Page 67 of My Temptation

“Does it matter?”

“In a case like this, every little thing matters. You never know what small thing could become the best evidence you have.”

“How the hell does Kyle know how to find this shit?”

“Military,” I answered simply. “Nick told me the FBI attempted to recruit him several times, but he never took the bait.”

“I’ll bet that pissed them off.”

I laughed. “I’d put money on that bet.” Pulling up the deed for the bar, I hummed. “Hmm...”

“What?”

“The bar is owned by a man named Walter Manning.”

“So?”

“I know that name.” I stared out the windshield, trying to remember why that name seemed familiar. “I’ve either read it or heard it, but...”

I trailed off, and Ethan spoke. “But what?”

I glanced over at him. “I can’t place it. I will. I just need a reminder.”

“Want to see if your reminder is in there?” When I smiled, he chuckled. “You can’t wait to get in there, can you?”

“Nope,” I answered honestly. “I want to find something, anything that we can give to Brody and Jax.”

“I agree.” Ethan pulled away from the side of the road and drove to the parking lot where he parked in the back. “We need a game plan.”

I nodded. “We watch him. If we see he’s getting ready to leave, we leave first so we can follow him.”

“What about Jenny and Carl?” Ethan asked.

“Shit,” I muttered. “I almost forgot they’re meeting us here.”

“It might be good that they are,” he suggested. “They give us a reason to be here.”

“True,” I agreed and threw open my door.

He followed, and we started across the lot. We were almost to the door when I stopped, turned to face Ethan, and laid my hands on his chest. “Just follow your instincts. Don’t forget we’re a couple, and we’ll need to act like one.” Reaching down, I wrapped my hand in his. “If something feels off, we’ll leave. We’re not going to solve this case tonight. We’re only here to gather information.”

“You trying to convince me of that or yourself?”

I grinned. “Both. I want this guy. I’ll need the reminder that he won’t show us all his cards tonight if he shows us any at all.”

He jerked up his chin, and we both turned to face the door. He flipped our hands so he could link our fingers, and arousal flared low in my belly. I loved it when he made a move that put him in control. There was a confidence in it that I found sexy, which puzzled me because I usually wanted to be in control.

But I had a feeling I wouldn't be disappointed if I gave him that control when he wanted it.

When I pulled open the door, the smell of pot and alcohol hit me like a tidal wave. “Jesus, I think I can get drunk and high just off the smell.”

“No kidding,” Ethan said just as we stepped through the opening.

I thought we might garner some attention as outsiders, but even I was surprised by the amount. Within seconds of the door opening, all eyes shifted in our direction. It was obvious this was a local joint, and they didn’t look interested in entertaining tourists. My gut also told me this was a place the men controlled. I recognized that from my time undercover and going to the motorcycle bars with Nick. They wouldn’t take kindly to me being the one to speak first.

I breathed a sigh of relief when Ethan seemed to get the same impression after the bartender addressed us. “You lost?”

“Here for the festival. We met a couple who invited us tonight. They’re supposed to meet us here.” I studied the people sitting at the bar while he spoke, but their expressions stayed neutral. “Said this might be our kind of place.”

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