“I wouldn’t be asking the question if I didn’t need an answer.”
“Our parents were married for all of six months before his dad ended up in prison for possession while I was still in school, but you know all that. Jeff Senior caught a shank and bled out, and no one was sad to see him go.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“I told Jeff to go fuck himself the last time he came knocking. I’d just bought this place and was in a ton of debt, and he wanted money. He looked like shit, and I knew whatever I gave him would go straight to his dealer, so I told him if he ever stepped through my doorway again, I’d beat the hell out of him.”
Cody nods like he finally has an explanation that satisfies him. “I wouldn’t tell anyone else this, but I’ve known you way too fucking long not to. Jeff was dealing, and he was doing a shit job of keeping it on the DL, too busy using a ton of his own product. He’s been under surveillance for weeks because we’re trying to get a lock on exactly who he’s buying from so we can bust the bigger fish. He’s the bottom of the food chain, and we planned to take him down this week and get him to inform for us in exchange for a lesser sentence.”
“So you’re telling me I just helped save someone who’s part of the problem in this town?”
Cody shrugs. “He’s still unconscious, so we can’t question him right now, but we have security stationed at his door just in case someone decides that he might be thinking about talking.”
The implications of his words sink in. “You think Jeff’s supplier is going to off him before he can talk?”
“It’s a distinct possibility.”
“Fucking hell. Can’t you turn someone else?”
“We’re trying.”
“What a disaster.”
Cody sucks back the rest of his coffee and tosses the cup in the trash. “I thought I’d come see if you had any idea who Jeff was close to these days, but I’m guessing from what you told me that’s a no.”
“You’d be right about that.”
He turns and heads for the door. “I appreciate the coffee.”
“If he wakes up, do you want me to talk to him? Try to get some answers?”
Cody pauses and glances back at me. “Nah, we got this covered. Thanks for the offer. And good luck with the woman. She seems a little different from the normal kind around here. Ain’t looking to lock your ass down and throw away the key.”
Cody was another guy in Gold Haven determined to stay single.
“She’s definitely not that kind.”
“I need to find me one of those,” he replies before pushing the door open.
I want to tell him good luck, because women like Banner are one in a million and nothing like the kind he’s used to, but I don’t. I head back into the garage to find Jock and Rick have the music back on, and are shining up every surface under the hood for the Mustang we finished.
“Looking slick.”
“Of course it does. This shop only does badass restorations.”
I grunt in response, and my brain goes back through all the stuff Cody told me. Someone in this town is pushing meth, and my former stepbrother was dealing.
Fucking ridiculous.
Chapter 35
Banner
Icalled the hospital to check on Logan’s ex-stepbrother, but they wouldn’t even confirm if he was a patient. I know Logan promised to take me on a date tonight, but with the events of this morning, there’s no way that’s happening.
Instead, I knock out several hours of work before my stomach stages a rebellion. I could attempt to make something, but I decide to venture into town again and try the home-style family restaurant I saw when I was semi-stalking Logan last night. It was closed then, so I figure it caters to more of the early-bird-special clientele.
After I take a half hour to make myself look presentable—well, more like make it so the women in town won’t be able to find anything bad to say about my appearance if they tried—I take my rental car into town and park in front of Home Cookin’.