Page 52 of Reaper's Quest

Without Raven’s attention on him, smug satisfaction lifted Aoes’s features.

Chace turned to Aoes, catching his appeased expression. “Smooth.”

“Thank you.” Aoes shoved the sodden towel behind the bar and took a bow. “It’s a talent of mine.”

“No doubt.” Chace lowered his elbow to the bar’s wooden surface with a thud. Leaning into the barrier, he closed the distance between them. “Now, what possible reason would you have to try and capture some alone time with me?”

Wishing for a more desirable vantage point of the potential confrontation, Winter quickly glanced through the other available vision scopes and found one offering a slightly closer view.

“I can’t shake the feeling that we’ve met before.” Aoes folded his arms on the bar and tipped forward, within a fewinches of the newcomer’s face. Aoes’s eyebrow arched. “Did you lie to me previously? Have we,Ace? Met before?”

Chace shook his head. “First of all, that’s not my name?—”

“Isn’t it, though?” A knowing smirk cut across Aoes’s lips. “An ace at the chase.”

“There’s no hidden message in my name.” Chace’s shoulders rose and fell with a deep breath. “As for having previously met…my answer still stands. I think I would remember amugsuch as yours.”

“As I would yours. I have a rather excellent memory, and I’m quite good with faces and, well, personal energies.” He swirled his finger, gesturing to Chace. “Yours is…”’

“Could it be you knew my father?” Chace stretched his neck, cutting inches off the distance between them, and the two guys in the pub faced off as two assessing predators.

“Bogart?” Aoes rubbed the underside of his jaw.

“Badden.”

Aoes blinked, his chin jerking back. “You’re the one, aren’t you?”

Chace stepped away from the bar. “What are you talking about? The one what?”

The one?

Winter jolted, the motion knocking a standing flask on its side. It toppled and fell to the floor with a clatter.

Aoes’s attention shot directly to the spy end of the vision scopes, his gaze swinging past two until he zeroed in on the one scope through which Winter peered…as if Aoes could capture the sight of Winter monitoring the inner pub activities.

Aoes and Winter knew each other too well.

Winter mentally cursed.

A door at the back of the room slammed, and Raven stalked over to her drink.

Noting the tension between Chace and Aoes, her forward motion hitched. “Did I miss something of interest?”

Chace shrugged and leaned against the high wooden counter.

“Not at all.” Aoes waved the question away and sauntered out from behind the bar. “I was just going to poke Earl and pull together some grub for the two of you. There’s nothing more you can do for your friend tonight, and he’s in good hands. Try to check your stress and relax for an hour or two.”

Aoes exited the main room, leaving Raven and Chace glaring at one another in silence.

Winter adjusted his stance, and his foot kicked the fallen flask. It skidded across the floor. With a grumble, he retrieved the vessel and slammed it flat side down on the desk.

A second later, a click and a creak had Winter spinning toward the door. Aoes stood in the now-open doorway.

Winter opened his mouth to speak, but Aoes raised a finger to his lips, halting Winter’s forthcoming words.

The pub manager stalked the fringes of the room. After closing every single sound tube, he grabbed a bottle of liquor, plus two empty glasses, and set them on the table.

His gaze met Winter’s, and then he swung a hand to indicate the tubes. “When open, sound carries in both directions.”