we getting new construction in the area?” Taggart nodded to his waitress, who stepped behind the bar and pulled her own beers to fill her orders.
“Not from us. My company is doing the Pinnacle build about fifteen miles due east of here.” He took a sip of the cold ale and sighed. There was nothing like draft beer. It was simply the best.
“East of here, you say?” Taggart glanced around the bar; his eyes darted from table to table before he leaned in. “You be careful over there, you hear?”
He stopped with his beer halfway to his mouth and set the glass down before he lowered his voice. “What have you heard?”
Taggart busied himself drying perfectly dry glasses. He leaned forward and placed the glass in the rack. “Nothing good. All rumors, all speculation, but too many mentions not to have some foundation.”
“Foundation in what?”
“Mob is interested in land over there.”
His eyes popped at that. “Say what?”
Taggart shrugged. “It’s what I’m hearing.”
“That’s unusual, isn’t it? The Mob investing in land?”
Taggart shrugged and leaned forward. “They tend to get what they want.”
“Well, I’ll keep my ear to the ground. If you hear anything, give me a call, will you?” He caught the door opening and turned to watch Bekki walk in. She was wearing a pair of jeans, a black silky shirt, and a black leather coat and matching high-heeled boots. The combination was jaw-dropping.
“Damn, is she lost?” Taggart stared at Bekki as she walked by and sat down at a booth. The waitress was at her table a second later.
“Not a regular?” Killian turned and looked at the mirror behind the bar. He could see Bekki without turning around. Thank God, because he was pretty sure he was going to keep looking, and not just because she was meeting an informant here tonight.
“No, and believe me, I’d notice. But she looks familiar.” Taggart stared at her for a moment before he shrugged. The waitress breezed by. “Chardonnay for the lady. I’ve got refills for tables ten and fourteen. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“You got it, Mikey.” He spun and reached into the cooler, grabbing a bottle of wine.
“Mikey?” Killian glanced down the bar at the woman. Not that he was interested, but it would be something he’d do if he was here alone, which he was pretending to be.
“Micah is her name. Just kinda morphed into Mikey. Everyone calls her that, and don’t worry about her or the new one over there. Callum keeps an eye out for all the ladies here at the bar.”
Killian’s eyes traveled down the bar to where Callum sat. Rumor had it he was an Army buddy of Taggart’s. He’d never heard the man speak but he’d watched him bust a couple heads when the longshoremen got rowdy. The man could fight. “Good to know. The crowd can get rough in here.”
“Rougher lately.”
Killian sent a glance up to the mirror to check on Bekki before he asked, “How so?”
Taggart corked the wine and set the glass on the bar for Mikey to take when she was done. “Some organized type of rough down here lately.”
Killian took a drink of his beer. “Organized how?”
Taggart took a look at him and laughed. “As in crime.”
He blinked and then swallowed hard. “Here too?”
Taggart nodded and sighed. “It’s getting rough.”
“Hey, man, can we get a refill?” A call from the other end of the bar ended their conversation. Killian took another sip of his beer as Mikey swooped by for the wine. He watched as Bekki played with her phone. His vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and looked at the text.
> Bekki: I’m bored. Want to come over and keep me company tonight?
He chuckled and keyed in his response:
> Killian: Gladly. How long are you going to wait for this informant?
The door to the bar opened again. A man, maybe mid-fifties, entered the bar. The age didn’t fool Killian for a second. The guy threw a cold, dangerous vibe. He watched as the man made a beeline to Bekki’s booth and sat down without preamble. There was a moment that they exchanged conversation before Bekki shook her head. The man leaned forward and said something else. Bekki jerked as if she’d been slapped. They both moved out of the booth and started walking to the front of the bar.
Fuck. Shit had gone south. She’d never leave with the man, and she was scared. He could see it in her eyes. He held himself back until