His arm curled around my back and he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “I could get used to this.”

“Me too.”

“I take it you couldn’t find Bingham.”

“No, and Greta said that he had a romantic night planned for Lula, so I don’t think it’s a good idea to interrupt that.”

“It’s close to ten. You really would have gone by Bingham’s if not for their plans? Now I really want to know what happened inside.”

I glanced up at him. “I’ll tell you. I promise.” Because the last person I was going to take relationship advice from was Emily Drummond.

He tugged me closer but released me as a customer approached.

We refilled more cups and handed out soft drinks and water. The cash box was overflowing, and I once again thought Max was more brilliant than he let on. We’d probably made a good deal more money than we would have on a regular night, and he’d provided a much-needed fun evening for the town.

But I was starting to worry about him. Max had a bad habit of getting blind drunk when he was upset, and his mother had been up there with him for a long time. It didn’t bode well. A half hour later, he still hadn’t come back, and I was desperate enough consider going up to press my ear to the door. Before I could decide, I saw Bart approaching our drink stand, wearing his smug grin.

“Marco. Carly,” he said jovially. “I see that congratulations are in order.”

Marco ignored his comment. “What can I get for you? The options are pretty limited.”

“I’ll take a beer,” he said, reaching for his wallet.

“I hear construction’s going well,” Marco said, sounding like he was chatting with a friend as he started to fill an empty cup.

“It was until today,” Bart said with a laugh. “But the power should be restored by late tomorrow morning.” He looked up at the lights strung overhead. “Looks like Max has adapted.”

“You know Max,” Marco said with a hint of bite. “He’s good at taking bitter lemons and making lemonade.”

“You still won’t let that go, will you?” Bart asked with a laugh. “Max’s place was here.”

I realized they were talking about Bart calling Max home after Wyatt quit running the bar.

“Max’s place was anywhere but here until Wyatt threw it all away,” Marco countered, his voice hard. “But then, we’ll never agree on that topic. I was merely pointing out how adaptable your son is.”

“Yes, he gets that from his mother,” he said with a tight smile.

Marco handed him the cup.

Bart held out a twenty-dollar bill. “Keep the change.” He turned his attention to me. “Cat got your tongue, Caroline? You’re usually so chatty.”

My blood ran cold as he turned to gauge Marco’s reaction.

He smiled. “Ah…I’m not surprised Marco knows, but be careful, little one. The more people you tell, the more danger you’re in.” Then he turned around and walked away, walking up to a couple and enthusiastically shaking the husband’s hand.

“That was a threat, Carly,” Marco said under his breath.

“I know.”

My stomach churned, but I didn’t dare run away and let Bart know he’d affected me. Instead, I smiled and greeted a little girl who’d come up to get a Coke.

Five minutes later, Max finally emerged from the back door, looking more exhausted than I’d ever seen him. He came over to the table and plastered on a smile. “Thanks for covering for so long. You two are officially off duty.”

“Yeah, I’ve already heard that a couple of times tonight,” I said with a forced smile of my own. “Everything go okay with those cups?”

His eye twitched. “Yep.” He walked behind the table. “Now go. Hank’s here, and you’ve been stuck behind the table.”

“I already checked on him. He’s chatting with a couple of guys, and he shooed me away.”

He laughed, but it sounded strained. “Sounds like him. Don’t worry about taking him home. I’m sure Wyatt will do it.”

“I haven’t seen Wyatt since he showed up with Hank. I’m not sure he’s still here.”

“He’ll be back.”

Marco took my hand. “I’m going to dance with my girlfriend, and we’ll sort out how Hank’s going to get home later.”

He tugged me around the table toward the dancers, then leaned into my ear. “I’d love nothing more than to leave, but Bart’s here and watching. I don’t want him to think he has that kind of power over you.”

“I know. I agree. Let’s stay for a bit before we go.”

The band finished an upbeat song, then started a slow one. Marco tugged me to his chest and linked his hands at the small of my back and began to sway. I wrapped my arms around the back of his neck and stared up into his troubled eyes.

“How worried should I be?” he asked so quietly I was sure I was the only one who could hear.

“About which part?” I asked, tipping one corner of my mouth into a smile. “Bart or my chat with his wife?”

His eyes widened, then he cursed under his breath. “Where?”

“In Max’s apartment. I was looking for him to ask him about the keg. His mother was inside, and she sent him out and insisted I stay.”

He watched me intently.

“She knows my name, Marco.”

His face paled. “Did Bart tell her?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “But she insinuated that he either doesn’t keep secrets from her or isn’t able to.”

He lifted a hand to cup my cheek, and his voice shook. “It’s time for you to go.”

I stopped in place. “What?”

He turned to the side, pulling me with him so we were still dancing. “I never thought I’d say these words, but Bart’s right. It’s getting too dangerous for you here.”

“I’m not ready to go yet.”

He shook his head. “We’ll figure out where to send you. I have money I can—”

I put my finger on his lips. “Marco. Stop. I need to talk to Bingham. She said he has what we need.”

His eyes narrowed. “If he had something, trust me, he’d have already used it.”

I couldn’t help thinking he was right, but what was I to make of the barter situation she’d set up? Even if it was a bust, I needed to talk to Bingham, and I wanted to see his reaction when I told him about Emily’s request. “We can’t talk about it here. We need to wait until we get home.”

He smiled softly, but his eyes looked sad. “You called my place home.”

Despite my fear and my anxiety, I teased, “How do you know I wasn’t talking about Hank’s?”

“You meant my house. And I can’t wait to take you home.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Hank wasn’t ready to leave and insisted that Wyatt would be back to give him a ride. Then he told me that if he saw me before noon, he’d lock me out of the house. I laughed and reluctantly left him with his friends.

Marco wanted to drive me home in his Explorer, but I planned on going to Hank’s first thing in the morning, and it would be easier if I had my own car.