A few seconds later, Gavin stiffened in his chair as a voice behind him asked, “What can I get you guys?”
Oh hell no.
“Beer for me,” Zac said. The other guys echoed the same.
Gavin turned slowly in his chair to face the green eyes he’d had on his mind for nearly a week. “I’ll take a beer also. And maybe two hundred and eleven dollars.”
4
Gavin wasn’t going to lie. The look of sheer panic that fell over her face as he turned around and she recognized him felt pretty damn good. Let her squirm.
Of course, the other guys had no idea what he was talking about and were all looking at him funny. Except Zac, whose jaw might actually have hit the table, but the other man didn’t say anything.
Kendrick was the one who broke the silence that was heading into awkward territory. The computer expert was easygoing and charming. He didn’t like awkward, especially when he obviously knew something odd was going on.
“Lexi, this is Gavin Zimmerman. He obviously has a weird sense of humor as you can tell.” Kendrick turned to Gavin. “Sheriff, this is Lexi Johnson, the Eagle’s Nest’s newest member of the waitstaff.”
Lexi gaped like a fish. “Sheriff?”
That’s right, sweetheart, squirm. He gave her a smile that couldn’t possibly be mistaken as friendly. “Technically, the title is acting sheriff, but the ability to arrest someone remains the same.”
He almost felt bad for her when the color leeched out of her face. Kendrick kicked his leg under the table.
“Don’t listen to Gavin.” Kendrick gave her a friendly laugh. “He must have some handcuff fetish none of us knew about. Thus all the arresting talk.”
Gavin gave her another smile, still not friendly. Both of them knew he wasn’t joking.
“I—” She swallowed and tried again. “Should I get you your beers?”
One sentence from him could let her off the hook, but he wasn’t ready to do that yet, so he said nothing.
It was Zac who finally spoke. “Yes, if you could bring us beers all around, that would be great.”
She took off like she was on fire. He had to force himself to turn back to the table and not watch. Would she run straight out the door like she had in Reddington City? Was she truly concerned he was going to arrest her?
She should be. He wasn’t, but she should still be concerned.
“Dude,” Kendrick was glaring at him. “Do you have some sort of head trauma? What is wrong with you?”
He glanced over at Zac, but the other man was studying his fingernails, obviously not about to get involved in this conversation. Aiden and Finn stared at him, trying to ascertain what they were missing.
Gavin shrugged. “She doesn’t seem very trustworthy to me.”
Finn shook his head. “I’ve already been here a couple nights this week, and there’s been nothing about the new waitress that struck me as questionable.”
Aiden nodded. “Yeah, she seemed fine to me too. Although, granted, I do feel like I’ve met her before, but can’t put my finger on where. I’m usually pretty good about that sort of stuff.”
Gavin straightened in his chair. “All I’m saying is, what do we really know about this woman? As you guys pointed out, obviously she’s not family to Mac. How do we know she’s not taking advantage of him?”
Exactly the way she had taken advantage of Gavin a few days ago.
“You want to tell me why my new manager looks like she’s going to hightail it out the door after one conversation with this table?”
Shit. Gavin glared at the other guys as he turned around to face Mac. This was why he didn’t like to sit with his back to the rest of the room—too much of a chance someone might sneak up on him. The guys could’ve given him some warning the older man was coming up behind him.
He twisted in his chair so he could look up at Mac. Despite being in his mid-seventies, he really did seem pretty fit.
At least fit enough to be glaring at Gavin. “Just because my ticker isn’t as spry as it used to be doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with my brain, young man.”
Gavin held his hands out in surrender. “I’m only looking out for you, Mac. I want to make sure you really know this woman before you hand over the keys to the kingdom.”
Mac folded his arms across his chest. “I’m seventy-three years old. I’ve been running this bar since before your father first ran for office. He’s been in here to have a drink more than once. Are you questioning my business sense?”
Double shit. Now he’d offended Mac, and that wasn’t what he’d been trying to do at all. He looked back at the guys but they were all solidly on Mac’s side. Zac gave a little shrug of support, but Gavin knew he was on his own.
Why not tell everyone what had happened with Lexi in Reddington City? Then they would all at least stop looking at him like he was tossing puppies into oncoming traffic. But for some reason—hell if he knew what it was—he was loath to do that.
He turned back to Mac. “I thought you had family coming to help you. Lexi is family?”
Mac raised an eyebrow. “Just because she doesn’t look like me doesn’t mean she’s not family.”
Great, he was making this worse. “Mac, you tell me that woman is one of yours, and I’ll back off completely.”
He would too. Hell, Gavin would be the first to admit that family wasn’t always blood and blood wasn’t always family. If Mac wanted to claim this woman as kin, then Gavin would let it drop. He would never bring up the $211 ever again, because he’d give that much out of his pocket for Mac any day of the week, and Mac would do the same for him.
If Mac told him Lexi was family, Gavin would go over right now and apologize to her for making her uncomfortable. Tell her she never had to pay back a dime of that money as long as she promised to let him know if she was ever in financial trouble again rather than pull a stunt like she had.
He wanted Mac to say the words, was honest enough with himself to know he’d be pursuing her like it was his full-time job if Mac said she was one of his own.
And he’d damn well be discovering why she’d stolen Gavin’s wallet rather than calling Mac to come help her.
And why those green eyes, with their deep, dark shadows, were way too sad.
He wanted Mac to say she was family so that Gavin could let down his guard. Then he could look at her like a man looked at a woman, not like a sheriff looked at a potential suspect.
God, he wanted that.
“Tell me she’s family, Mac.” His words were almost a plea.
Mac was quiet for a long minute. “She’s someone who needs a second chance, and she’s welcome here.”
Gavin could almost taste the disappointment that pooled in his gut.
Lexi wasn’t family—blood or otherwise—to Mac.
Which meant Gavin wasn’t released from his duty to protect the people of this town from potential harm—which she might bring.
Mac might welcome Lexi Johnson here, and she might need a second chance, but there was one thing Gavin knew for certain.
She was a woman with secrets, and secrets could be deadly.
“There is nowhere else for you to go, so you’re not going to run.”