“I will, Ben. You know I always listen to you.”
He stepped closer. “I heard there were some unsavories at the bar last night, wantin’ to buy you a drink.”
I didn’t know what to say. That he knew, caught me off guard. “They thought I was someone else. It didn’t turn into anything.”
“That’s not what Barney said. He told me that after you left, they came back, askin’ all kinds of questions ’bout how long you’ve worked here, stuff like that.”
Great. And I hadn’t mentioned it to Edge. I thought about calling or sending him a text, but Susan walked in and I didn’t have time. In the back of my mind, I prayed that whoever they were, they didn’t show up again.
41
Edge
Last night, as I sat in my car waiting for Rebel, I watched two men who raised my hackles walk into her restaurant.
I thought about trying to get a photo for Decker to run, but I didn’t want to ruin her time with her new friends. Instead, I decided to ask Steel to see if he could get me the restaurant’s footage. If not, I’d have Decker hack in and get it anyway. There were times it was good to be a spy.
Just when I’d decided to get out of the car and make my way closer, the two men I’d seen earlier came back out and walked in my direction. I pulled my hat down farther on my forehead, zipped up my jacket, and then made my way off to the side and waited.
As they walked past, I heard one of the men say, “Fuckin’ Rebel.” His voice sounded so much like Possum’s, I went on high alert.
I walked in the opposite direction and then circled back when they went into another bar. I waited just outside the entrance; a vantage point that allowed me to see where they were seated.
After they’d finished their beers, paid their tab in cash, came outside, and walked south on Congress, farther away from me and, more importantly, from Rebel, I sneaked into the bar, hurried over, snatched one of the beer bottles, and took it into the men’s room. Once there, I put it in a plastic bag. If facial recognition didn’t turn up a hit on these guys, at least I’d have DNA from one of them.
I walked out of the men’s room and then out of the bar without anyone appearing to have noticed me.
Since I knew Rebel would be waiting outside with Steel, I went around the block back to my car. On the way, I rang Deck, who said he’d come into Austin tomorrow morning after Rebel left for work, and get the bottle. I rang off and immediately called Grinder.
“You want backup?” he asked after I explained what I’d seen and heard.
“Appreciate it, mate.” Something in my gut told me I was going to need it.
When Rebel didn’t mention the men either in the car or after we got back to the rental, I assumed she hadn’t noticed them.
I found out differently this morning when Grinder and I met Steel for coffee like I did every day.
“Dude seems more British than you,” Steel said as we waited for Grinder, who’d ordered tea. I’d gotten so I much preferred coffee.
“Thank you.”
Steel laughed and, when Grinder sat down, began to talk. He told us the bartender said the two men had first offered to buy Rebel a drink. “She goes by Lucy at the restaurant, so Barney had no idea who they were talking about. When he quietly asked her if she knew who they were, she told him she didn’t recognize either of them.”
“She knew, then?”
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When Steel confirmed she did, my blood began to heat. Why in the bloody hell hadn’t she mentioned it?
“They came back in later. Pretty near closing time. Asked Barney, that’s the bartender who was on last night, a lot of questions about her.”
“What did he tell them?” Grinder asked.
Steel glared at him. “Jack shit.”
Grinder smiled and then turned to me. “I like him.”
“He’s a good bloke.”