CHAPTERTHREE
State
As I twisted the pen in my fingers, I leaned back in my office chair and waited on Lisa. But my mind wasn’t on the stalker cop. It was on the woman who’d ditched me the previous night when I’d gone to the bathroom.
I’d thought we’d been connecting.
I’d thought there could be something there that could grow.
So why did she walk out?
We’d been getting to know each other.
We’d been laughing.
All my attention had been on her and hers on me.
Even when brothers tried to get in our damn bubble, she smiled politely, said what she had to, but her gaze kept coming back to me.
What changed?
What had she been thinking to run out of there?
The door opened, and Country stepped in. “Tech told me what’s happenin’. I’m here to see what Lisa’s got to say. She’s got to be the connection.” He took a seat on the couch on the far wall. We shared this office with Wreck, another brother, while the fourth co-owner, Saint, had his own office on the ground floor. One of us was always on hand to deal with any complaints or troubles, but it didn’t surprise me that Country wanted to be involved in this. He was a good prez.
“That was my thought too. How’d it go this morning with Isla?”
He shot me a glare. “Shit.”
I whistled long and low.
“Her friend didn’t seem to be high.”
“From what I gathered, they hadn’t hung out for a while. Drifted. But Court felt bad when Isla begged her to go out, so she did.”
He grunted and ran a hand over his face. “Isla’s changed. Somethin’s goin’ on with her, and I’m gonna get to the bottom of it.”
“Let me know if you need help.”
He waved me off. “Isla’s girl stay long while I dealt with her?” He started chuckling. “That smile says a lot.”
I shrugged. “We talked. Thought it was cool until she left while I was takin’ a piss.”
Another round of laughter. “Brother, she ghosted you?”
“Yeah, and I don’t get it.”
“Huh.”
“Huh what?”
He eased back further and placed his arm across the back of the couch while resting his ankle on his other knee. “You into her?”
I pushed my hair back and nodded. “Hard not to be. She’s sweet, funny, smart, and got a fuckin’ bangin’ body.”
“Wasn’t around her long, but I got the idea she liked the look of you. How long she stay for?”
“About two hours.”