Page 77 of Snow in Texas

“You should see the other guys.”

“Yeah. I bet.”

“No.” He halted as she tried to push him out of the room. “Your brother.” He gave her a look of such seriousness, she would have laughed if she didn’t know exactly what he’d seen earlier. “When he punched that one guy. Have you seen him do that?” His brows lifted, eyes comically bright with horror and admiration.

Nostalgia stole over her, a fast press of it against her skin, like a hug. She smiled. “Crockett gave him his nickname. He tore this guy to bits in a sparring match, a long time ago. The guy swallowed half his teeth afterward, and Crockett said, ‘You better watch your teeth around the Candyman, boys!’ It stuck immediately.”

He shook his head, gaze growing faraway. “Jesus. I’ve never seen anybody punch like that.”

“Most people haven’t.” She gave him a shove. “Come on, let’s go clean you up.”

In the bathroom, she closed the toilet lid and sat him down on it, rummaged around in the cabinets for alcohol, ointment, and cotton balls.

“Question,” she said as she laid the supplies out on the counter. “Was the other guy bigger than you?”

Colin pressed his lips together – at least, he tried to. The split tugged and he stilled. His face colored, though, bruises flushing with sudden darkness. “He had a friend,” he defended.

Jenny bit back a grin and loaded a cotton ball with alcohol. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay. Mostly,” she teased. “And the cops didn’t show up.”

When she reached to dab at the small abrasion along his cheekbone, he stopped her, one massive hand closing over her wrist. His knuckles were battered, she saw; Candy might have the meanest swing in Texas, but those big hands of Colin’s had doubtless done their share of damage.

“Jen?”

“What?” she asked, quietly, voice tender.

“Does it bother you that I’m not as badass as your brother?”

Her eyes stung with sudden tears. She leaned in and kissed his forehead. “No, sweetie.”

He made a happy sound, like humming in his throat.

Jenny dabbed at his face with the alcohol. “So what did you guys do tonight?”

“Distracted your ex-asshole’s brother.”

“Yeah? How’d you do that?”

“Jimmied into his car and left him a present.”

~*~

Agent Elijah Riley

Eli was late. He arrived at the precinct for his meeting with the Amarillo PD chief with bloodshot eyes and an unsteady stomach. When his informant failed to show up last night, he’d ordered a drink. And another, then another. Possibly another. He’d overslept his alarm this morning, fumbling out of bed while bright Texas sunlight streamed through the vertical blinds.

Hair still damp from the shower, hungover and reeling, he crashed through the chief’s office door and threw himself into the room.

Chief Camden was on the phone and covered the mouthpiece with his hand, scowling up at Riley. “What the hell, son? You drunk or something?”

“Or something,” Riley muttered. He dropped into the nearest chair with a deep exhalation.

“Yeah,” Camden said into the phone. “Yeah, I’ll do that. Thanks.” He hung up and then eased back in his chair, bone-thin frame creaking – or maybe that was his swivel chair. “What’s wrong with you?” he demanded.

Riley made a face. “Long night.” Actually, it hadn’t been. After six drinks and a microwavable dinner, he’d fallen face-first into bed and stayed that way. He was wired as all hell worried about Jud. The idiot had caught wind of some drug deal in Odessa he wanted to ambush, and so far, Elijah hadn’t been able to convince him to lay low. The stress of worry was eating at him; so was the drinking.

“You brought the file?” Camden asked, narrow face turning sour.

“Yeah.” Riley pulled it from his briefcase. In the past seven years, the years his brother had spent behind bars, he’d begun keeping careful tabs on the Texas Lean Dogs, which was no easy task, given the way the club never seemed to get themselves caught on camera. They were slick, Derek Snow’s lot, which was part of the reason it had been so difficult gaining local law enforcement’s cooperation when it came to fudging the rules a little and investigating various club members.

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