I swung my gaze from Edgar to the guys, then back to Edgar again. “Actually, no.”
Noah laughed and shook his head. “You’re probably right.”
We followed him for three city blocks, then five, then seven. It was a good thing it was getting late. Not too many other cars on the road, because anyone behind us would be beeping at us already.
“Damn,” swore Julian. “He’s walking like he has a stick of dynamite up his ass.”
“Where do you think he’s going?”
The stonemason shrugged. “Assholes anonymous meeting?”
“They have those?” asked Noah.
Now it was Julian’s turn to laugh. “As if you haven’t been to one.”
It was generally a lot of fun, the banter they’d developed between them. But right now I was tense. We needed answers from this guy, which meant we needed to know where he was going. The last thing I wanted was to spook him.
“He’s ducking into that building,” Julian pointed. “Right there.”
Noah nodded. “I think it’s a restaurant.”
“Find a spot then,” I said. “And let’s park.”
The guys had come because neither one of them would let me go alone. Also, there was a good chance Edgar hadn’t seen Julian or Noah up close. That left Chase at home, to guard the keep. He joked it was the first time the keep had been guarded in centuries.
“Give him a little while, to get settled,” said Julian. “Then we go.”
Five minutes dragged by like five hours. I was worried that we’d lose him. That’s somehow our target had seen us, and he’d slip out a back door or something.
Eventually we entered the restaurant, which was half bar, half seating area. I hung back while Julian and Noah traversed the length of the bar. They came back to report Edgar was on the other side of the place, sitting at a table.
“He’s with someone,” said Noah.
Together we waved off the hostess and moved into the restaurant. Noah circled around, to come in from behind, while Julian and I walked straight up on him.
“Hey Edgar,” I said, tapping him on the shoulder. “Imagine running into you—”
I stopped mid-sentence as I realized who his guest was. My mouth dropped open.
“Holy shit!”
Sixty-Five
MADISON
Julian squinted down at the other man and then looked at me. “You know this guy?”
I nodded numbly. The man seated across from Edgar was the same one who’d shown up on my doorstep, trying to buy the property.
“He’s the guy who came to buy the place,” I said. “While the rest of you were out.”
Edgar’s whole face went white, especially as Noah rolled in behind him. He looked like the cat who’d swallowed the canary, but his wispy-haired guest only smiled and extended a hand.
“Jonathan Campbell,” he said politely. “At your service.”
Julian stared down at the man with an icy scowl. After an uncomfortable few seconds, the man lowered his arm.
“What are the two of you doing here?” I asked, accusingly. “And why the hell are you together?”