Page 43 of Rescued Faith

“There’s a group of people very concerned about their Second Amendment rights that frequents the place, but they tend to go a little radical. They call themselves Soldiers in Arms. I haven’t had any specific run-ins, since they keep to themselves, but they made quite the fuss over the last DA election.”

“Why was that?” Penny blew a bubble with her gum and let it pop.

“They thought the guy who won was too soft on criminals.”

“Enough to want to take justice into their own hands?”

“They have some strongly worded social media posts about driving out gangbangers and drug dealers, but they’re not dumb. No real names or pictures. I just know they frequent the bar there.”

“Good to know. If I go in, I’ll try to look the part.”

“Is your CI a biker?”

“No, just a kid, really. I’m not sure how trustworthy he is. But I’m drawing a blank on ways to track down Emma. If she doesn’t show in the next hour or so, I’ll go scope things out.”

“Good luck with that.”

“When are you back in town?”

“Taking the red-eye tonight. Let me tell ya, it’s not soon enough. I miss my wife.”

“TMI, Brooks. So, back to Emma, nothing I saw in her background sounds like she would come to this kind of place. What do you think she’d be doing here?”

“What do you know?”

Penny snapped a few pictures of a couple of guys going into the bar. “She’s a ghost, really. A ghost without much of a past. She and her brother bounced around from family member tofoster care after their parents died when they were young. But still. How did they get from California to way the heck out here in the middle of nowhere?”

There was a reason they called this place Last Chance County.

“No clue. Guess you get to find out. Just be careful out there. Maybe you should have one of the officers on the task force go in with you. You seemed to hit it off with Anthony.”

“Stick to the ATF and not matchmaking.”

“That’s not what I’m doing. I just think it would be safer if you had backup.”

“You know I can take care of myself.”

“But maybe you shouldn’t have to.”

“I’m leaving now. Call me if you find anything or if Emma’s brother finally talks.”

“Doubtful. Stay safe though.”

“You know it.”

Penny continued to take pictures of anyone going into or out of the club, but there weren’t that many. A couple hours into her stakeout, she had a few pictures of people and a growing pile of pistachio shells, but no sign of Emma. Time to go inside. And hopefully the establishment had a restroom.

Penny slipped a black crop top with an eagle on it over her tank top. She’d have worn the black leather jacket to hide her gun if it weren’t torn and still reeking of smoke. The light-wash denim jacket would have to do. She tied a red bandana around her head as the finishing touch and walked in.

The light was dim despite the bright afternoon sun outside. Smoke from the kitchen grill hovered over the bar. Penny could easily picture the place filled with cigarette smoke back in the day. Rusted license plates covered one wall, a big elk head surrounded by smaller deer mounts graced another. Classy. She refrained from grimacing at the decor as she quickly used thebathroom and approached the bar. A wiry woman with big hair and a gray tank top filled a mug with beer from a tap and handed it to the big man at the end, perched on a stool. The legs of the stool creaked every time he moved. Hopefully the thing held.

“What can I get you?” the bartender asked without looking at her. She continued to stack clean mugs from a rack into a cooler.

Penny ordered a drink she could sip slowly without standing out. “Got a food menu to go with it?”

The woman slapped a laminated paper menu in front of Penny and then turned to the guys at the billiard table off to the side. “If you’re gonna order something, get it now before Hank closes down the grill.”

Penny ordered a burger and fries when the bartender came back and plopped her drink in front of her.

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