It hurt to watch him in the rearview, arms crossed, waiting for her to vanish out of sight.
He’d said nothing about seeing her again. Gunner said he’d stop by the nursery to talk about the landscaping for his home. They’d probably talk more about any changes once the Brethren took over the nursery.
Katrina couldn’t dismiss the way she’d left him. It felt wrong. All her instincts screamed the disappointment on Gunner’s face hadn’t come from not being able to take her to bed. She was certain it centered on his belief she’d thought he’d lied.
In her heart, she believed and trusted him. He’d never done anything to cause doubt. Yet Katrina couldn’t let herself forget he belonged to an outlaw MC. She could imagine how her mother would react if she thought her daughter and Gunner were becoming serious. Teri’s reaction wouldn’t be pleasant.
Turning onto her street, Katrina saw Brady talking to a man in a nondescript car not far from their house. A sense of foreboding gripped her when Brady waved his arms in a common gesture of warning. She had no idea what the conversation was about, but knew it couldn’t be good.
Parking, Katrina hurried toward them, heart pounding in dread. She noted the man wore a ball cap, dark shirt, and sported a short beard with mustache. As she closed the distance between them, she glanced through the windshield, spotting a large bottle of antacids on the passenger seat.
Stopping at Brady’s side, she touched his arm. “What’s going on?”
“This guy’s been out here the last three nights, watching the neighborhood. I want to know why.”
“Is this your brother?” Tony Carparelli didn’t move to get out of the car, just directed his question to Katrina.
“I don’t believe it’s your business, but yes, he is. Do you live around here?”
“Nope. As I told the kid, I was hired to keep an eye on a woman on this block. The reasons are private.”
She lifted a brow. “Are you a private investigator?”
“I’m doing a favor for a friend, and that’s all you need to know.”
“Do you have a name?” Katrina asked.
“Sure. We all do, lady. You can call me Tony. I’d appreciate it if you two would get away from me so the woman doesn’t become suspicious.” Rolling up the window, he hoped they did as he asked.
Taking Brady by the arm, she guided him away from the man. “Take a couple pictures. Make sure you get the license plate. Do it so you don’t piss him off. We don’t want to make an enemy of him for no reason.”
“He’s lying to us, Kat.”
“How do you know?”
Stopping by her car, he pulled his phone from his pocket, taking several pictures. “Nothing specific. Just a gut feeling. But it’s a strong one. I’ll bet he’s driving a rental.”
“Well, we aren’t going to learn anything more from him tonight. Let’s get inside. Is Mom home?”
Brady nodded. “Yeah. Got home early from the salon.” He glanced over his shoulder to see Tony make a U-turn out of the neighborhood. “The owner is being real good. Said she could make tomorrow her last day if Brodie wants her to start on Monday. When she called, Brodie said Monday would be great. She’s real excited.”
Katrina stopped him when he opened the front door. “Let’s not say anything to her about Tony. If that’s his name. I don’t want to do anything to dampen her happiness about the new job.”
“Are you sure, Kat? You know she always wants to know if we get bad vibes from anyone.”
“Let’s at least wait a couple days. Maybe Tony won’t show up again after you confronted him.” She sounded much calmer than she felt. The knot in her stomach, which started after leaving Gunner’s, had grown, creating a jagged ball of ice.
“All right. Mom deserves happiness after the shit she’s been through with Dad. The job with Brodie Jurgensen better be all he’s built it up to be. I just don’t like that this Tony fellow shows up now, when our lives are finally falling into place.” Brady looked as if he wanted to hit something, anything, to get the frustration out of his system. “I don’t want to move again, Kat.”
The sad pleading in his voice cut straight through her. Brady had settled in to Liberty Lake, was doing well in school, and had a job he enjoyed. He deserved happiness as much as their mother. Katrina thought of Gunner, how much she already cared about him, and the new