Everyone left. Jordan took Tabatha for a drive, but I was assuming both would be back to stay the night here. Zellman got a call from someone and took off for their house. He was now resorting to quick text updates with a random name like this last one.

Zellman: Headed to Biff’s. Back later.

Me: Who the hell is Biff?

Zellman never answered. Neither did Jordan, because Zellman’s text was to the whole crew. The back door opened a minute later. Cross came out, carrying his phone in one hand and a drink in the other. He paused as the door closed behind him and looked up from his phone and then at me.

“Who’s Biff?”

I sighed, slumping down in my chair. “Fuck’s sake. How are we supposed to go and get him if we don’t know who Biff is?”

Cross shrugged, coming over to put his drink down. His phone went into his back pocket. “You want a drink?”

Did I? “God, yes.” I was suddenly parched.

“Be right back.”

“Where’s your brother?”

He didn’t look back, just motioned toward the street. “He and Aspen took off when you came out here.”

Huh.

My phone rang.

Channing calling.

I hit accept. “Hey.”

“Do I need to be worried about you over there in Cain?”

There would’ve been a time I would’ve hated hearing those words from him, would’ve felt he hadn’t earned that right to be worried about me. Now I accepted them, welcomed them, cherished them. Warmth spread through me, and I smiled. “I’m good.”

He was silent a second. “Fuck. I’m still going to worry.” He groaned on his end. “Anyway, I am assuming one of those dipshits is going to move on Harper’s kid. Don’t confirm or deny. I don’t want to know, but I’m letting you know that I’m assuming it. We’ll plan for it.”

He was doing what he did, taking care of people. It wasn’t a role Channing asked for, but somehow he took it on, and now it was just his to own. Everyone in Roussou knew it, too.

He sighed into the phone. “We’re going to watch Harper here as much as we can, so get the word out to our usual people. If he dispatches his team and they’re heading to Cain, you might need to owe a favor to your team there.” He kept going, “I don’t know your team that well up there. Brock has a good rep. He’s solid. Was military. Hawk’s known, too. Gramps and Bonnie have been around forever, so their rep is nationally known.”

Right. Not my usual crew, but my job crew.