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When I finally went down to the kitchen, Emerson was pouring a cup of coffee for Steel, who had changed into black pants and a pale blue shirt. His hair was pulled back into a knot, and I could see hints of weapons on his person. He looked like he was ready to go to war.
Amber eyes met mine over the rim of his coffee cup. I tried not to feel intimidated. It was hard, though. Everything about Steel screamed that he was dangerous and that I should run the other way. He hadn’t done anything to assure me that we were safe around him. He might be on our side for now, but how long would that last?
“We were wondering if you were ever going to join us.” Emerson deadpanned, pulling out a bar stool next to Julia and taking a seat at the counter. Julia was practically inhaling a plate of eggs and sausage. Her eyes met mine briefly before returning to her plate. I could see her watching Steel out of the corner of her eye, making sure he was either far away from her or Emerson was between them. I think she felt the same caution I did concerning Steel.
“I was talking to Goliath.”
Emerson gave me a curious look. I ignored it and poured myself a cup of coffee. It wasn’t my favorite drink, but it sufficed. I took a sip and sat down on the other side of Julia, turning my chair so I could see everyone in the room.
“And?” Emerson motioned for me to elaborate.
“He doesn’t know anything about what happened to Archuleta’s shipment. He said he would ask around. He did say there have been rumors about dissenters among Archuleta’s men. He said he wouldn’t be surprised if this had something to do with that.”
Emerson sighed and rolled his eyes. “That’s not helpful.”
Julia gave him an irritated look. “Every piece of information is helpful. How do you think a cop works a case? Piece by piece, until a whole picture forms. This helps us figure out motivation.”
He grunted. “This isn’t a picture, sweetheart; it’s real life. And keep talking like that and everyone will peg you for a cop. Act like a criminal. Talk like a criminal. Surely that isn’t beyond your skills.”
“Someone’s grouchy today,” Steel smirked.
“I’m not grouchy,” Emerson snapped back.
Steel set his cup aside and leaned against the counter, folding his arms. “You were fine until she walked in here with those clothes on. Bring back memories?”
Emerson’s chair crashed to the ground as he shoved himself to his feet. “Do you have something to say, Steel? Because I’m sick of you making jokes about love like you aren’t head over heels for your scientist. Can you imagine what it would be like if Cass one day says she loves you, but you aren’t soulmates and she’s done? Walks out the door and barely even speaks to you unless she’s in trouble. Because that’s what happened, Steel, and don’t think what you two have is so special just because she doesn’t mind your profession.”
Steel’s jaw tightened, and his nostrils flared. Julia sat still as a statue, fork halfway to her mouth, watching both men with wary eyes. I wasn’t sure what to do. This was between the two of them, but I didn’t want the blowback to hit Julia or me.
After a tense minute, Steel looked away. “Fine. I get it. Touchy subject.”
Emerson growled, and his fists clenched, but he didn’t swing at Steel. “I’m not in love with her anymore, despite what everyone thinks. I’ll always care about her, yes, but she left me, and I got over it. And no, I don’t like being constantly reminded about it. Fair enough?”
Steel nodded, sticking out his hand. “We cool?”
After a slight hesitation, Emerson shook his hand. “Yeah. Lay off, man.”
Steel nodded, and Emerson picked his chair up and sat back down in it. Julia looked between the two of them and then finished her bite. “Now that you ladies have worked through your drama, can we get back to the problem at hand?”
Emerson glared at her, but I caught the corner of Steel’s mouth twitch. At least one of them was amused. I leaned back and tapped my fingers against the countertop. “We need a plan.”
Steel took another sip of his coffee. “I agree. Emerson, what’s the play? How do we approach this?”
“You and Carter are going to vet all the people on my ship.” Emerson speared Julia with a look, shutting down any argument she was about to give him. “Be thorough. If anyone has any information on what happened or was involved in any way, I want to know about it.”
Steel nodded. “And you?”
Emerson looked at me. “Ethan and I are going to do a little digging around on our own. Whoever stole those guns will have to offload them to someone. There are several fences around town we can check out. Shake the tree a little.”
Julia frowned and pushed her plate aside. “What about Archuleta’s men?”
“We’re going to deal with mine first. Once I know who on my crew is loyal, we can look at some of his people. I want my house in order first. And who knows? If you find out one of my men is involved that might provide us with a lead.” He eyeballed Steel. “So, no premature killing.”
Steel gave him a mulish look. “You act like I live to kill.”
“No, you just do it so effectively. I want you to intimidate and interrogate, not dismember and decapitate. Okay?”
“Whatever you say, Captain.”
