He shrugged. “I didn’t think much about it. And the way the government is, they may have blown it up and are just covering their tracks.”
“A true conspiracy theorist.” Brandy laughed.
“Just the way I see it.” Muerto went over to a box of liquor bottles and starting pulling them out.
After half an hour or so of rehashing the destruction of the strip bar, Brandy turned to Muerto, who’d been feigning concentration in getting the bar stocked and the receipts counted. “Are you still going out with the famous pool shark?”
He bristled. “Her name’s Raven, and yeah, I am.”
“That’s a record for you, isn’t it?” Brandy winked at Jaime, who blushed.
“You tell me. You seem to be the one keeping track.” Muerto crossed his arms.
“I’m just joking with you. I think it’s great you have a girlfriend.”
“She’s your girlfriend?” Jaime asked.
Muerto shook his head. “Why the fuck is this any of your business?” he questioned as he looked at each woman. “I don’t give a fuck who you date, so don’t get involved with my personal life.”
“We’re just joking, honest. Aren’t we, Jaime?” Brandy looked at her, then Muerto. Jaime nodded.
“That’s enough,” Muerto said, dismissing them. When he crouched down to pull out some supplies from a cupboard, he heard Brandy say, “He’s got it bad for this one. I’ve never seen him act this way. I wonder what she has that we don’t.”
He snorted.A fuckin’ brain.
“You want these tequila and Johnnie Walker bottles unpacked?” Zach asked Muerto.
“Nah. Take them to the back.”
“What does a girl have to do to get a drink around here?” Raven’s soft voice wrapped around him, and he spun around.
“Hey, sweetie. What brings you to the pool hall so early?” He leaned over and kissed her. “You want a shot?”
She laughed. “Not this early. How about some coffee with cream? I came into town to do a few errands. I heard that Henny’s was having a huge sale on all their fabrics, buttons, and lace, so I had to check it out. I got some good stuff.” She accepted the mug he handed her and took a sip. “Good coffee.” She smiled at him.
“I didn’t expect to see you this early. What a delicious surprise.” He leaned over and kissed her again, his hand on the back of her head, tugging her closer to his face. He wanted to take her in the back and fuck her good and hard.
“Nice. I missed you last night,” she whispered against his lips.
“Me too, babe.” He kissed her again.
“When I heard the explosion, it scared the crap out of me. I didn’t know what the hell was going on. Did you hear it?”
“Not really. The clubhouse is a ways from the town. I read about it in the paper.”
“Yeah. I guess it was a strip bar that burned down. I never heard of it.”
“It was a dump. No real loss.”
For the rest of the morning, they chatted as he worked. When Cory and his buddy came in, they just glared at Raven, but they played a few games, had a couple of beers, and left without incident. As the afternoon hit, Raven stood up and stretched. “I think I’ll take in a yoga class before I head home. It’ll be a nice break before I spend the rest of the day making jewelry like a madwoman. I have that upcoming show in Cortez, so I have to bulk up my inventory.”
“I’ll be over after my shift. Crow’s on tonight. I’ll grill a couple of steaks and we’ll have a good dinner before I show you how much I missed you.”
“Sounds like a great plan. I’ll stop by the grocery store after yoga.” She turned toward the door and then stopped, her body rigid, her eyes wide.
Muerto looked at the door and saw a muscular guy with short light brown hair just inside the doorway. The man’s eyes were locked on Raven. “Who the fuck is that?”
Before she answered, the man walked over to her. “Hi, Raven.” His gaze swept over her. “You’re looking good.”
