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“Not going down to the club tonight?” I ask.
“Don’t feel much like company,” he snaps back at me, and like a teenage girl I actually fucking blush. I really need to do a better job of hiding my emotions, and why am I suddenly incapable of coming up with a snappy remark like I usually would.
“You don’t count,” he adds, glancing up at me through those thick lashes and making me feel weak. He snatches up the remote and turns on the TV. The crime channel is on again and he seems content watching what’s on that. Twisting the top off my beer, I sit down beside him, making sure there’s a decent-sized gap between us. And I ignore the look of disgust in his side glance when I tuck my feet up.
“Do anything good today?” I ask. A shake of his head is the only response I get. It’s a good job I’m not one to give up easily. “You did a great job of the house, wouldn’t even know anything had happened there,” I add, trying to lighten the atmosphere. Grimm looks uncomfortable, tugging on his jeans to straighten them out as I edge a little closer and let my hand rest on his thigh.
He makes me jump when his hand slams over mine and he crushes me under his palm.
“Don’t get the wrong idea about what you’re doing here, Rogue,” he warns, slamming down his beer on the coffee table and getting up. He grabs his cut on the way out the door, slamming it behind him.
I’ve spent the past few years growing extra layers on my skin, and in just a few short seconds, Grimm just managed to claw straight through them. I’m real fucking mad at him for that. But instead of getting angry, I decide to channel my energy in another direction. One that I’m gonna need the sweet girl a few doors down to help me with.
Prez calling church this early on a Monday morning can only mean one thing. Trouble… and once everyone's in their places, his eyes land directly on me.
“Girl picked the wrong guy this time.” He tosses a brown folder across the table. Since Maddy arrived at the club things aren’t only more organized, they’re better presented too.
I like it.
I reach out for the file, and as I flick through the CCTV stills inside, I notice that they’re of the guy Rogue massacred, and he’s wearing the same clothes he was in when I got there.
“These were taken at a bar in Pueblo about an hour before he arrived at Rogue’s place,” Prez informs.
“And the others?” I question when I notice the still of him talking with a few other men outside. The camera angle isn’t allowing us to see two of their faces but at least we can see one of them.
“Mads is working on it.” Jessie leans forward to stub his cigarette out in the ashtray then slides it down the table to Brax as he exhales the last of his smoke. “Whoever they are, there’s a strong chance they knew where he was goin’.”
Shit.
“We could do without this kinda shit.” Nyx shakes his head, and for some reason, it really fucking riles me. I stand up to go at him and feel the weight of Squealer’s heavy arm slam across my chest.
“Chillax, kiddo, we’ll take care of it,” he tells me from the corner of his mouth, as he eases me back into my seat.
“The girl means summat to Skid,” Prez explains to Nyx who’s being held back by his brother Brax.
“Yeah, and it seems like he ain't the only one she means summat to,” Nyx’s smart trap opens up again as he gets forced back into his chair, and I respond to his cocky smirk with a cold stare.
“Rogue’s helped the club out on more than one occasion,” Prez reminds him, stroking his hand through his beard, the way he always does when he’s thinking on something.
“Jessie, get Maddy and go with Grimm to speak to Rogue, we need her to take a look at those photos and see if she can tell us anything about the men he’s with. The fact it’s been over a week and there ain’t no missing person report on Eddie is a good sign, but it’s always better to be safe.”
I nod my agreement back at him.
We all leave church a while later, me and Jessie heading up to the cabins to speak to Rogue. Maddy meets us at my place with her laptop and we all wait for a response from Rogue while she looks at the photos.
“Ain’t never seen them before in my life.” She smiles, grabbing her jacket and heading for the door. Something about the way she smiles is off, and I quickly step in front of her before she can make it out.
“Look again,” I order her firmly.
“Grimm, I already told you, I don’t know who those guys are.” She tries being cute, but it ain’t gonna work with me. I stare her down, letting her know that I ain’t gonna budge until she’s taken another look at those photos.
“They were with Eddie before he came over to yours that day,” Maddy interrupts, her soft voice sounding sympathetic. She didn’t see what was left of the guy, she doesn’t know what Rogue’s capable of.
“Pretty soon, people are gonna start wondering where he got to. It could really help us make sure there was no trail back to you if you recognize them,” she adds.
Rogue rolls her eyes at me before she turns back around to face Maddy and Jessie.
“You ever heard of a bar out in Pueblo called Pitchers? It’s where these were taken, you ever been there?” Jessie asks.
