I slid off the sofa and knelt next to his chair and hugged him. It occurred to me that maybe Wyatt wasn’t the only one who wanted to knock Bart off his throne. There might be others in this town who would help me.

He was stiff at first then softened, wrapping his arms around me and patting my back. “There, there, girlie. You’re my kin now. I’ll take care of ya, one way or the other.”

I pulled back to look into his face, wondering what that meant.

He must have understood because he gave me a tight smile and said, “If I think you need to run, I’ll tell you. I’m selfish enough to want you to stay, but care about you enough to tell you to go if I think it’s safer.”

“Thank you, Hank. I really like living with you.”

The phone began to ring, and I glanced into the kitchen.

“You better get that,” he said.

But what if it was Wyatt? I decided the chances of that were slim. He’d taken off like a bee had bitten his bottom. He was on some secret mission or other, and I was probably far from his thoughts.

I got up and reached it by the fourth ring. “Hello?”

“You need to get your ass in to work,” Ruth said in a snippy tone. “I’m opening in a half hour.”

“I can’t, Ruth. Max fired me.”

“Too damn bad for Max. I’m the manager, and I overrule him. Get your ass in here.” Then she hung up.

Replacing the phone on the hook, I said, “I guess I’m going to work.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Max’s was already open when I pulled into the parking lot in back. Tiny was in the kitchen, and I stopped in the doorway as I tied my apron. “What’s going on, Tiny?”

He stood in front of the grill and shot a look over his shoulder. “Ruth went on a warpath when she found out we were closed. She didn’t want to miss out on Saturday night profits.”

“Where’s Max?”

“Wyatt was upstairs with him when I showed up, and they left soon after.”

“Both of them?” I asked in surprise.

“Yep. Got the impression Max wouldn’t be back tonight.”

“Where’s Sugar?” It was Saturday night. We were bound to be busy.

He shot me a wry grin. “Ruth decided if she was takin’ over, she was goin’ full tilt. She called Sugar up and fired her ass.”

Not that it wasn’t warranted, but I would have expected Ruth to at least have the decency to fire her face-to-face. Which didn’t bode well for her disposition this evening.

I shot a glance toward the dining room. “I take it Ruth’s still pissed?”

His eyebrows shot up and he gave me a pointed look that suggested it was a stupid question.

“Is she mad at me for closing the tavern this morning?”

“No, I told her it was Marco’s call, but she’s still not happy.”

I sucked in a breath. “Okay. Wish me luck.”

“Just remember she’s more bark than bite.”

“Tell that to Sugar,” I called out over my shoulder.

I walked out into the dining room and took a second to assess the situation. Three tables were filled with customers, and Ruth was behind the bar, filling a mug at the beer taps.

“I’m here,” I said, hurrying up to the counter. “What do you need me to do?”

Her gaze jerked up to mine. “I’ve taken all the drink orders and the food order for table three.”

“Got it.” I hurried off toward table eight, but I only made it a couple of steps.

“Carly,” she said.

I turned back to face her.

She started to say something, then stopped and started again. “I don’t know what’s goin’ on between you and Max, but we’ll get it straightened out.” Her eyes turned glassy. “I need you. Max does too. We’ll make it right.”

“Thanks, Ruth.”

It felt weird without Max there. I was used to him being off for a few hours at a time, but I’d never worked a full shift without him. We’d gotten a late start on the dinner shift, and I’d kept busy for several hours, then went right into the drinking crowd.

Jerry showed up at around eight and sat at the bar. I heard him ask Ruth why we were closed earlier, and she told him that Max had been under the weather but he’d encouraged us to carry on without him for the night. When a few customers asked me about Max’s absence, I told them the same story. Everyone seemed to buy it, and I couldn’t help thinking our lies were only enabling Max’s drinking.

I’d think that through later.

Bingham walked in at around nine, shockingly alone. He stood at the door for a moment, his gaze slowly tracking from Ruth at the bar to me at the other end of the room.

Was he casing the joint because he was up to no good? Had I pissed him off enough for him to want retaliation?

My heart was in my stomach, and I could barely focus on taking my order as I watched Bingham approach the bar to speak to Ruth.

Her eyes widened and then flicked to me. She said something to him, and he sauntered across the room and sat in a booth. He took a relaxed position, but his gaze was intense when it landed on me.

Ruth beckoned me over, and I finished taking my order before I headed to the bar and handed her my ticket.

She looked it over and started filling a beer. “Bingham wants to talk to you.”

Was he here about Lula?

She scanned the room, and I could tell she was tense from the set of her shoulders. “You haven’t had your break yet. I told him that I can spare you for ten minutes max.”

“A break?” I asked. “Have you taken a break? No. That’s because we’re too busy for either one of us to take a break.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line. “Are you in trouble with Bingham?”

“I don’t think so, but I did ask him about buying my junk car, and we couldn’t reach an agreement on price. Maybe that’s why he’s here.” Despite my argument with Max, I figured he was probably right about Ruth: it would probably be best if she didn’t know I was looking into Lula’s disappearance.

Confusion flickered in her eyes. “I thought Wyatt was takin’ care of your old car.”

“Yeah, well, I’m a strong, independent woman…and I decided it wouldn’t hurt to get on Bingham’s good side.”

“Still, it’s unusual to see him alone. He’s a pack animal—the alpha, sure, but a pack animal nonetheless. This is…weird. I don’t like it.” She set the drinks on the counter. “Max isn’t here, but Tiny’s in the back.”

I flashed her a grin. “You’re worried about me.”

“Of course I am. Just… be careful.”

I considered making Bingham wait, just to prove he couldn’t control me like he controlled so many others, but his presence was making Ruth and a few of the other patrons nervous. Better to deal with him ASAP and get him out the door.

I dropped off the drinks Ruth had pulled, then headed straight for Bingham’s booth.

“Have a seat, Ms. Moore,” he said in a slow drawl when I stopped next to the table. “We have some things to discuss.”

I stuffed down my pride and slid into the seat opposite him.