Page 37 of Life To My Flight

Cleo

“Want to go out to eat?” Loki asked me.

I looked over from the TV, downed my beer, and stood. “Sure.”

I was annoyed.

I didn’t know why I was annoyed, but I was.

It wasn’t like Rue owed me anything, but it still bothered the hell out of me that I didn’t know where she was.

I’d driven by her house as soon as I’d gotten off shift, and she was gone. I knew she wasn’t at work today because I’d transported two patients there, and each time I’d asked about her, they’d said she was gone.

My next stop had been the nursing home, but she hadn’t been there either.

Now, with nothing else to do, I was at the clubhouse drinking a beer with Loki.

He’d told me about the meeting he’d had with Rue three days ago, and now I was even more hyped up.

Something big stank about that case, but none of us could put a finger on what it was.

We both walked out to our bikes and drove into the night.

The weather was much warmer at sixty degrees, and it felt really nice out. A perfect night for a ride.

We ended up at Halligans and Handcuffs, the bar that was owned by The Dixie Wardens. It’d become a very popular attraction among the locals, and even garnered attention from the surrounding states, and a majority of the Ark-La-Tex.

The bar was located on the outskirts of Benton, the town where The Dixie Wardens MC called home, and about two minutes from my house.

We pulled into the bar and parked near the front, backing in among the member’s parking spaces in view of the front window.

I powered off the bike and kicked the stand down before standing up and stretching.

The bar was hopping.

“Lot of people here tonight,” I observed.

Loki nodded. “Been like this nearly every night this week. I would know and all since my wife’s decided that she now lives at her work.”

I snorted.

Channing was a hell of a woman. How she opened a business with a kid and a detective for a husband was beyond me.

Loki was beyond busy with work most nights and Channing had set the office up so she could take their baby to work with her if she needed to.

Starting a new business took a lot of work as well as dedication, and Channing had that in spades.

“Stop whining,” I said as we made it into the door.

We both waved at Tunnel Morrison, a police officer for Benton PD, and a fellow member of the Dixie Wardens, who was manning the door.

“If I can’t whine to you, who would I whine to?” Loki asked.

“How about your wife? Your best friend?” I asked.

Honestly, I was a bit of a loner. I liked being in the back of the room just watching what was going on around me.

I didn’t like talking, but when I did, you damn well better listen, because it was probably important.