Page 21 of Keep

We were still eating when Cord and Chase returned from the backyard. Chase greeted us in a normal tone of voice but he looked tired, distracted. He hugged Saylor and his nieces but declined the offer of food.

“I’ve got to get going,” he said, rolling his key ring around his index finger. “We’ve got a meeting with Derek’s lawyer in an hour.”

Cord watched his brother depart with a sad expression. Saylor slipped her arms around her husband’s waist and squeezed. “How are they doing?”

“Worried.” Cord frowned. “Sad. They’re anxious about Derek of course but they’re also sorry as hell about Hale’s death.”

“I’ll call Steph later,” Saylor said and kissed his cheek before starting to collect the food in Tupperware containers. Brecken jumped in to help, always eager to lend a hand where Saylor was concerned although getting him to clean his room at home was another story.

Cassie took the dog out back, Cadence following, and a few minutes later Cord and I found ourselves alone in the living room.

Cord stood by the large bay window, staring out at the sprawling mesquite tree in the front yard.

“I should go into the office for a little while,” he said. “I’ve missed too much time this week and I don’t want Deck to worry about anything while he’s with Isabella in the hospital.”

“I can come with you,” I offered. “I was supposed to work today anyway.” That was accurate. I’d only missed work because of the funeral.

Cassie wanted to hang out at home with her mother and sister while Brecken was more than content to remain close to the Gentrys’ kitchen, eating everything that wasn’t nailed down.

Cord and I enjoyed a companionable silence on the ride over in his truck. He’d insisted on driving and since he was the boss I didn’t argue.

Things appeared to be running smoothly at Scratch, the tattoo parlor Cord and Deck had opened together many years ago. I wasn’t surprised to see how the staff had stepped up in a time of crisis. Most of Cord’s employees had been with him for years and he always treated people right, inspiring a fierce and enduring loyalty.

While Cord headed to his office in the rear of the building to check out what kind of paperwork had piled up on his desk, I paused at the reception desk. Cassie occupied the post on the days she worked at Scratch but since Cassie was off today the desk was being staffed by Marian, the alternate receptionist.

“Has it been busy?” I asked after greeting her and asking about the two Saint Bernard dogs that she loved like children.

“It’s been steady,” Marian said in her gruff voice that always sounded like she was recovering from a sore throat. “What’s the word on Deck’s baby girl? Lord knows I’ve been praying for that sweet child six times a day.”

“Izzy’s doing better,” I assured her and Marian broke into a relieved smile that showcased her two missing front teeth. Like most of the staff, including me, she sported a colorful collection of ink. In fact Cassie might be the only Scratch employee who didn’t have a single tattoo and as much as I thought she’d look sexy as fuck with some ink it was her choice.

Marian’s smile faded and was replaced with a look of sympathy. “You went to the funeral?”

“Yeah.”

“I remember seeing him at Cami’s wedding. Damn shame.”

“That it is.”

“How old was he?”

I did the math in my head. “Thirty five.”

Marian clucked. “Too young for it all to be over.”

I coughed. “Indeed.”

I didn’t know what kind of story was floating around but I wasn’t going to talk shit about Hale for being too drunk to drive. What happened had already happened. There was no way to undo it. Derek would likely still pay a price for his role but I wasn’t willing to gossip about that either.

“The man who was here a little while ago asked about him.” Marian was frowning now.

“Asked about who?”

“Dalton’s brother. His name was Hale, right?”

“Hale Tremaine. Who was the man asking about him?”

“He said he was a cop but he didn’t show me a badge. I just told him I’d never really known the man and had never seen him around here.”

---