“Curiosity killed the cat,” Tanner deadpanned.
Ryan chuckled. “Okay, okay. I get your point. At least throw me a bone. What have you been up to? You back in Seattle working security for Boeing or something?”
How the hell did he answer that? Especially since he hadn’t held a real job since getting out of the army. He’d never been good at lying. But it wasn’t like he could tell the truth either.
I’ve been working part time at a covert organization in Washington, DC, you’ve never heard of.
“Nah, nothing like that,” he finally said. “Actually, I’ve been between jobs for a while now. I get a little bit of money each month from the VA on account of all the times I got blown up. Head trauma and stuff, you know? I don’t have many bills, but what I get from the government takes care of them.”
Zarina’s eyes widened at the mention of head trauma and disability pay from the Veterans Administration, but Tanner pretended not to notice. He hadn’t told her about any of that, and he didn’t want to get into it now, especially with Ryan standing there.
“How about you? What are you doing for a living these days?” Tanner asked, mostly so his friend wouldn’t be tempted to dig any deeper.
Ryan regarded him thoughtfully for a moment, as if knowing Tanner was trying to change the topic. But he didn’t call Tanner on it.
“I own a club called The Cage outside of Redmond on Highway 203,” he said. “It’s a nice gig, and the money is way better than I ever could have imagined when I first started it.”
Tanner fought hard not to gape as Ryan told them about buying an old logging mill on the outskirts of town and repurposing it as a nightclub. He tried his best to picture his friend doing that kind of work and failed. When they were in the army, Ryan had spent a good portion of his free time in a hundred different clubs and bars scattered around the world. Hell, they both had. Tanner simply couldn’t wrap his head around Ryan owning a club and doing all the work that went with it now.
“Actually, that’s why I’m in Wenatchee today,” Ryan added. “I’m looking for a few new acquisitions for the place to entertain the customers.”
Tanner couldn’t help frowning at the odd word choice. “Like a band, you mean?”
“Not exactly,” Ryan said.
“Well, Redmond is a two-and-a-half-hour drive from here,” Tanner said. “Whoever you’re looking to hire must be damn good.”
Ryan’s mouth quirked. “My customers are always looking for something new and interesting. I’ve been lucky enough to find some of that out here, so I keep coming back. Never know when I’ll hit the jackpot.” He studied them thoughtfully. “You and Zarina should stop by sometime.”
Tanner cringed inwardly. He’d come out here to get away from people. Going to a crowded nightclub probably wasn’t the best idea. He couldn’t exactly explain that to Ryan, though. So he lied. Again.
“We might do that.” Tanner glanced at Zarina, then turned back to Ryan. “We’d better get moving if we’re going to get back up the mountain before dark.”
Ryan nodded. “Where are you two planning to set up?”
Tanner opened his mouth to tell Ryan about the prepper camp but then closed it again. Chad and his group had never hidden where they were, but for reasons Tanner couldn’t explain, he didn’t feel like advertising it to the world—or an old buddy. “We’re planning to set up around Crow Hill or Graham Mountain. Maybe even a little farther north of there.”
Ryan frowned. “You might not want to do that. A lot of crazy preppers have been hanging out near Graham Mountain, causing trouble.”
It was Tanner’s turn to frown. “Is that so? I didn’t know that. Thanks for the tip. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good,” Ryan said. “There are a lot of good campsites over to the southwest side of the forest. You should check out some of those.”
“We will,” Tanner said noncommittally.
He was glad now that he hadn’t mentioned staying with Chad and his group. He didn’t know where Ryan’s crap about the preppers was coming from. Maybe those events over in Afghanistan had changed his buddy more than he’d thought.
Ryan glanced at his watch. “I have to get out of here, too. It was good seeing you again, man. If you two come to the club, let me know so I can make sure I’m there. We can catch up on old times.”
“Will do,” Tanner said.
Ryan gave Zarina a nod. “Nice meeting you.”
“You, too.” She waited until Ryan was out of earshot, then turned to Tanner with a frown. “Okay, what was all that stuff about the preppers about?”
“I don’t know,” Tanner admitted, watching his friend walk down the street. “But something tells me Ryan and I won’t be getting back together to talk about the good old days anytime soon.”
* * *
Tate rubbed the back of his neck as he walked out of his motel room. He’d seen a coffeemaker on the counter beside the front desk when he’d checked in last night and prayed he’d still be able to get a cup. That crap they put in those little single serving pots in the rooms should be outlawed. Who the hell did they expect would drink the stuff?
As he headed toward the front of the building, he tried to work out the kink in his back from the too-soft mattress he’d slept on last night. The cold morning air didn’t help. Anytime it was below forty degrees, his lower spine got stiff. Getting shot in the back could do that to anybody. Though to be fair, he couldn’t entirely blame his nearly sleepless night on the poor mattress. That mostly had to do with the fact that he had spent much of his evening digging through databases and newspaper articles looking for anything and everything he could on McKinley Bell.
Unfortunately, the effort had been a waste. He’d found nothing of interest
