As much pleasure as the picnic had given her, Mary now dealt with a mixture of feelings. Somehow, this wasn’t so much a game to her any more. Not just a wild ride with a sexy wild man. Marcus Tyree had touched places in her no one else had ever been able to reach. But was she ready for something like that? She knew so little about him, and he knew even less about her. Where could they go from here? She didn’t even know how much longer he’d be in town, and she sensed he was hiding secrets. If she was smart, she wouldn’t see him anymore. She’d stop before it got too intense and she wound up getting hurt.
Too late for that.
She was glad she was busy from the moment she arrived at the pub. The afternoon crowd was hanging out, the happy hour crowd showed up en masse, and the Friday night crowd came in early to get tables or seats at the bar. Tris had mentioned that, since The Two of Us had begun playing, an entirely new group of people came in on the weekend, people he assumed were from the university where the duo attended classes. When she mentioned some of them looked a little old to be students, or even a little grungy, he had laughed.
“How long ago did you graduate?” he asked. “This is the new look. The student population is aging and sometimes I think they hold contests to see who can look the most disreputable.”
“They don’t make you nervous?”
“Nah.” He grinned. “I’ve got a good billy club behind the bar.”
She took him at his word, especially since there hadn’t been any incidents to speak of. Tonight, everyone seemed to be extra thirsty. She moved up and down the bar at the speed of light, refilling glasses, pulling drafts, opening beer bottles, refilling the bowls of nuts.
If the insanity stopped for a moment, she relived the hours spent with Marcus. It wasn’t just the best sex she’d ever had in her life. It was his attitude, the way he seemed to treasure her body, the way he looked at her. They’d made a connection she’d never had with another person. She had a feeling he was hiding a lot of sadness from his past, most likely from his tours of duty. She’d love to erase that haunted look from his eyes. To get him to let down all the barriers. Of course, that meant she’d have to do the same, and she wasn’t sure she trusted any man that much. Especially one she hardly knew.
There was something else bothering him, too, and she wished she knew what it was. She just hoped this wasn’t all about to blow up in her face.
“You should take a break right now and get something to eat.” Tris had moved up beside her. “The kids start their first set at eight, and after that it’s nutso.”
“Okay.”
“Go. I’ll cover here while you eat.”
She wasn’t all that hungry, but she scrounged some food in the kitchen where they also were going insane. Sunday’s Side was filled to capacity, and people were waiting. When she walked back behind the bar, it seemed as if the pub was even more crowded. Her eyes automatically went to the stool at the end of the bar, and there he was, in all his bad boy splendor.
Without asking, she opened a bottle of Murphy’s Irish Red and carried it to where Marcus sat bar, putting a napkin down and setting the bottle on top of it.
“Your usual, sir.” She winked.
He grinned. “I like a well-trained bartender,” he joked.
“I live to serve.”
Heat flared in his eyes. “I hope you mean that.”
She felt herself blush. “I— What—”
He reached across and took her hand. “A joke. Okay?”
But maybe she didn’t want it to be.
“Did you have any problems with the tire?”
He shook his head. “Not a bit. Took it to the nearest garage, they pulled a sharp stone out of it and fixed it good as new. It’s back on your vehicle.”
“Wow! I might have to keep you around.” She realized what she’d said and took a step back. “I mean… That is…”
“No problem.” He still held her hand, and he gave it a reassuring squeeze.
“Okay.” She hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “Um, we’re more packed than usual tonight, so I’d better get working.”
“I’m good,” he told her.
Yes, you certainly are.
What the hell was wrong with her? She certainly wasn’t looking for anything long-term with an itinerant biker. And despite how busy it was, even running her legs off and serving twice as many drinks as usual, she couldn’t get memories of their “picnic” out of her mind.
The Two of Us had just ended their first set, and people were clamoring for drinks. Mary glanced down to the end of the bar to make sure Marcus was taken care of and frowned. He was staring at the stage. No, at Jana Workman, who was joking with a guy at the table right in front of the stage. Mary recognized him. He was a new regular, one of those who’d started coming around when Jana and Finch began performing. But what was it about them that bothered Marcus? He had the coldest look on his face.
She was about to ask him what was wrong when someone called her name, and the next second she was busy building a drink.
The rest of the evening was a blur. The sets Jana and Finch did seemed to be more high energy than usual, and the people closest to the stage really got into it. In fact, at the end of one particularly rowdy number, the guy sitting in the chair up close to the stage rose, applauded, and held out his hand to high five Jana. She slapped it with hers, he laughed, and then sat down. Mary had seen them do it before, but when she looked at Marcus the look on his face was even icier than before.
When the set ended, he left his seat at the end of the bar and headed for the table where the guy was sitting. He paused for a moment then headed outside. Mary frowned. What the hell was going on?
In a few minutes, he was inside again, but instead of heading back to his stool, he went back to the table. Touched the shoulder of the guy then clamped his hand around his arm. Another couple of minutes passed, with everyone at that table looking very tense. Then Marcus and the man headed out the front door, Marcus with an iron grip on the guy’s arm and a murderous expression on his face.
Mary saw that Tristan had noticed it, too. He motioned Paddy to take his place behind the bar and headed out the front door. Even Pat, who never missed a thing, looked disturbed.
Mary kept busy serving customers but always with one eye on the door. A very long time passed before Tris came back inside, looking more serious than she’d ever seen him.
“Paddy, can you handle the bar by yourself for a few?” he asked.
Paddy looked at him, curiosity flashing in his eyes, but just nodded. “Sure.”
“Come on, Mary.” He took her arm and led her out from behind the bar and down the hall to his office. Once inside, he closed the door and urged her into the one extra chair.
“What’s going on, Tris?” Her stomach knotted with anxiety.
“I needn’t have worried that Marcus Tyree was a rootless bum. It seems he’s an agent for some super-secret private superspy company. Among other things, they do off-the-books work for the government.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you kidding me?” Then she shook her head. “No. No, that’s just not possible.”
“I’m afraid it is, kiddo. He had me call his boss to verify who he was. Then the two DEA agents who came to collect our erstwhile customer also vouched for him. And believe me, I double checked everyone’s creds.”
Mary couldn’t move, nausea bubbling up in her mouth.
“Is that what he was doing here? Working on a case?”
Tris nodded. “I don’t know whether to shake his hand for fixing a problem that could have meant big trouble for us or knock his teeth down his throat for suspecting you.”
Her blood chilled, and her eyes widened. “Me? He suspected me? Of what?”
Tris drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then he sat in the desk chair, reached over, and took her hands.
Oh, this is so not going to be good.
“Just let me get it all out before you say anything. I’ve got to tell my father about it and hope he doesn’t have a heart attack. But I wanted to get you squared away first.”
As she listened to the story, she clasped her hands together tightly to keep them from shaking, and she felt an incredible sickness fill her system. He told her about her landlord, the illegal arms dealer. About the odd coincidence of her arriving in Baltimore, getting the job at the pub, and renting the other half of the duplex at the exact moment the dealer and the gangs had lost their usual method of communication.
“And they thought he was using me to pass information to the gangs from the pub?” Anger surged through her, replacing the icy chill and kicking the nausea to the curb. No, not anger. Rage. Pure, unadulterated rage. “And the pub got involved in this. He thought the pub was part of it.”
“Believe me, I’m just as angry as you.”
Tris reached for her hands again, but she yanked them away.
“If I had a gun, I’d shoot him. Right now.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “So, where is he now? I hope he doesn’t have the nerve to come back in here.”
“He knocked the asshole out so he could control him, and before he could make a fuss. Then he tied him up and waited for the DEA agents to come and collect him. He’d called his boss who apparently had the locals on speed dial.”
“How did he get him to just leave the pub like that?”
“Darlin’, guys like him know a million ways to hurt you, very quietly.” He sighed. “That’s only part of it.”
She waved her hand in the air. “Let’s hear it.”
“It turns out the person passing the info on shipments was none other than our sweet Jana Workman, her of the beautiful voice. She’s your landlord’s stepdaughter who, for some reason, doesn’t show up in his files.”
“What?” Mary’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Are you kidding me?”
“I wish. That guy she high fived? That’s how she passed the slip of paper.”
“I-I don’t quite know what to say.” She brushed hair back from her face. “I feel like I’m going crazy.”
“Join the club. The feds want us to let the duo finish the night and keep them in here after the last set on some pretext until everyone’s gone. They’re kind enough not to want to disrupt the bar. Then they’ll come in and take both of them into custody. They aren’t sure if Finch is involved or not.”
“Oh my god, Tris.” She rubbed her face. “How can I keep watching them all night?”
“The same way I will, kiddo. Because we’re better than they are.”
“He actually thought it was me passing information?”
Tris shrugged. “I guess from his standpoint it was logical. The minute the old network is down, here you come, renting half of Mitchell’s duplex, working in the pub, and the info is still getting out.”
“He’s not coming back in here. Right?” She glared at Tris. “You won’t let him back?”
Tris paused. “He wants to talk to you.”
“No!” She practically shouted the word. “I don’t want to see his ugly face anywhere near me.”
“I told him as much. So no, he won’t be back. But that doesn’t mean he won’t try to contact you. See you.”
“I’ll take care of that. Believe me.”
A knock sounded on the door, and Pat’s voice called out, “Is it safe for an old man to come in?”
Tris got up and opened the door for his father. “Come on in, Pop.”
Pat looked at Mary. “Lass, are you okay?”
Mary pulled herself together. She’d done it before, and she could do it again.
“I will be, Pat Thanks for asking. Tris, I’m going back to the bar. I’m better off if I’m working.”
“Gotcha. But we’re here—all of us—if you need anything.”
Mary blinked back the tears that wanted to spill onto her cheeks.
“Thanks. You don’t know how much that means to me.” Using all the skills she’d acquired working with clients when she had to put on her game face, she tamped down the feelings swirling inside her and even managed a tiny smile. “I’ll see you back out there.”
She had no idea how she got through the rest of the night. Thank god it was so busy she could run on autopilot. She tried not to look at the stool at the end of the bar. When Marcus didn’t come back, someone else finally appropriated it, another reminder of how disastrous this situation was. She did notice that Jana Workman kept looking toward the door, obviously wondering where her friend was.
When The Two of Us finished their last set, they spent another fifteen minutes talking to the friends who came up to say good-bye. Mary couldn’t help but notice the glass tip jar on the edge of the stage was jammed full. She hoped it was enough to pay for a good lawyer.
Pat sat in his usual place, watching the scene with cold eyes. Mary hoped he never looked at her that way. Tris stood at the stage, casually chatting with them while Paddy ushered the last of the patrons out the front door. Then he locked it. When she heard the click of the lock, loud in the sudden silence, Jana looked nervously from Tris to Paddy and back to Tris. She even glanced at Mary, who was still as a stone statue.
“Well,” Jana said, picking up her large tote, “I think we’ll be going now. Tomorrow comes too soon.”
Finch picked up his guitar and his backpack.
“Not just yet,” Tris told them.
He nodded at Paddy, who motioned toward the little hallway to the office. Two men in dark jackets and jeans, wearing badges on chains around their necks, walked in and up to the stage. Jana turned so pale Mary thought the woman might faint. Finch just stared as if he couldn’t believe what was happening. She wondered if he actually knew what was going on.
“Mort Walker, DEA,” the taller one said. “We’ll need you both to come with us.”
Jana clutched her purse to her body. “What’s going on? Tris, what’s this all about?”
“They know, Jana,” he told her in an icy voice. “Just go along with them. Now.”
She deflated like a balloon with the air let out. Finch just looked shell-shocked.
It took a few minutes, but soon they were out the back door, Jana, Finch and the two agents. Tris came back into the bar and took down a bottle of his favorite brandy. Without asking, he poured four shots and handed them around.
“I think we can all use this,” he said. “Drink up. Then, Mary, I’m taking you home. Marcus told me you’d need a ride.”
Just the sound of his name caused pain to lance through her like a sharp sword. As she tossed back the brandy, she wondered how she’d ever move beyond everything.
Pat walked over and put his arms around her. “We’ll get you through this, darlin’. Don’t worry. You’re one of us, and we take care of our own.”
That was almost her undoing. But she somehow managed to murmur a thank you, gather her purse and jacket, and let Tris lead her out to his car. She was silent on the ride to her place, grateful Tris didn’t try to start a conversation. When he started to get out of the car to walk her to the door, she shook her head.
“I’m good. Go on back to your family.”
“Maybe you should stay with us for tonight. Damn. I should have thought of that before.”
“I’ll be fine.” She managed a smile. “Really. I didn’t even know him that long.”
“You’ll call if you need someone?”
“I’ll do that. Good night, Tris. Thank you, and thank everyone for me.”
“Better be at work tomorrow.” He grinned at her. “I hear the boss can be a tyrant if you miss your shift.”
“He has no worries. Right now, the job is what’s saving me.”
She made it into the house, turned the locks then slid to the floor and leaned against the door. And let the tears flow.