Page 76 of Baited

“If I find out you’re who’s been harassing Riley, I will kill you with my bare hands. Understood?” He spoke each word carefully.

Brian grabbed at his wrists. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, I swear,” he breathed.

“Set him down, E.” Nate clapped him on the shoulder and Ethan let Brian go. The muscles in Ethan’s forearms bunched.

Riley’s fingers rested on his arm, her feather-like touch eased his tension. “Ethan, I need to leave for work now.”

Ethan cracked his knuckles at his side and tore his attention from Brian. “All right. Text me as soon as you get there, please.”

She squeezed his forearm. “I will.” She lifted her hand in a silent good-bye to Nate and her eyes landed briefly on Brian before she turned toward the front door.

Ethan inhaled deeply through his nose while Nate stepped forward. “If you know anything about the disappearance ofHanna or the harassment of Riley, you’d better talk. Ethan here can be pretty persuasive.”

Brian’s lips pressed together. “I was at Drew’s Tuesday night. Ask anyone.”

Nate scratched his head and rested his foot on the top rung of one of the kitchen chairs, studying Brian.

Ethan’s tongue moved along the inside of his teeth. Brian had a bad attitude and was defensive as shit, but that didn’t make him guilty. “How long were you there?”

Brian shrugged. “Two, three hours. I had a couple beers, ate dinner, and played a few games of pool with some coworkers. I’d say I was home by ten thirty.”

Ethan slid his hands into his front pockets. It wasn’t a stretch of the imagination that Brian could own a second vehicle and have it in storage. But if he was at the bar that night and had witnesses, he couldn’t have run Riley off the road. Unless he’d hired someone, which was another possibility. He made a mental note to confirm his alibi with the staff at Drew’s and to do more digging into the friends Brian kept.

“You have any ex-girlfriends?” Ethan asked, keeping his words casual and his voice light.

The sweat that had collected at Brian’s forehead rolled down the side of his face. He exhaled in frustration. “Of course I do. What are you getting at?”

Ethan smiled. “We’re talking about Jessica.”

Brian’s eyes flew to Ethan. He wiped the sweat off his sideburn with the back of his hand. “Look, Jessica is a liar. She—”

Ethan cut his hand through the air, silencing him. “Save it,” he growled. “I’m watching you, dude. And until we find who’s behind Hanna’s disappearance and who’s been harassing Riley, you’re a suspect.”

Nate pulled his card out and slapped it on the table. “If anything useful comes to mind, gimme a call.”

Ethan straightened up and covered his fist with his hand. His fingers dug into his knuckles. “I strongly suggest you don’t tell anyone we were here.”

Brain swallowed and nodded. “I don’t want any trouble. Believe me, I want Hanna brought home and the bastard caught. I’d never want anything to happen to Riley, either. I’m eager to help in any way.”

The anger slowly ebbed out of Ethan. He met Nate’s face and his eyes reflected Ethan’s doubts. Ethan’s gut twisted. As much as he wanted to catch someone, he wanted to catch the right person. This wasn’t their guy.

“You can help by keeping this quiet. If we’re onto someone and he gets spooked, something bad could happen.” Ethan massaged his chin with his thumb and forefinger. If things didn’t go as planned and their guy didn’t come for Riley while she was home alone—or while he thought she was alone—Brian could be of help. “We appreciate your cooperation.”

Brian nodded.

Nate jerked his head toward the door. “Enjoy your breakfast.”

Ethan lifted his hand to wave. If he wasn’t determined as hell to find the bastard, he’d almost feel bad for interrogating Brian.

Outside, the heat beat down on him, making his T-shirt cling to his back. Nate rocked back on his heels. “You don’t think he’s our guy, do you?”

Ethan dragged his palm across his jaw. “As much as I’d like to think so, no. He doesn’t fit.”

“I agree. On paper, he seemed like a suspect. But I didn’t get that vibe from him. What the hell are we going to do now?”

Irritation rippled through him. Hitting a dead end at this stage was damn discouraging. Nate pulled out a pack of gum andpopped a piece in his mouth. The light scent of spearmint filled the air as he held out the package. Ethan shook his head.

“And her neighbor, Michael, nothing concerning showed up for him?”

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