Epiphany (Legacy of Payne) Read Online Free PDF Page B

hit the bottle before arriving. “Where’s Clyde hiding?”
    “Bonnie’s an independent woman. She’s going solo.”
    “Maybe you’ll get into less trouble that way.” He downed the remaining two shots without warning. The last hit the counter with a racket. “Can you believe today is my birthday?” The scorn in his tone confused me. Most people didn’t get so bent over a birthday.
    I wasn’t sure how to reply. Somehow I guessed “happy birthday” wasn’t what he wanted to hear. I silently waited, hoping he’d shed some light. Even in my dreams—where I learned of things I had no way of explaining to others—he remained a mystery.
    “I’ll take another round,” he said, gesturing toward the empties. “Make them doubles.”
    I swallowed hard. “You sure? You’ve had a lot already.”
    He flashed that crooked smile again, and I wondered if he realized how disarming it was. “You’re worried about me?” he asked.
    I hesitated. “Yeah, I am.” Way more than I wanted to admit. Tonight was Halloween, after all.
    “Thanks for the concern, but I have a high tolerance for alcohol. Besides, turning thirty should make me a big boy now.”
    “You’re thirty?” Dang, Six was right on the money.
    “I know, over-the-hill to someone like you, right? I bet you’re barely twenty-one.” Melancholy tinged his tone. “Things were simpler back then.”
    “I’m twenty-three.” I leaned over the counter and locked my eyes on his. “And things are far from simple.” After a heated moment, I pulled away and began stacking the empties. “Just so you know, I’m good at climbing hills.”
    Where had that come from? I felt my cheeks grow warm, but a commotion a few feet down the bar saved me from further embarrassment.
    “Hey! You can’t smoke in here,” Six shouted.
    A cigarette lighter flicked to life, and so did the images stored in my memory. I dropped the shot glasses and held onto the bar. Something akin to burning flesh almost made me gag, and I saw Chloe Sanders’ terrified face so clearly that she could have been standing in front of me. I opened my eyes, only realizing then that I’d closed them. Judd escorted the smoker outside to the designated area, the guy grumbling about “Oregon’s stupid smoking laws” the whole way.
    Aidan watched me carefully. “You okay?”
    I blinked. “No, I mean yes. The lighter . . .” I shuddered at the recollection; her scream had seemed to go on forever as he’d burned her. “It uh, it reminded me of the woman who was murdered last week.” I bent to retrieve the shot glasses, and when I returned my attention to Aidan, he looked thunderstruck.
    “The lighter?” he asked.
    My throat tightened. “How about those shots?” I rushed away before he could reply. I didn’t know what information the authorities had made public—I hadn’t picked up a newspaper since they’d released her identity. I returned to Aidan, placed two fresh shots on the counter, and fervently prayed he’d forgotten my slip of tongue.
    He handed me a couple of bills. “Keep the change. Who knows? With enough tips maybe you won’t have to rob a bank.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “You know,” he began, gesturing toward my outfit, “though you look the part, I can’t see you going through with the whole armed robbery thing.”
    “I’ll keep that in mind.” I bit back a smile. Was he  flirting  with me? Or had I taken the meaning of dense to a new level?
    He held up a shot glass. “Here’s to crime sprees coming to an end.” Some unidentifiable emotion darkened his face. “I’d offer to share, but I doubt you’re allowed to drink on the job.” He picked up the remaining shot.
    “I don’t drink much anyway.”
    “We’ll have to fix that sometime. Are you corruptible, Bonnie?”
    I corrupted his leather jacket. Did that count? It was all I could do not to snicker.
    “Ah, never mind. You don’t seem the type.” He grinned at me, a full-fledged, dimples-and-all kind of