Page 44 of Enforcing the Rules

“Ours,” I replied.

“May I?” he asked, taking my cue and pointing to the table.

“Be my guest.”

He bent and sank the seven ball in the corner pocket with a powerful shot, giving us solids. Then he studied another angle, moving to the other side of the table. He glanced up just before he made the shot and met my eyes. “This is the third time we’ve turned up at the same place. What’s the deal with that?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He made another shot, sinking the two ball in the side pocket.

“First the hardware store. Then the bar. Now here.”

“It’s a small town, I guess.”

“Seems weird we’ve never seen you before,” Memphis added.

I supposed it was odd. All those were places I’d been trying to find my father. Utah just said they were searching for someone, too. Before I could stop my mouth, the question in my head popped out. “So, who are you looking for?”

“A guy named Charlie Cochran. Happen to know him?”

“Nope.”

“He a friend of yours?” Lizzie asked.

“Nope.”

“So, then, why are you looking for him?”

Utah and Memphis exchanged a glance, like they were trying to decide how much to tell us.

“I’m hunting down a two-bit scumbag who stole from the club,” Utah answered, meeting my eyes.

“He’s a dead man walking,” Memphis added.

“Oh. Well, I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes,” I murmured.

“No. You would not.” Utah’s voice was steely.

I swallowed. I so would not want to be on this man’s bad side.

Utah missed the next shot, and Memphis was up.

Utah came to stand next to me, the cue held in his loose fists. “So, why’d you run out the other morning?”

“I didn’t run out. I had work.”

“At the bail bonds place?”

My eyes got big. “How do you know where I work?”

Memphis peered up from the other side of the table where he squatted, checking an angle. “We had lunch at Connie’s.”

“You went to my mom’s café?”

“Not only that, Utah had a chat with your mother.”

My stomach dropped. Oh my God. I stared at Utah. “What did you say to her?”

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