“Want to go for a drink?” I ask them.
“Yes.”
“Fuck yeah.”
They both look at me with relief, telling me that I’m not the only one that wasn’t looking forward to going home alone.
“Where do you want to go? The Whistler? Or Twisted Lime?” I ask them, naming the most popular bar in Whiskey Run and then Twisted Lime, which is in Jasper.
“Twisted Lime.” They both answer in unison.
I nod understandingly. Even though I love Whiskey Run, sometimes you have to unwind where everyone doesn’t know you and you can breathe without having to talk to everyone. “I’ll meet you there.”
I drive across town, and the whole way I can’t stop thinking about the couple on the airplane. From the minute I saw them until I left them to do my own paperwork, they were holding hands, not wanting to let the other one go. The Jensens. I finally asked their names, and they are Mike and Stephanie Jensen. They’ve been married for twelve years and were on their yearly anniversary trip when they had been taken hostage.
With a peck on my window, Logan waves me out of the car. I follow them in and try to push my thoughts of the Jensens as far out of my mind as possible.
The bar is low key and a place that’s friendly to military and law enforcement. The atmosphere is nice, and there are even quite a few nice-looking women at the bar.
Logan and Aiden sit down at a high table right in the middle, and I follow suit. We barely get our drinks ordered before we are surrounded by three ladies. It’s obvious they are all eyeing Aiden, but it won’t take them long to figure out they don’t have a chance. Aiden may look, but that’s it. I’ve never seen him with a woman in all the years I’ve known him.
Logan, on the other hand, is the player. He may have been a doctor in the military and is one of the smartest guys I know, but he likes to have fun. I don’t think he’ll ever settle down.
“You’re hurt,” one of the women says to Logan, holding his hand up to inspect it.
He smirks at Aiden and me as if to say, You should see the other guy.
She reacts like every other woman he’s shown. She rubs his hand and offers to kiss it and make it feel better. Luckily, we don’t have to sit and watch them long because Aiden stands up and takes her out to the dance floor.
As if a silent decision is made between the two remaining women, one leaves, and the remaining slim blonde presses to my side, her breast brushing against my arm. “What about you? You going to ask me to dance?”
I look at her, and she’s beautiful. Any other time I would probably take her up on it. But not today. Not after seeing the Jensens and the way they were with each other—well, I just don’t want to waste my time. “Not tonight, sweetheart. Thank you, though.”
She looks hurt, and I feel guilty. I hate to hurt a woman’s feelings, but I’m just not interested. Not tonight.
The woman walks away, and I sit back and sip my beer. Aiden is quiet as always, drinking his beer, and I have no idea what he’s thinking.
We sit for a while, leaning up with the bar at our backs. People are laughing, dancing, and having a good time. I sip on my beer and try to figure out what this feeling is. A part of me wants to sleep off the last few days, and another part of me wants to figure out what this unsettled pit is in my stomach. I’m not one to feel lonely, but right now I do.
I don’t know how much time has passed, but I look over at Aiden, who’s typing into his phone. “What are we doing, Aiden?” It’s a loaded question, and I don’t really expect an answer.
When he looks at me, I nod out toward Logan. He’s dancing and laughing with a woman in his arms. There’s no doubt he is having fun, but I really doubt he goes home with her from here. It seems there’s a shifting in our group, a restless energy among us, and that’s not good, not in our line of work.
Instead of answering me, Aiden shrugs his shoulders. “I’m going to head out.”
“Does it have something to do with who you’ve been texting?”
He opens his mouth and shuts it quickly.
I just smirk. “It’s May, right? You’re texting with May?”
As soon as I mention Colt’s little sister, he sits up straight in the seat. He’s about to deny it and then shakes his head. “How’d you know?”
I just shrug. “I noticed you two. It’s pretty obvious there’s something going on.”
He nods. “Does Colt know?”