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Murphy
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“HOW IS IT?”
Tatum sighed and licked her fingers. “The best meatloaf I have ever had in my life.”
I stabbed a bite off her plate and tried it. “Yeah, I think you might be right. You will never hear me say that in front of Bristol, though.”
“Well, I guess I will reserve judgment then if this is the best meatloaf until I try Bristol’s.”
“That would be a wise decision.”
We were at the White Spruce on the edge of the Eagle River, finally seeing if Jeanie’s recommendation was good.
She was right. The food was good, and the drinks were strong.
“Do you stay at Wyndemere most of the time?”
I nodded. “For the most part. Leo used to spend most of his time in Chicago, but he seems to prefer the slower pace in Wisconsin.”
“So you’re always with Leo.”
“At least one of us.” I reached across the table and threaded my fingers through hers. “What is with all of the questions, baby girl?”
Things were good between Tatum and me.
I was still worried that she was going to get hurt because of me, but my love for her was stronger than that fear. I was doing everything I could to keep her safe, and at the end of the day, I knew that was all I could do.
I had talked to Apollo and Princeton, and they told me they had that fear, too, that Greer and Kitty could get hurt because of them, but they didn’t let that fear rule their lives.
“I guess I’m just trying to get a picture of your life when you don’t have a madman trying to wipe you guys out.”
“You better be picturing you in it, Tatum.” I pulled her hand to my mouth and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.
“I have a job in Chicago, Murphy. Remember, you called up Jada, got her to keep my job, and had someone from the office go help her.” She tipped her head to the side. “What office, by the way? I know Leo is a big businessman, but I didn’t think he dabbled in bookstores.”
“You’ll learn Leo has his hands in most things, including a temp agency. Candace sent over a temp to cover for you.”
“Nice,” she smiled. “I was wondering how you sent over a person that actually helped Jada. She told me she got to take two days off in a row the other day.”
“She normally doesn’t do that?” I asked.
She wrinkled her nose and shrugged. “Jada could, but she doesn’t. I guess since her best friend isn’t working, she doesn’t feel the need to be there all of the time.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “Soon, you’ll be back in the bookstore with Jada.”
“Even though you aren’t Jada’s biggest fan?”
It wasn’t that I didn’t like Jada; she just rubbed me the wrong way. It probably had something to do with the fact she questioned everything I said, but I wasn’t going to waste my time figuring it out. Tatum called her every day by seven, and she had some questions or demands of me each day.
I was getting sick of it.
Getting Jada off my ass was a big motivator to find Brandt. The sooner we did that, the sooner Jada would leave me the hell alone.
My phone vibrated in my pocket.
“Maybe that is Jada wanting her daily visitation call,” I muttered. I pulled my phone out and was surprised to see Creed’s name.
“Is it her?” Tatum asked.
I shook my head. “Creed.” I connected the call and put the phone to my ear. “Hello?” I had talked to Leo and the guys earlier today and didn’t expect to hear from Creed so soon.
“He’s moving,” Creed replied softly.
“When?” I demanded.
“One of his aliases popped up two hours ago at a motel outside of La Crosse. We got confirmation from the front desk guy that it is Brandt.”
Son of a bitch. I knew it would only be a matter of time before he moved on Leo. “I’m assuming Leo knows.”
“Of course. He wanted me to call and let you know.”
“Does he know that Apollo, Princeton, and I will be there in the morning?”
Creed chuckled. “That would be a negative. He’s still got it in his head that you guys must stay as far away as possible.”
“Well, sometimes Leo doesn’t always know best.” My eyes connected with Tatum, and she looked at me expectantly. “I’ll let you know when we’re headed your way.” I ended the call and set my phone on the table.
“Good news?” she asked.
I nodded and stole another bite of her meatloaf. “How does spending some time with the Devil’s Knights seem, baby girl? I need to get some work done in Minnesota for a few days.”