Page 47 of Deacon

My phone vibrated against the timber surface, sliding an inch to the right.

I grinned at the ID and tapped the screen to speaker.

‘Brother?’

‘Deke,’ Bishop drawled. ‘I’m in your hood, mate.’

‘Yeah?’

‘We just landed in Málaga.’

I huffed.

‘Hold on, son, we? Who the fuck is we?’

Bishop chuckled. ‘My girl Teagan and I.’

This was new. I shared as much.

‘A brand spanking fresh squeeze? Weren’t you with some other chick last month? You’re getting around.’

‘Fuck off. Listen, we’re staying in Marbella for a few nights on the Costa del Sol. Send me the address of your villa; I want to swing by and talk through your latest sound clips.’

I smiled, eager to see Bishop.

I missed the band, and while we honored our breaks apart, we also took every chance to spend time together.

‘I’ll text you a location pin,’ I said, leaning over the key bed. ‘Come on up for lunch.’

‘See you in a few,’ he said, hanging up.

I saved my session, half-closed the laptop lid, and walked to the kitchen, where Christine was working at the island counter.

She had a wooden board set out, slicing ripe plum tomatoes, cucumbers, and salted feta cheese.

‘Bishop’s coming by for lunch,’ I told her, grabbing a bottle of cold water from the fridge. ‘He’s bringing a friend with him. I’m happy to help rustle up something.’

‘No need, you keep going with your thing, and I’ll add to what I was already making,’ she said, nodding toward the patio doors. ‘Raff’s still in the water; his fingers are turning to raisins.’

Outside, the sun hit the turquoise pool, its glare forcing me to squint.

Raff floated on his back, kicking his feet and sending small ripples slapping against the tiled edges.

I headed out, under the roofed terrace.

‘Hey shorty, had enough of the pool yet?’

‘Never.’

I shrugged, let him have his fun, and returned to my chords.

An hour later, the crunch of tires on gravel signaled a car pulling into the driveway.

I headed to the front door and stepped out onto the entrance just as the engine cut.

Bishop eased out of the SUV.

Built like a brick wall, he wore a navy vest, shorts, and slides.