"He'd better not sell this place," said Horse, frowning. "They've got the best burgers in town."

"Yeah, and not to mention the pie here is phenomenal," said Buck, grinning wickedly.

"Don't worry, if it was something that affected your position here at Griffin's, I'm sure he'd let you know," I answered.

"I'm sure you're right," said Misty.

My phone vibrated; I took it out of my leather jacket and checked the screen. It was Tank.

"What's up?" I asked, turning away from both Misty and Brandy.

"We didn't find any wiretaps or anything else that looked suspicious," he answered. "I think we're good here."

"Chopper's there already?" I asked.

"Yeah, I got ahold of him. He's going to be leaving here shortly, to check Pop's computer and inspect his office at Griffin's. See if there's anything there. Is the bitch there?"

I got up and walked away from the bar. "Yeah, they both are."

"Both? Oh," he laughed. "Brandy."

"Yeah."

He was silent for a few seconds. "Maybe we should go to Misty's place and take a look around before she gets off of work. See if she's got anything on her computer, like emails or other stuff that would give us a clue as to what the fuck she's up to."

Misty didn't seem like the type of person that would spend a lot of time online, but I figured it couldn't hurt to look into it. Especially with Mud living out of state. Hell, maybe they even Skyped. "You know where she lives?"

"Yeah. I've been there. I even know where she keeps a spare key."

I walked into the bathroom where it was quieter. "Huh. You sure that she even has a computer?"

"I saw her laptop last spring. She showed me a shitload of nude pictures that someone took of her. I guess she sells them online for extra money."

Someone flushed the toilet, startling me. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. Why don't you head on over there, then, and I'll let you know if she leaves here," I said in a low voice as I headed back out of the restroom "Sounds good."

I hung up and walked back over to the bar.

"Raptor, can you do me a favor?" asked Misty. "We need some beer brought up from the cooler downstairs. Can you grab a few cases?"

I took off my jacket and hung it on the back of the stool. "Sure, what exactly do you need?"

"Actually, I'll come with you. I'd better grab some more vodka and rum, too," she answered, walking around the bar. She looked back at Brandy. "You good?"

"I think I can handle it. We're not exactly busy," she said, nodding toward the tables in front of the stage. There were only a handful of customers, and they were too engrossed in watching the naked stripper do cartwheels.

"See you later," said Horse, standing up. "I'm taking off."

"Me, too," said Buck. "I'm heading over to the clubhouse. Check on things."

"See you guys," said Misty.

"I'll catch you two later," I said, following Misty toward the stairs.

The basement was dark and musty, but cool, so it was a perfect spot to house most of the supplies for the bar. Slammer kept the canned and bottled beer in a large walk-in cooler and I followed Misty inside.

"So, how's she doing?" I asked.

"Brandy? Pretty good. She learns quickly."

"Good."

"She wants you back," said Misty.

"I couldn't care less," I answered, hoping this wasn't going to turn into an attempt to help Brandy.

"I figured, but she's been talking about you so much, it's driving me crazy."

"She drives me crazy, too." I nodded toward the stacked cases of beer. "Which ones do you need?"

She showed me.

"I'll take these up and come back for the rest," I replied, grabbing two cases.

"What's going on with you and that other gal with the red hair?"

"Adriana? She's my Old Lady now."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Does Brandy know that?"

"I told her," I said, walking past her.

"You might want to tell her again," she called behind me.

I grunted. "She only hears what she wants. I told her twice already. I'm done trying to explain shit to her."

"She loves you, you know."

"Fuck that. She doesn't know the meaning of the word," I replied, walking up the stairs. "Now, unless you have a complaint about her that is not related to me specifically, I'd rather not discuss the bitch."

Misty grabbed a bottle of vodka from one of the shelves and laughed. "Okay, I hear you loud and clear. What I don't get is why you're living together."

"You don't have to 'get' it. It's just how things are right now," I replied, glancing back at her over my shoulder.

She looked up at me from the bottom of the stairwell. "Adriana must be pissed as hell. I know I'd be."

"Fortunately, you aren't her," I mumbled to myself, walking away. "Or I'd have to shoot myself."

Chapter Six.

After Trevor followed Misty downstairs and Buck left with Horse, I quickly reached into his jacket and pulled out his cell phone. I knew it was wrong, but was curious to find out what exactly was happening between Trevor and Adriana.

As I was scrolling through his text messages, a customer I'd served earlier set an empty glass on the bar. He was in his thirties, clean-cut, and very attractive. As I looked closer, I could see that he had money because of his expensive suit and the Rolex on his wrist.

Hoping for a big tip, I smiled warmly. "Yes?"

"Hey, doll, can I get another drink?" he asked, smiling back.

"Sure," I answered, slipping Trevor's phone into my apron.

"Thanks, just put it on my tab." He sat down at the bar and looked around. "No waitresses to help you out?"

"Most of them don't come in until around four and one called in sick today. I'm all you've got right now," I said, noticing that he had thick lashes, large puppy-dog brown eyes, and a dimple that made him that much cuter.

"Don't get me wrong, beautiful. I'm not complaining. If you're all I have then as far as I'm concerned, it's my lucky day," he flirted, his eyes dropping to my cleavage. "Hell, I'd rather watch you pour drinks than look at what's on stage right now."

Enjoying the attention, something I'd been trying to squeeze out of Trevor, I giggled at this man's boldness. "Thanks. You're very sweet. What can I get you?"

"A rum and Coke. Please."

I quickly mixed a drink and slid it over to him just as Trevor stepped back behind the bar. He set down two cases of beer and without even a glance in our direction, turned around, and went back toward the basement.

"What's your name?" asked the guy in the suit.

"Brandy. What's yours?"

"My name is Jake. Brandy, huh?" he asked, stirring his drink. "Is that your real name?"

I nodded. "Mom had a weakness for it in her younger years. Anyway, I used to hate the name, but now I kind of like it."

"You should. It's nice. 'Brandy' feels good on the tongue," he said, his eyes holding mine.

I smirked. "It does, huh?"

"Definitely."

"So, what's your wife's name? Is it something that feels good on the tongue, too?" I asked, nodding toward the ring on his left hand.

His smile fell. "It used to. Now I have a hard time even saying her name."

I had been hit on by several married men in the last few days. I didn't mind at all, they usually tipped better, especially if I laid on the charm. I could tell that this guy was about to use the "Woe is me; my wife is a bitch" card. I could feel it coming. "What is it?"

"Cara," he said, looking away.

"Will she be joining you soon?"

Jake laughed grimly. "You mean here?"

"Yeah. Some couples get off on watching each other getting lap dances. We also get a lot of swingers in here. I've seen it all."

"Is that right?" he said, taking a sip of his drink. "Well, these days she only gets off by fucking my brother."

Surprised by his response, I sucked in my breath . "No. Are you serious?"

He snorted. "I wish I wasn't."

"When did you learn about them having an affair?" I asked, now feeling sorry for him. I could tell that he was being sincere. There was nothing fake about the pain in his eyes. It was real.

"I've known about it for only a couple of days."

"Have you confronted her?"

"No. Not yet. She's been away on business."

"What about your brother?"

"He's away on business." He grunted. "With her."

"You must be so angry at the both of them," I said, shocked at how calm he was being. When I cheated on Trevor, he'd punched everything but me and even that had taken a lot of restraint.

"I am but the truth is, we'd been having problems in our marriage before she started messing with my brother."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I wanted to have a baby and she thinks that kids are a waste of time and money."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Wow. Anyway, things went from bad to worse right after my mother died."

I put a hand to my heart. "Your mother died, too? I'm so sorry for your loss. You've really had a horrible time of it, haven't you?"

"It's been tough," he said, staring past me at the liquor bottles behind the bar. "After she died, my wife started spending a lot of time with my brother, who seemed to be taking Mom's death harder than any of us. They'd been closer, though. I get it. Anyway, I thought it was odd that my brother and Cara were spending so much time together. I had no idea that they were fucking, though. Talk about a slap in the face."

"That's horrible," I agreed. "I just can't believe she did that to you. Or, your brother for that matter. How could they?"

"I know. I'm still trying to come to grips with everything. What really goads me is that my brother and I are twins. We used to be so close and now this. I don't know what I'm going to do."

I stared at him in shock. "He's your twin?!"

Jake nodded.

I reached over and laid my hand over his. "I'm sorry to hear about your wife and brother. You're good looking and seem very sweet. I'm sure you'll meet someone else. Someone who appreciates you."