Page 11 of Protect and Serve

“Out?”

“Auditioning a couple new guys.” She had no idea why he frowned. “Do you want me to GPS him?” A sarcastic barb. But before he could respond, she pulled out her phone and tapped in a code. “Okay. Cody is just leaving Dallas. He should be home in…about two hours.”

She glanced up to find Charlie staring at her. “You really have your brother on GPS?”

“Of course.”

“Doesn’t that bug him?”

She shrugged. “We’re running a business. It saves time when we need to find someone, and besides, I know all their dirty secrets.”

“Do they know yours?” A whisper. It sent a shiver up her spine.

“I don’t have any secrets,” she hissed back.

“Don’t you?”

Cade cleared his throat, shattering whatever spell that Charlie had woven around her and reminding her that she and Charlie weren’t alone. Not hardly alone. “Why don’t we plan on having dinner at Bubba’s?” he said. “It’s Tuesday and a bunch of the guys will be there. I know they’d love to see you again.”

“That sounds great. And now,” Charlie said, donning his hat and gloves, “I’d better get back to work. Nice to meet you, ma’am.” He nodded to Lisa and touched his brim. “Porsche. Claire.”

It might have been her imagination, but it seemed as though his gaze lingered on her a bit longer than it should have. Or she could be delusional.

Also, she reminded herself, she wasn’t interested in him. Not at all.

Still, when he left the room, it suddenly felt empty. Of course, it was probably because Cade and Lisa walked him out.

As the front screen door slammed shut, Porsche gusted a sigh. “Now that,” she said, “is a hot cop.”

Claire had no idea why fury raked her. “I thought you were in love with Cody,” she said in a tone that was a tad too harsh. It was a longtime joke between them that one day they would be sisters. Only to Porsche it had never been a joke.

“Cody? Cody who?” She affected that all too innocent look she was famous for. “Besides, Cody doesn’t know I’m alive.”

“He knows you’re alive.”

“You know what I mean.” She glanced down the hall to the door. “I’ll tell you one thing.”

“What?”

“I have a sudden hankering to go to Bubba’s tonight.”

And yeah. Who didn’t? But Claire wasn’t going to go. She had no intention of putting herself in Charlie Dunham’s path, ever again.

Not if she could help it.

Chapter FOUR

Claire shifted on the barstool, lifted her beer and glanced around Bubba’s. It was busy for a Tuesday night. Most of the tables were occupied and the weekly poker game was in full swing. But there was no sign of Charlie.

She shouldn’t have come. Didn’t know why she had.

It wasn’t like she wanted to see him again or anything.

She’d only come because Cade had asked.

Really.

“Can I get you another?” The warm, low voice from the other side of the bar captured her attention and she smiled at Dustin. He’d always had a sexy voice and though she liked listening to him talk in that Southern drawl, the rest of the package didn’t match up. Oh, he was nice enough and had been romantic during the time they’d dated. And he was handsome.