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“Nothing happened between Heidi and me.”
“Did I say it did?”
Joe had described Mike to me as a kind of guardian angel to the Steel brothers. Frankly, I didn’t see it. In fact, he was being a pain in my ass. But Joe liked him, so I wouldn’t be rude.
“She calls me Bob because—”
“I didn’t ask for any explanation.”
“No, you didn’t. Let me get your drink.” I signaled the bartender. “I’ll have a bourbon, and get my friend here whatever he’s having.”
“Obliged,” Mike said. “Sorry if I got a little personal there.”
“It’s okay.”
“None of my business, but something is definitely bothering you.”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
What a damned, damned lie. I couldn’t handle anything. I couldn’t handle what my father had been. What I might become because of him. And I sure as hell couldn’t handle Marjorie Steel.
Joe walked in then, and not for the first time, I thought about what my best friend would do to me if he knew what had happened between his baby sister and me.
“Bryce,” he said. “And Mike. Good to see you.”
“Your friend here just got me a drink,” Mike said. “I’ll drink it at the other end of the bar. I get the feeling he needs to talk. I think it’s a woman thing.”
After Mike moved away, Joe said, “A woman thing?”
Damn. Yeah, partially. Nothing I could tell the older brother of the woman, though.
“Nah. He’s wrong. I’m just a mess about all this shit.”
Joe looked at me, his eyes serious. “What did you tell him?”
“Nothing. Why would you think I’d divulge anything we talked about?”
“Sorry, man. You know I trust you implicitly. I’m just so fucking on edge.”
“I hear you. Did you contact the Spider?”
He nodded. “Now we wait.”
“How long?”
“He didn’t say.”
“We’re kind of in a hurry here, Joe.”
“You think I don’t know that? I can’t sleep. I’ve got a pregnant wife at home who I can’t share this with for many reasons. It’s killing me.”
“I know. Sorry.”
“We’ve got to keep cool,” he said. “We can’t start fighting with each other, Bryce.”
I nodded. He was right.
Joe ordered a drink, and we sat, silent, for a few moments. I nursed the rotgut bourbon slowly. It was every bit as harsh as I recalled. I was pretty sure it was leaving a trail of ashes down my esophagus.
