“No, I’m not, Player, but I suppose Jonas thinks these people tried to rob me more than once.”
“You know they did,” Jonas said. “They came here when Inez and Frank were here. I think they came back a month ago and met up with Torpedo Ink. I can’t prove it, but I think it happened and they got the worse end of the fight. If that’s true and they still haven’t left town, what is keeping them here? What do you have that they want?”
“Blame it on the bikers,” Maestro groused. “We’ve got broad shoulders. We can take it. But you know what? I’m friends with Hannah, your wife, and she isn’t going to like you harassing us. And she likes Blythe. They’re cousins. Did you know that? Cousins. As in family. Which makes us family.”
Player tucked Zyah’s hand over his thigh and let Maestro take Jonas’s attention away from the two of them. Especially away from his head. If the two cops insisted on looking at what was under the bandages, he could be in trouble. His brain might be healed, but the outside flesh still looked as if a bullet had fucked him up. And Deveau hadn’t taken his eyes off him. That was the trouble with Jackson. He was too good at his job.
“If you’re family, Maestro, you’ve got to be at least ten billion times removed,” Jonas snapped. “I’m investigating a murder, so let me get on with it.”
“How do you know it’s a murder? It could have been self-defense. Or suicide. Isn’t that jumping to conclusions? What kind of sheriff jumps to conclusions? You might be family, but you still have to do a decent job if you want to be reelected,” Maestro pointed out in his most pious voice.
Zyah laughed. Anat joined her. Player couldn’t help smiling. Maestro had given him enough time to orient himself firmly in the present, to know what was going on and how best to do damage control. Zyah had done her best to protect him. She knew damn well he’d shot both those men—and that he’d been the one to kill them. She’d taken that fact fairly calmly, just like she’d taken everything else about him.
He couldn’t help himself, he had to indulge. He had managed to be sitting right next to her, thigh to thigh, her body tucked under his shoulder, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to waste the opportunity. He wrapped a length of her thick, dark hair around his hand and closed his fingers, making a fist around it. Pure silk. He fucking loved her hair. He loved lying in bed with her, all that long hair sliding over his chest because he deliberately refused to wear a shirt, knowing she’d lie with him at night after his nightmares and he’d feel the silk of her hair and the satin of her skin, see the sweep of her long lashes.
“Are you paying attention, Player?” Jonas demanded.
“Not really,” Player admitted. “I was looking at my woman. She’s fuckin’ beautiful. You, on the other hand, don’t do much for me.” He held up one hand in surrender. “Please restate, and I’ll pay attention.”
“The sheriff seems to think I’m holding out on him,” Anat explained. “I don’t have any more jewelry to steal, Jonas. There’s not one more valuable item here in this house. I do have a safe, but it’s empty. I haven’t ever used it. I bought it with the idea I’d keep cash in it, but I just never did. Maybe they know about that and think there’s something of value in it. You can have it if you’d like. Make a show of taking it out. Pretend it’s very heavy, as if I have gold bars in it and you’re taking them to a bank for me.”
Jonas glanced at Jackson Deveau, and Player caught the nearly imperceptible nod the deputy gave the sheriff. Torpedo Ink had long suspected Jackson was a human lie detector, and Player was certain he’d just had confirmation. Deveau had just assured Jonas that Anat was telling the truth.
“I’m just trying to make certain you’re safe, Anat. I don’t understand why they keep coming here. Is it possible you talked about something expensive you owned when you were at lunch with friends? Remember, these thieves have an in with someone who knows all of you. You belong to the Red Hat Society. All of you have fun together, and you talk. Could you have brought up something of value you have in your home to them?” Jonas asked.
Player had to admit, that was a good question. He exchanged a quick look with Zyah. It was true the thieves had returned three times. They’d made a grab for Anat’s granddaughter. The why of it was a good question. Anat didn’t know they’d done that, but they had.