Page 21 of Whiskey Kisses

I’m in the bedroom after a long shower, a towel wrapped around my waist, when my phone emits a funny sound. Curious, I check the notification, which is from a security app I installed just this morning. It’s connected to a trio of cameras—aimed at the front door, garage, and alley between this house and the one next door—and it’s as basic as they come, but I needed something after that fight the other night.

Opening the app, I navigate to the alley camera, which is the one that went off. There aren’t any first-floor doors or windows on that side, but the alley itself leads to the rear of the house. The sun’s gone down, so it’s hard to see, but there are two figures walking down the path. Now, this could be nothing. The house I’m staying in is right off a main street in a busy part of the historic district. People walk by, gawking and taking pictures of the homes on this strip, all the time.

But that doesn’t stop me from grabbing my gun, shutting off the light and moving over to the window. My bedroom just so happens to face the back of the house, where these two should be emerging in just a second. I check the video feed again. They’re just rounding the corner. I peek through the window, angling the blinds a little.

Two guys, jeans and hoodies. In this heat. A flare of adrenaline soars through my veins, and I take a slow, measured breath, needing to keep calm. They hang around for a minute, then go back the way they came. On my phone, I watch them walk back down the alley, at which point I switch to the front door feed where I can see some of the street. But they don’t reappear.

Flying downstairs, I turn off the lights and look through one of the picture windows in the living room. They’re outside, getting into a dark-colored truck across the street. One of them looks back at the house, and though I know he can’t see anything, it feels like he’s staring straight at me.

An hourlater I’m in my rental, driving toward the nearest supermarket. I probably could’ve saved myself the trouble by ordering in, but I didn’t feel like hanging around and doing nothing, all antsy because a couple of randos may or may not have been casing my place. I keep one eye on the road ahead and the other on my surroundings, alert for the possibility of a tail. But there’s nothing, no one, to worry about. Not yet, anyway.

It's good Lucky’s sending the guys. I’ll feel better when I have backup.

Anyway, I heard this supermarket has killer subs. At the deli counter, I order a chicken tender sub with the works, then wander the aisles for a while, indiscriminately tossing stuff into my cart. Fruit, salad mixes, and protein bars land beside corn chips and brownies from the bakery. This is why they say not to go shopping when you’re hungry.

“Hey,” a sweet, vaguely familiar voice says, interrupting my perusal of the ice cream section. “Evie’s friend!”

I turn slowly, surprised that anybody would know me around here. It’s Evie’sotherfriend, Opal, from the bar. She’s in glasses, a long skirt and a blouse tonight. “Oh, hi Opal. What’s up?”

“Hi.” She grins sheepishly, tapping her finger to her chin. “I know your name starts with a ‘T’ …”

“Tristan,” I supply, giving her a friendly smile. Her shopping cart is full to the brim. “Having a party or something?”

“What?” She follows my gaze. “I wish. That’s just a week’s worth of groceries.”

“For what, a small village?”

She giggles. “My mama likes to cook for everybody, and I meaneverybody.”

I nod, remembering Evie talking about post-church brunches and weekday dinners with Opal’s folks—a found family type situation. After what I’ve seen of Randall Doyle lately, I don’t blame her.

“Have you spoken to Evie today?” she asks.

“Nope.”

“Then I’m glad I ran into you.” She lowers her voice, sliding her cart closer. “You got her number though, right? You need to give her a call.”

“I’ve been trying, but she won’t pick up.” I frown. “What’s going on? Is something wrong?”

“It might not be my place, but …” She huffs sharply. “I think y’all need to talk. From what she’s told me about you, you might be the only one able to help her out.”

Evie talks to Opal about me?Filing that away for later, I pull my phone from my back pocket and call Evie then and there. It goes straight to voicemail, as per usual, and I point to the screen, disconnecting. “See? She’s dodging me. She always does.”

With an annoyed sigh, Opal yanks her phone from her purse and walks a few feet away as she dials. I’ve interrogated enough people to know when they have info, and right now it’s obvious that Opal knows plenty but that her loyalty to Evie is keeping her quiet. I watch as she has a brief, hushed conversation before coming back to me.

“She’s gonna come by my house in about twenty minutes,” she says. “I told her I had something for her.”

Ah, so Evie will pick up for Opal but not for me. Good to know. “Okay?”

“Follow me home,” she says like I’m slow on the uptake. “She can’t avoid you if you’re already at my house.”

“I could do that, or I could just show up at her house like I did yesterday and make her talk to me,” I say, but I already know I’ll probably listen to Opal.

She raises an eyebrow. “Not a good idea. Trust me.”

“If you say so.” I nod toward the front of the store. “I’m gonna go check out, then. Meet you in the parking lot?”

“That works.” She nods, pushing her cart alongside mine.

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