Once inside the main bay door, I spotted Chief Paige talking to a young recruit. The woman was looking up at the chief as if he was some kind of superhero, which I guess around these parts he was. When the chief spotted me, he grinned. “Hey, Saint. Looking for your brother?”
“Yep. Was hoping to steal him away from you for a coffee break if that’s okay.”
Chief Paige nodded. “Sure thing. It’s been slow around here today. Just bring me back a coffee if you head to Sugar Britches.”
“What kind do you take?” I asked as I spotted Otto coming out of a door in the back.
Chief Paige’s entire face softened into a lovesick smile. “Just tell Stevie it’s for me. He knows what I like.”
Since Stevie Devore and Evan Paige had been dating hot and heavy for almost six months, I couldn’t skip the opportunity he’d just handed me on a silver platter.
“Oh, I’ll just bet he knows what you like, Chief. But I wondered about the coffee.”
Otto snorted as he approached us, and the woman standing with the chief looked back and forth between us all with a confused expression. Chief Paige looked down at her. “Stevie’s my boyfriend,” he said. I couldn’t help but notice him stand up straighter and puff out his chest a bit. “He’s the manager of Sugar Britches bakery on the square.”
The woman’s eyes just about bugged out of her head at the news her beloved fire chief had a male lover.
“O-oh. Well… oh!” she stammered and looked to Otto for help. “I didn’t… that’s… great?”
The chief’s nostrils flared in irritation, but his smile remained plastered on. “Better than great. I’m the luckiest man in Hobie. I’m sure if you stick around, you’ll see lots of Stevie at the firehouse.”
“Yes, sir. That’s… I mean, I look forward to meeting him,” she said quickly before looking down at her feet.
I kind of felt sorry for the young woman, but it was better she get over her surprise quickly since Chief Paige wasn’t the only person on her team who wasn’t straight. I winked at my brother. “Let’s go grab a coffee.”
After making our way out of the station and heading toward the town square, Otto turned to me. “What’s up?”
“Can you see if Seth can join us?” I asked.
Otto’s brows furrowed, but he pulled out his phone and dialed Seth’s number. “Hey, babe, you have time to meet me and Saint at Sugar Britches right now?”
He gave the sheriff a chance to answer before grunting and ending the call. “He’ll meet us there in a few. Now spill. What do you want to see Seth for?”
I sighed. “You remember Augie from last night. It turns out his house was broken into, and the perp or perps took some portable antiques that a regular burglar wouldn’t have known were particularly valuable. The man comes from serious money. I want to ask Seth what he found out after the break-in.”
As we continued to walk the couple blocks to the square, Otto asked more about how I’d come to be giving the guy self-defense classes. I explained everything to him, including Augie’s reluctance to consider personal security which really pissed me off.
Otto stopped walking and stared at me. “Seriously?”
“What?” I asked. “Clearly there’s something serious going on.” For some reason I sounded defensive even to my own ears.
“Saint, the man’s house was broken into. It’s hardly the making of a dangerous conspiracy.”
“He needs someone to watch his back,” I insisted.
“He needs a can of mace and an alarm system,” Otto rebutted. “Why are you turning this into… oh shit.” His grin widened as much as his eyes did. “You like the kid.”
“What? No.”
“You do. You like him. Can’t blame you. He’s goddamned adorable.”
My teeth ground together. “You already have a partner.”
I didn’t know it was possible for Otto’s eyes to get any wider. “I called the guy cute. I didn’t say I wanted to fuck him.”
Just the word out of my brother’s mouth made me want to punch him. “Don’t talk about him like that.” My heart was pounding harder than normal in my chest. “Plus, as far as the world knows, he’s straight. Has a girlfriend and everything.” I might have done some more internet research about that late last night for the sake of… whatever. The photos and gossip columns were quite convincing. Katrina Duvall was a news anchor for one of the big stations in Dallas. She was stunning and elegant, the exact type of woman I was sure his family would love to see on his arm.
“He didn’t look at you the way a straight man does, brother.” Otto laughed. “You really fucking like this guy. Admit it.”
“No I don’t. He’s a client.”
“He may be a client, but he’s pushing all your protection buttons for damned sure.”