Page 15 of More Bite than Bark

“What do you mean?”Hex scowled and grabbed the extra chair for whoever was watching monitors during the day and sat.

“Well, to start with he spends at least one weekend a month, sometimes more, in Biloxi.”

“So?He probably has business there.”

“Business that results in at least a hundred dollars a night in several known gay bars?Different clubs each trip.It’s almost like he’s rotating through them.”

That caught Hex’s attention.Anderson was gay?That would explain why he wasn’t all that interested in sex with Elle before the wedding.He leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees.

“Tell me more.”

Cypher took a deep breath and started talking.

“He stays in the same hotel every time, stays at least three nights and according to the key logs, he’s not alone.”

“How can you tell that?”

“The system tracks not only when someone uses a key at a door, but also which key as well as every time the door is opened, even from the inside.He always gets two keys, and you can tell from the pattern of which is used and when that there are at least two people.”

“Is it always the same person or different people?”

Cypher shook his head.“Impossible to tell.At least so far.I’m working on going through the security footage at the bars, but it’s taking longer than I anticipated, because of the sheer volume of it.”

Hex nodded.“What else?”

Cypher let out a dry chuckle.“That’s where it gets really interesting.Good ol’ Mikey isn’t as lily clean as he likes to pretend.Aside from his mint julip jaunts, there are several things.Mikey has a need for speed, and not the kind that keep you off the police radar.He’s had at least one ticket a month for the last three years.Not sure who he’s paying off to keep from losing his license.Want me to fix that?”

Hex blinked.It took his mind a moment to catch up to Cypher’s question.

“Maybe.Not yet.Tell me the rest of it.”

“Well, according to what I’ve found, he’s at least a hundred grand in debt to Harry the Horse.”

“Harry the Horse?”Hex blinked, not sure he wanted to know.

“He’s a bookie out of Pensacola, called that because he only handles horses.As in racing.On top of the debt, good ol’ Mikey makes at least one trip a year to either Gulfstream or Oaklawn, sometime both.”

Hex nodded then shook his head.“Damn.I need more coffee before I can work all this out.Got any in here?”

“Nope.You know I don’t touch the stuff.The fridge has energy drinks though.”He motioned to a dorm fridge in one corner.

“I hate that shit.”

“Sorry, it’s all I’ve got.”

Hex went to the fridge and opened the door.He scanned the contents and frowned that there were so many options.Didn’t people who drank these find a flavor or two they liked and stick with those?And what was with the flavor names?Cosmic popsicle?What the fuck was that?He grabbed one with a weird but recognizable name, Cherry.He could go for that, but why on earth call it Midnight Cherry?Whatever.He needed the caffeine more than he cared about the taste.He opened the can and tipped it back, taking several long swallows before lowering it.

A shudder passed through him as he really preferred hot to cold, though the flavor wasn’t bad, but he couldn’t imagine how the sweet bubbly liquid would taste if it was hot.Probably better not to find out.

“Ok, so we’ve got gay and not out of the closet, screwing around, speeding, and gambling.Is that all?”

“That’s the big stuff.There’s a few more, mostly minor shit like the occasional drunk and disorderly.Oddly, given his penchants for speed and alcohol, he’s never gotten a DUI.”Cypher shook his head.“I’m not sure if that’s because he’s smart enough not to drink and drive or he’s just managed to keep from being ticketed for it.”The Warrior’s hacker spun in his chair to meet Hex’s gaze.“I don’t think he’s smart enough not to drink and drive, not when you look at all the rest of this.”

“Then how do you think he’s not been caught at it?”

“I don’t think it’s that he’s not been caught, but that he’s not been caught by someone he can’t either talk his way around or buy off.”Cypher spun back to face his screen.

“What makes you say that?”