Colleen grinned. “I know. Her name is Georgia.”
Rachel lowered her soda. “Georgia Morgan. She’d worked Lexis Hanover’s crime scene.”
Colleen paled. “Oh, Rachel, I didn’t know that. I heard from some of my buddies that she’s a great singer.”
Rachel glanced around the room at the patrons. They were all in plain clothes but it wasn’t hard to guess that most were cops. Short hair, a bearing that radiated power and confidence. Shit. “We are in cop central.”
“Look, if this feels weird, we can leave.”
“No.” She would not run or hide. “That’s fine. And she’s good.” Rachel was drawn in by the sound of Georgia’s voice. “How does a singer that good end up working as a cop?”
“My guess is she likes to eat and pay her rent. Let’s face it, this town is full of talented starving artists.” Colleen caught sight of a man who raised his glass to her. “Hey, do you mind if I go visit with a friend?”
“Have at it. I’ve my soda and the music is great.”
“Mix and mingle.”
Rachel grinned. “Don’t push your luck.”
As a laughing Colleen threaded through the crowd, Rachel leaned back against the bar and watched as Georgia sang to the crowd. People close to the stage had eyes only for her. She had them wrapped around her finger as she moved across the stage with a seductive familiarity.
“She’s not half bad.” The deep baritone voice had her turning to find Deke Morgan standing beside her with a beer. He wore a casual dark shirt, jeans, and simple cowboy boots. He smelled faintly of soap and his hair was damp. She imagined him dashing from his desk to shower before hurrying here.
“I never would figure you two as siblings. She definitely received the talent genes.”
“How’d you finger us for sibs?”
“I went to Lexis’s house. She was working the scene.”
He nodded. “Still don’t see how you connected the dots.”
“Name tag helped. The in-your-face attitude sealed the deal.”
A hint of a smile lit his eyes. “No argument here. She can run circles around the Morgan men.”
Energy radiated from him. “Has she been singing long?”
“Since she could talk.”
Nervous energy thrummed in her veins. “Looks like you’ve collected most of Nashville’s finest out here tonight.”
His gaze remained on her as if the crowd held no interest. “It’s a retirement party for my partner, KC. He asked if Georgia would sing for him.”
“KC Kelly. He worked with your dad.”
“He did.”
When he didn’t elaborate, she asked, “How many cops are here tonight?”
He sipped his beer, staring at her. “A lot.”
Rachel watched Georgia move across the stage as if she were right at home. “I almost didn’t recognize her.”
“I could say the same for you. I did a double take.”
“The real me emerges.” In her pencil skirts and tailored jackets she felt as if she had on her armor. Now dressed as herself she felt more exposed.
“I’m guessing the real you doesn’t get out much.”
He didn’t say whether he liked the real her or not and she found herself wondering. And her caring one way or the other wasn’t good. His opinion shouldn’t grace her radar. “No. Not these days.”
“So what dragged you out among the living tonight?”
“Colleen. My law partner. She’s been threatening to get me out for weeks.”
“Good for her.”
She shifted her weight, trying to keep the muscles in her shoulder from stiffening.
“How’s the shoulder?”
“I’ll survive.”
“Any trouble since that night?”
She was kind of enjoying herself and didn’t want to talk about trouble. “All is clear. I did call the ME. She won’t release Lexis yet but said she’d do it as soon as she could. Thank you.”
“You are welcome.” He held her gaze.
Somewhere in her, ice melted. As much as she wanted to lean into the feeling, she recognized it was not a good idea. The twice-divorced Morgan was as intense as she, and she likened their personalities to fire and gasoline.
He glanced toward the stage as Georgia hit a high note at the end of her song. When she finished the crowd clapped, wild and excited.
Rachel clapped. “Does she sing here often?”
Deke held a thumbs-up to his baby sister. “No. This is her first time. She’s been after the owner for some time and then KC asked to have her sing.”
“I hear it’s hard to get a gig here.”
“It is.”
She sipped her soda. “Annie Rivers Dawson sang here. She mentioned it in one of her letters.”
He cocked a brow, as if she’d told him something he already knew. “Did she?”
She leaned a fraction closer. “Have you had a chance to look at her letters?”
“A guy in Forensics is looking at them. We’re set to meet Wednesday.”
“I would like to be in on that meeting.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Slowly he shook his head. “Have you always been this pushy?”
“Since the day I was born.”
“Anybody ever tell you to be patient?”
That made her laugh. “Plenty of times but as you can see I haven’t listened.”
The crowd around them swelled with congratulations as Georgia cut her way through, talking and laughing. When she reached Deke she blew out a breath. “So what are you two huddled up here talking about?” She opened a bottle of water and drank heavily. “Looks serious.”
Deke straightened and she sensed the veil dropping once again. “Talking shop.”
Rachel nearly mentioned Annie’s letters but Deke’s demeanor kept her silent. “Boring.”
Georgia’s eyes danced. “Didn’t look boring. Looked intense.”
“Not so dramatic.” Rachel noted some of the tension in Deke’s body ebbed. “I didn’t recognize you when I first arrived.”
“Georgia sans the uniform. The real me. Or at least the other half of me.”
“Your brother says you’ve been singing since you were little.”
“About drove the clan crazy.” She studied Rachel. “You do not have a Tennessee accent.”
“Guilty as charged. I grew up all over the country and three foreign countries. Army brat.”
“So how many places did you live?”
“Fourteen. We moved to Nashville after my parents divorced. Mom got work here as a teacher. I was sick of moving so I stayed.”
“I used to dream about being the kid that moved. But I was the kid that grew up in the same house, who knows the same friends from elementary school and who didn’t go away to college.”
“I dreamed of being the kid that didn’t move. Grass is always greener, I suppose.”
“I guess.” Georgia glanced at the clock. “Time for my next set.”
Deke raised a brow. “You’re getting a second set?”
“Yeah. Rudy liked what he heard, believe it or not. Said I could sing more songs. I owe KC a big thank-you for setting this all up.”
Deke smiled. “Good for you.”
“Yeah, I know. Right?” She drank more water. “See you two lovebirds later.”
Rachel and Deke both stiffened at the comment.
After a moment’s pause, Deke raised his bottle and when KC approached with a woman in tow, smiled his relief. “The man of the hour.”
KC had his beefy arm slung around the woman’s shoulders. The hints of makeup on her eyes and cheeks suggested she didn’t use it often.
Rachel cocked her head and studied the woman. “I know you.”
The woman returned Rachel’s gaze. “Shoulder injury.”
“Yeah. You were my nurse the other night, right?”
“That’s right.”
Rachel shook her head. “My memory was a bit fuzzy.”
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KC sipped his beer. “This is my gal, Brenda. And I guess you know she’s a nurse.”
Deke kept a sliver of light between his body and Rachel’s. Close but not touching. “Brenda did a great job.”
Brenda’s gaze sparked with curiosity. “You take those meds?”
“The first night. And thank you.”
KC studied Rachel. “You are that attorney.”
“Guilty.”
KC picked at the label on his beer bottle. “You are a pain in the ass.”
“So I’ve been told.”
He leaned toward her, the scent of beer thick on his breath. “If I hadn’t had a few beers I’d have a word or two to share with you.”
She’d faced her share of angry cops. Still wasn’t fun but it got easier. “You can find me most days in my office.”
Brenda tugged on KC’s arm. “This is a night to have fun. No work.”