give it back tomorrow morning.”
His nostrils flared. “Then what was the fucking point of asking me if you could fucking take it if you were just going to ignore me?” he clipped.
“I was trying to be polite,” I returned. Grayson chuckled on the other end of the line as I said, “We need to find out how Gordon got this number, Joey. The only way to do that is to give it to my tech guy. He can see where and when it was pinged.”
“Pinged?”
“Until then, if anyone suspicious comes into the bar, call me,” I said, turning and opening the door quietly. I gestured for him to stay outside and went to my duffel on the couch. I pulled out a brand-new burner and came back outside, shutting the door behind me quietly. I tossed the flip-phone to him. “Red Snake Investigations’ contact information is already programmed into it. Press two to call me. Got it?”
He looked up from the phone to me and then back. “Am I in danger?”
“No,” Grayson said in my ear.
“No,” I said, “but as a precaution and for everyone’s protection, we’re installing a security system in the Buoy.”
Joey looked like he wanted to protest, but when a sweet voice called his name from the bottom of the stairs, his priority shifted. Rachel was standing with her hip out, arms crossed, and a scowl painted across her features. Her eyes, gold and bright, were hard and cold. “You told me you were going to bring me a coffee.”
Joey gestured to me. “Rach, babe, the only barista worth a damn in this town is currently under the watch of this Reacher-looking motherfucker. Which means I would have to go through him to get your caramel cinnamon soy latte with extra foam.”
“I’ll call you back,” I told Gray, pocketing my cell.
Rachel started climbing the steps, giving me the same once-over she had last night. Then she looked back at Joey, something flashing in her eyes. “You saying you wouldn’t?” she challenged him .
Margo had mentioned something to me last night about the history between these two. Then, I didn’t give a fuck, but now, considering this connection could help me get Joey on my side, I gave half of a fuck.
Joey looked conflicted, almost pained, as he stared down at her.
That’s when I saw it.
He was a man in love, and he was utterly tormented by it. I felt a muscle in my cheek tick as he said, “You know I’d do anything for you if you truly wanted it, Rachel.”
Margo’s coworker froze mid-step and then jerked back slightly when the weight of his words landed on her shoulders. She cleared her throat. “The tax forms will be on the bar when you’re ready,” she murmured, giving me a small smile. I returned it, and as she walked down the stairs, I hit him where it would hurt.
“Gordon is the kind of man who gets what he wants,” I started, leaning back against Margo’s door. I folded my arms over my chest and waited for him to give me his full attention.
“You don’t think I know that?” he bit off, scoffing at the end. “Trust me, I know what kind of man that asshole is.”
“Then you know in order to get what he wants, which you and I both know is Margo, he’ll do anything, hurt anyone. Including Rachel.”
He flinched and paled. “You don’t think…?”
I nodded. “I know, Adams. I’ve been dealing with these kinds of men for over a decade. They are vile monsters who will stop at nothing to get something they think they deserve.” When he didn’t answer, I lowered my voice. “Rachel is pretty.”
He nodded. “I know.”
“The kind of pretty he’d turn into profit.”
The man looked like he was going to be sick, but I held his eyes, not allowing him to break our gaze. I pushed off the door. I had a few inches on him, and he had to tip his head backslightly. “With a security system in place, we can monitor all of your employees, not just Margo. It would be temporary. We can have a contract drawn up for you, if that makes you more comfortable, but Red Snake needs your cooperation on this, Joey.”