Page 72 of Tango

“What the hell’s he doin’ here?”

“Looking for her, apparently.” I rubbed my temples. “Let’s go get some beer.” We made our way outside and found our way to a local Irish pub where we ordered some pitchers for the table.

Green and red Christmas décor was draped over some kegs that lined the walls, and a tree stood next to a small stage where a man strummed a guitar. It wasn’t overly busy but was just loud enough to know we could speak freely without being overheard.

“So, Beckett,” Lee called across the table, “now we’re alone, what are your thoughts on living at Shadows?”

“I love it.” I poured myself a glass of beer. “Not a place I ever thought I’d end up, but I’m thankful I did.”

“Any part of that have to do with a certain blonde doctor?” Moore teased, and I couldn’t control the smile that broke out over my face.

“I gotta say, that was the most unexpected part of life at Shadows,” I admitted.

“Yeah, nice find.” Perez winked at me. “She seems really cool.”

“Yeah, she is.” Moore handed me a bowl of peanuts. “Funny, and isn’t afraid to give him shit when he deserves it.”

“That’s true.” My mind conjured up her beautiful face. It had kept me going the entire time we were in Mexico.

“How do you think Keith’s holding up?” Gear asked. He was the sensitive one in the group, and I admired that.

“I think now he can make his peace.” I twisted the glass in my hand to clear it of condensation. “Now comes the hard part of moving forward.” Everyone sat in silence as we allowed ourselves another moment to think. The new guys didn’t know Lexi and barely knew Keith, but the fact they had him on their minds at all spoke volumes. I held out my drink to the center of the table. “To Lexi being in a better place, to Keith finding justice, and to our first mission together as Dark Water.”

“Hooah.” We clicked glasses.

We switched topics, and soon Moore and I sat back and let the guys shoot the shit. This was where we’d learn the most. Gear wore his heart on his sleeve, Lee loved any woman with a pair of long legs but was respectful about it, and Perez apparently was getting over a recent breakup of his own.

We enjoyed our drinks but knew we’d regret the pub food. We all looked forward to the house dinners that awaited us back on our mountain. We grabbed our stuff and walked back toward headquarters.

“I think we did good.” Moore smiled at the three men ahead of us who laughed and carried on like old friends already.

“Holy shit,” a voice called. It was Jay, who’d gotten one of the police jobs in Redstone. “Moore, hold on.” He raced across the street. I forgot his parents live here. “Man, I’ve been trying to get hold of you forever!” He looked at me then at the rest of the guys. “We need to talk, now.” He looked at Lee, Perez, and Gear, unsure of who they were.

“You can speak in front of them.” We were a team now, and they needed to know everything for us to be solid unit.

“I didn’t trust leavin’ a message.” Jay looked at Moore. “This,” he shook his head, “is wild.”

“Okay, out with it.” What the hell else was this day about to throw at me?

“Lopez came to the station and spoke to us directly, about what happened with Hill and your girl.” I didn’t know he’d done that. “I’m just going to jump right into this. Everyone’s aware that something’s up with Hill and Rivera, and the fact that Dustin disappeared to Camp Green has everyone talkin’.”

“Yeah, that was a shock to us, too.” Moore waved for him to go on.

“Okay, so, I was running an errand for Frank a few days ago at Camp Green, and Dustin was there asking for you.”

“What did he want?”

“He wanted me to pass a name on to you, Josh Johnson from Fresno, California. He’s actually living here now. Works as a clerk at HQ, and he’s had a few run-ins with Hill. I guess Hill’s been running his mouth again, and Dustin thinks he might be next.” He lowered his voice at the end.

“What the hell!” Hill was losing it.

“Ty, remember how you and your girl went to that bar, The Rusty Nail?” He stepped closer.

“Yeah.”

“You spoke to the bartender, right?”

“How’d you know that?” An uneasy feeling prickled down my spine.

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