Nikki smiled up at Seth and nodded in the direction of the man standing behind the bar. “I’d like to meet that guy.”
Seth rolled his eyes. “We’re not here for you to meet guys, Nikki.”
She pouted at her brother. “I know, but occasionally I would like some me time.” She looked around the room, resigned to the fact that she once again had to go back to work and get back to business. “Let’s go get a table. Maybe some of these locals know something.”
“Locals?” Seth looked around the room at the other customers. “Nikki, I don’t think any of these people are locals.”
She shrugged. “What would make you think that?”
He nudged her toward a table. “Because we’re in Navajo territory, and these people are clearly not Native Americans.” They sat at a table and he sighed dramatically. “I guess you’ll get to meet that guy after all.” He picked his hand up and motioned for Aaron to come over to the table. “He looks like he may be the only local in here.”
Nikki flashed Seth a toothy smile. “Thanks, bro.”
“Yeah, right.”
Nikki giggled.
Aaron watched the couple speak briefly and sit down at a table away from the door. To his surprise the guy motioned him over to the table. “I guess I’ll go see what he wants,” he said under his breath. He made his way over to the table and looked Seth in the eyes. “Is there something I can get for you?”
Seth nodded. “Yeah, a couple of beers.”
“Do you want draft or bottles?” Aaron took a good look at Seth and glanced at Nikki.
“Bottles would be good.”
Aaron hesitated. “You look young. I need to see some I.D.” Seth rolled his eyes, and Nikki laughed softly. They both handed Aaron their I.D.’s. Aaron looked at the two Mississippi driver’s licenses. “Seth Rogers, this says you’re twenty-three. Huh, you look younger.” He handed Seth back his driver’s license. “Nikki Rogers, it says you’re twenty-five.” He handed her card back to her. “You two have the same last name.” He looked between the two of them. “Are you two married?”
Nikki shook her head and laughed. “Hardly,” she said, then tilted her head and looked into his golden brown eyes. “Seth is my brother.” She sat back in her chair and grinned. “Now that you know who we are, why don’t you show us your I.D.?” she said flirtatiously. Seth rolled his eyes impatiently and nudged her in the ribs with his elbow. She nudged him back with her elbow, hard, and he grunted.
Aaron smiled at Nikki. “I’m Aaron Wolf. It’s nice to meet you, Nikki.”
Seth cleared his throat to get their attention, then scowled. “What am I? Chopped liver?”
Nikki whipped her head around to glare at Seth and elbowed him in the ribs again. “Seth, don’t be rude….”
Seth sighed impatiently. “About that beer….”
Aaron laughed. “I’ll be back in a minute with the beer.” Aaron turned to walk away.
“We could also use some information,” Seth said.
Aaron froze. Strangers wanting information didn’t set well with him. He turned slowly around and returned Seth’s glare. “My people don’t usually share information with outsiders.” His tone was low and held a hint of warning.
Nikki looked between the two men and cleared her throat. “We don’t need information about your people,” she said softly. “Could you bring us the beer and sit down and talk to us?”
“I don’t know how much I’ll talk, but I’ll get the beer,” Aaron said and left.
Nikki closed her eyes and ground her teeth. “Little brother, do you have to be so rude?”
Seth leaned back in his chair. “Don’t call me that,” he said, irritated. “We’re the customers. I don’t owe him anything.”
She frowned and raised an eyebrow. “Maybe you don’t owe him anything, but if you don’t quit with the attitude, I’m going to be very difficult to live with.” She crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. “Did you get that, little brother?”
Seth grinned at her attitude. “Bring it on, darlin’.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t be cute.”
Seth’s grin grew. “You’ve got to admit it, I am cute.”
Nikki rolled her eyes and laughed. “You’ll be thinking ‘cute’ when I knock that chair out from under you.”
Seth kept the grin, but he put all four legs of the chair firmly back down on the floor. “Okay, okay, I’ll be on my best behavior. Are you happy now?”
“I would be if I thought you were serious.”
“I said that I would behave.” The irritation crept back into his tone.
She cocked an eyebrow again at Seth, then looked over at Aaron as he approached the table with the beer. She smiled up at him as he placed three coasters on the table and put the bottles of beer on the coasters.
Aaron sat down across the table from them and glared at them grimly. Picking up his beer bottle, he took a long draw. “Now, tell me what it is you want to know, and I’ll tell you if I’m going to answer you or not.”
Seth opened his mouth to speak, and Nikki elbowed him in the ribs again. She knew Seth, and she knew no matter what he had just promised her, he wasn’t going to be nice. Nikki squared her shoulders and braced herself. “Aaron, we’re not in here just by chance. We were sent here.”
Aaron crossed his arms over his chest and set his jaw. “Who sent you?”
Nikki glanced at Seth and then looked Aaron in the eyes. “Our employer called us and told us to come here.”
“What is it that you two actually do?”
She took a deep breath and blew it out. “We’re paranormal bounty hunters,” she said, and watched his eyes for a reaction.
Their slight widening was the only sign that she had surprised him. A small smile played out on his lips. “You hunt ghosts?”
She diverted her gaze and smiled. “No, we haven’t figured out how to catch one of them yet. We hunt other paranormal entities.”
“Such as?” he said, letting the phrase hang in the air.
She shrugged, not meeting his gaze. “You know, vampires, werewolves, those kinds of entities.”
Aaron laughed. “And what makes you think I know anything about those things?”
Seth frowned at his sister. “Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Seth said, irritated. He glared at Aaron and jabbed a meaty finger in Aaron’s direction. “You can’t tell me that you haven’t heard of all the killings in this territory lately. The mangled bodies—”
Aaron shifted in his chair. “Why do you think I would know anything about any attacks?” he said defensively.
Nikki shook her head. “No, no, Aaron, that’s not what Seth meant,” she said quickly. “We’re not accusing you of anything. We just wanted to talk to someone local to get their take on the situation.”
Aaron took a deep breath and blew it out, glaring into Seth’s eyes as he spoke. “There haven’t been any attacks on the reservation.”
Seth pinched his eyebrows together and scowled. “I know you know something,” he said accusingly.
Nikki’s mouth dropped open at her brother’s outburst. “Seth, be nice!”
Seth turned on her. “No, Nikki, I won’t be nice.” He pounded his fist on the table top, and she cringed. “He knows something, and he’s going to tell us.”
Aaron stood up abruptly and towered over Seth. “You will control your temper, or you will leave,” he stated calmly.
A sneer formed on Seth’s face as he stood and faced Aaron. “And if I don’t, what are you going to do about it?”
Aaron cracked his knuckles, smiling coldly. “I will personally throw you out of here.”
Seth mirrored his cold smile. “I’d like to see you try.”
Nikki jumped up from her chair, put herself between them, then turned on Seth. “That will be enough,” she roared. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you today, but it’s going to stop now.” She got in Seth’s face and poked her index finger at his muscled chest. “Go back to the hotel.” Seth opened his mouth to object, but she shook her head stubbornly. “Don’t try me today, little brother. I’m pulling age, rank, seniority, or whatever you want to call it. Your attitude is embarrassing me. Go back to the hotel,” she said again. “We will talk in the morning after you’ve had a chance to calm down.”
Seth gnashed his teeth and took a calming breath. “Nikki, butt out,” he seethed.
“No. Go back to the hotel. We came here to fight werewolves, not Aaron.”
He blew out a breath and decided not to go there. His scowl deepened. “If I take the truck, how are you getting back to the hotel?”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll manage.” She nudged him toward the door. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Seth didn’t say another word, he just nodded and left.