"Not usually." Teagan flashed his friend a mocking smile. "But I've heard you like to play hard to get."

Lucas grimaced at the direct hit. Yeah. Hard to get was one way to put it.

"I want to discuss Hauk," he admitted, not at all eager to think about his lack of a sex life.

Teagan leaned forward, folding his arms on the table. "Did you pick up any intel from your overseas contacts?"

Lucas didn't ask how his companion knew he was quietly reaching out to his military connections in an effort to track down who was stalking Hauk. They were each using their various skills to discover who was responsible for leaving the creepy messages that were increasingly threatening in nature.

"Yeah." He'd received an updated report earlier that morning. "There's been no chatter that includes Hauk or anything about our escape from Afghanistan."

Teagan nodded. Each of them had managed to make enemies during their time in the Middle East. It was war. But Hauk was a sniper who'd received a very public medal of honor for taking out three powerful terrorist leaders during his time in service.

That was the sort of thing that pissed people off.

"Then this isn't the work of an organized cell?"

"Nope." Lucas gave a decisive shake of his head. He'd contacted everyone he knew, including those at Homeland Security. If Hauk's name had been floating around as a potential target, someone would have heard it by now. "It's more likely some independent whack-job."

Teagan's jaw hardened with frustration. "I don't know whether to be relieved or disappointed. If it was a cell we could keep an eye on them, but how the hell do we find some lone nutcase?"

"I have word out that I'm looking for information on anyone who's shown an interest in Hauk." Lucas studied his companion's grim expression. "What about you?"

Teagan reached for his beer. "I'm doing a computer search on anyone who served with Hauk during his tour in the Middle East and has left the military in the past six months."

Lucas arched a brow. Teagan was talented. Maybe even the best hacker in the States. But he wasn't a miracle worker.

"That's a long list."

"It's going to take a while," Teagan admitted, taking a deep drink of his beer.

"Shit. I hate this waiting," Lucas muttered. The thought that some unseen enemy was hunting Hauk was making them all twitchy. "What about Max?"

"He's..." Teagan slowly lowered his beer as his gaze narrowed. "Did you forget to pay your taxes?"

Lucas frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Teagan nodded across the room. "There's a government employee who just flashed a badge at the bartender and is now heading in our direction."

Lucas glanced over his shoulder, his gaze trained on the middle-aged man strolling in their direction.

The stranger had thinning blond hair that was ruffled from the stiff breeze. A suit that was in need of a good pressing. Cheap shoes. And a face that had a hint of a bulldog.

Yep. Definitely a government grunt.

Lucas turned back toward his friend. "How do you know he isn't looking for you?"

"I'm too clever to get caught."

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Christ."

"Lucas St. Clair?"

Halting next to the table, the man instantly locked his attention on Lucas. Which meant he knew exactly what Lucas looked like.

So had he recognized Lucas because of his ties to the St. Clair clan? Or because he'd done a background check before entering the Saloon?

Lucas was betting on the background check.

The stranger didn't look like the sort of man to take an interest in politics.

"Yes."

The man flashed a badge that identified him Houston Homicide Detective Sergeant Sam Cooper.

"I have a few questions for you."

Lucas remained relaxed in his chair. There was no reason to get his panties in a twist. If there'd been a death in his powerful family he wouldn't be contacted by a mid-level bureaucrat.

And he hadn't killed anyone. At least not lately.

"Concerning?" he asked.

The man glanced around the nearly empty bar. "Do you want to do this here?"

Lucas shrugged. "Unless we need to include my lawyer."

"That won't be necessary."

The 'yet' hung in the air between them and suddenly Lucas was a lot less nonchalant about the encounter.

Narrowing his gaze, he nodded his head toward the chair across the table.

"Have a seat, Detective." Waiting until the man lowered his solid form into the chair, Lucas waved a hand toward his friend who glowered at the lawman with a menacing frown. "This is Teagan Moore."

"Detective Cooper," Teagan muttered, folding his arms over chest to make it clear he wasn't leaving.

Lucas hid his smile. In his work as a negotiator, he'd learned the art of subtlety. It was easier to coerce people to do what he wanted than it was to force them.

Teagan, on the other hand, was a sledgehammer.

Returning his attention to the detective, Lucas tapped an impatient finger on the table. He had a dozen things he needed to take care of before he could return to his elegant townhouse in the center of Houston.

ARES Security might be a relatively new business, but they were already swamped with demands for their services. And to make matters more insane, Rafe had taken off with his new bride to Hawaii for a well-earned honeymoon.

Lucas wanted to be done with this cop so he could get back to work.

"You said you have some questions," he prompted.

The man offered a self-depreciating smile, but Lucas didn't miss the cunning intelligence in the man's blue eyes.

He was a man who liked to be underestimated.

Taking the time to pull a small notebook and pen from an inner pocket of his jacket, Sam Cooper laid them neatly on the table.

Precise. Careful. Meticulous.

"What's your relationship to Anthony Hughes?" he asked.

Lucas frowned. "There is no relationship. I've never heard of-" He bit off his words as an ancient memory floated to the surface of his brain. "Wait. I went to prep school with a Tony Hughes. I don't know if that's the same guy."

"Where was the school?"

Lucas shrugged. "Hale Academy in Shreveport."

The detective's face remained impassive, but something flashed through his eyes that told Lucas that they were speaking about the same person.

"So the two of you are friends?"

Lucas hesitated. In truth, the two couldn't have been more opposite.

Lucas was the son of a senator. He'd lived in a fancy mansion on the edge of town with a nanny while his parents spent most of their time in D.C. Tony was the youngest of five brothers who grew up in a shack that had barely been habitable. If Tony hadn't been a six foot two behemoth who excelled at football, he never would have been admitted to the exclusive private school.

And even with football in common, they had never been more than classmates.

It was only their mutual friendship with Mia Ramon that'd thrown them together.

"Not really," he said. "I haven't seen him in fifteen years."

Sam scribbled on his notepad, his gaze never leaving Lucas's face.

"You're sure? He hasn't tried to call or contact you?"

"I'm sure." Lucas felt a stab of dread. "What's going on? Is he in trouble?"

The Detective instantly pounced. "Why would you say that?"

Lucas arched a brow. "Beyond the fact a homicide detective is asking me questions about him?"

"Yeah, beyond that."

"It was no secret that Tony was doing drugs from the time he arrived at Hale," he admitted, not bothering to add that Tony was also dealing to make enough money to support his deadbeat dad. It wouldn't take much of a detective to dig up that old dirt. "He was kicked off the football team when he tested positive for weed our senior year. If some unknown donor hadn't come up with his tuition he would have been forced to leave school."

More scribbling on the pad. "Were you close growing up?"

"I didn't really know him until he transferred to the academy."

"But you were friends?"

"We both played football and occasionally hung out together." Lucas made a sound of impatience. "Are you going to tell me what your interest in Tony is?"

"He's dead."

"Dead?" Lucas blinked at the blunt response. Somehow he'd already leapt to the conclusion that Tony had been arrested for murder and was desperately trying to call in favors from the powerful acquaintances he'd acquired during high school. Now he struggled to readjust his thinking. "An overdose?"

"He was shot three blocks from your office building."

A stab of regret sliced through Lucas even he lifted his brows in surprise.

"Tony was in Houston?"

The Detective gave a small nod. "He was."

"Did he live here?"

Sam Cooper shrugged. "He was carrying a Louisiana driver's license. We're checking the address that was listed."

The air pressure seemed to drop as Teagan leaned forward, his expression hard with annoyance. Despite his years in the military, the younger man harbored a deep distrust of authority figures.

"Why are you here?"

The Detective turned his head to meet Teagan's glare. "Excuse me?"

"If you have a body, shouldn't you be out looking for who made it dead?" Teagan demanded.

"I find it's quicker to discover the killer when I know my victim."

Lucas studied Sam Cooper. The police were clearly treating this as a murder, not a random drive-by shooting.

Interesting.

"Then you came to the wrong guy," Lucas informed the detective. There was no point in letting the man waste his time. He felt as bad as hell that Tony was dead, but it had nothing to do with him. "Like I said, I haven't seen or heard from Tony since high school."

Sam ignored the unmistakable cue to bring the interview to an end.

"Odd that he was shot so close to your building, don't you think, Mr. St. Clair?"

"Enough." Lucas abruptly shoved himself to his feet, vaguely aware that Teagan was rising at the same time. "I've tried to be polite and answer your questions, but you're starting to piss me off." He held the detective's steady gaze. "Are you trying to imply I have some connection to this crime?"

Sam remained sitting, remarkably calm as both Lucas and Teagan glared down at him. Of course, they would have to be fucking idiots to attack a member of the Houston Police Department in the middle of a bar, plus he was probably carrying. Hard to detect beneath that hideous sports jacket.

"I think Tony Hughes was coming to see you," Sam said in a calm voice.

Lucas scowled. "Why?"

"Because of this." Reaching into his pocket, the detective pulled out a clear baggie and set it on the table.

Lucas leaned forward to study the wrinkled piece of paper that had his name and address scribbled on it.