resist the urge to spray him with water. I’m sure a mouthful of sparkling water would wipe that goofy grin off his face.
“He’s a nightmare,” I mutter as I inch closer to him. “How’s married life?”
“Not married.” Cannon turns, looking over his shoulder at Rivet.
We both laugh when she flips him off.
“I don’t think that woman would ever marry me.” He’s grinning while he says it.
“Maybe if you wore something besides those stupid shirts.”
We both look down at his black t-shirt. I SHAVED MY BALLS FOR THIS? is printed in a distressed text.
“I’m surprised your dad lets you wear shit like that.”
“Let me?” He grins. “I’m a grown-ass man.”
I chuckle.
“Besides, Sophia and Izzy are both at school right now, so…”
I laugh even harder. Jinx has told me all about the people at the club, and when he’s talking about them, I can’t help but wonder if he’s trying to gear me up to meet them. Of course, he’s offered to take me over there a few times, but I always make up an excuse to stay home. Last week I was so bored, I almost gave in.
“Plus, I’m kind of known for my t-shirts.”
“And your woman likes them?”
He leans closer as if he’s about to tell me a secret. “The other day I caught her wearing my shirt that says SHE LOVES DADDY’S COCK.”
My eyes widen as I look over at Rivet. She cuts her hand across her throat which means either she wants me to cut him off for the night because he’s had too much to drink or she’s going to kill him later. Honestly, it could go either way.
“During the day?”
He frowns. “Well, no. She wore it to bed.”
“Doesn’t count. What can I get you? The guys at the end of the bar are seconds away from killing Drake.”
“A couple of pitchers.” He drops some cash on the bar as I get to work.
I leave Drake to close even though I know I’m going to be walking into a freaking mess tomorrow, but I’m exhausted. I no longer sneer at the pair of single headlights in my rearview mirror on the drive home. I even wave at Grinch from my front door. He tips his head at me, but he doesn’t pull away until my door is closed and I’m locked inside.
I go through my nightly routine getting ready for bed, doing my best but failing to keep my mind off what the hell the guys are doing in Vermont.
Chapter 29
Rocker
“Shit,” Shadow curses as he lowers his phone.
“No warrant?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
He shakes his head.
“Those local guys really fucked us here,” Kincaid complains. “Was there anything in this asshole’s history that indicated he has connections to the local police?”
“Nothing.” Shadow shakes his head, making it clear that he’s just as confused as the rest of us. “He never worked for them. There’s no link in the family.”
We’re all gathered up in one hotel room mere miles away from that motherfucker, feeling helpless. We could storm his property, and the man could easily shoot us. Since he’s never been convicted of domestic assault, he’s free to own as many weapons as he wants. Gun laws in Vermont are pretty lax, and I wouldn’t put it past the evil bastard to have an arsenal at his fingertips.
“Why don’t you have a look into the police chief and sheriff,” Jinx suggests. “Maybe the link is there?”
Shadow’s fingertips fly over the keyboard. “The police chief is new, only in the job since November of last year.”
“His property is outside of the city limits,” I say. “The link is probably with the sheriff’s department.”
We wait impatiently for something to pop up. New evidence doesn’t really matter, but something explaining why this man has been able to beat his wife and son for decades without so much as a slap on the wrist will at least settle some of the tension.
I know we aren’t here to figure out why the cops haven’t done anything, but it’s clear an overhaul of the department is needed.
“The sheriff has been in office since the damn nineties,” Shadow grumbles as his fingers begin to fly. “Yep, that explains it.”
“What?” all of us ask in unison.
“He’s a widow now, but his deceased wife has records from the local hospital that look nearly identical to Murphy’s.”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just do that.”
I turn my head to look at Agent Whitman, the FBI guy Blackbridge Security was able to convince to tag along with us.