As soon as Rowdy got close enough to hear, she said, “Logan is on his way.”
“Thanks.” He came in past her and closed the door, then took Ella’s order pad from her and jotted down a number.
“License plate?” Avery guessed.
“Yeah.” He folded it.
Cannon’s cell rang. Everyone waited as he answered it.
Nodding, he gave his thanks and tucked the phone away again. “Her apartment looks as tight as ever. No signs of cops or a break-in.”
Ella and Jones stood there confounded, waiting for an explanation. Avery had no idea what to tell them. She didn’t want the world to know her private past, but now that the past had invaded her present, these people could be in danger.
Rowdy didn’t suffer the same indecision. “Listen up. We’ve had a creep hanging around, making prank phone calls and giving veiled threats that may or may not be real. If you see anyone or anything that makes you uneasy, no matter what, I want to know about it. Got it?”
Jones tugged his graying ponytail. “I don’t see much from the kitchen, but sure. I’ll let you know.”
Rowdy turned to Ella. “You, too, hon. Any customers who seem out of place, you need to tell me.”
Ella patted Avery’s arm. “Of course, sugar.” She gave Avery a pitying look. “Thing is, guys ask after her all the time.”
“They do?” That was news to Avery. Sure, guys talked to her. She was a bartender—it came with the job. But she’d rarely noticed any real interest.
“You don’t see it,” Ella said. “You’re too busy watching Rowdy.”
Oh, good grief. Heat rushed into her cheeks, especially when Cannon coughed and Jones grinned.
“But she draws attention,” Ella continued. “And since no one knows the status...” She shrugged.
Rowdy gathered steam. “What are you talking about? What status?”
“Between the two of you.” Ella hugged Avery. “You two flirt around about it and all, but Avery has that ‘hands off’ attitude and you’ve got the bachelor stamp permanently branded on your head, so the great mystery of whether she’s available or not keeps guys guessing.”
“Great mystery?” Avery choked.
“Does make things interesting,” Cannon agreed, then held up both hands when Rowdy turned on him. “Not to me. I know the situation.”
Oh, God, Avery thought. There was a situation?
Rowdy stood there fuming for no apparent reason before saying, his voice icy calm, “Here on out, if anyone asks, she’s taken.” And with that, he stalked off to the bar.
Cannon watched him go. “I do enjoy working here. There’s never a dull moment.”
Jones beamed at Avery as if she’d accomplished some difficult task. Ella shrugged.
To add to the confusion, Logan arrived.
After greeting him as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, Rowdy sent Ella and Jones back to work.
He tried to do the same with Avery. “We’ll be open in another twenty minutes.”
Not about to be cut out, Avery didn’t budge. “I have everything ready.”
Doing the opposite, Cannon excused himself. “I’ll get to work, but if you need me for anything, just let me know.”
“Keep an eye out,” Rowdy told him.
“For her admirers,” Cannon asked with a straight face, “or for threats?”
Without taking the bait, Rowdy said, “Both.” He turned to Logan. “Thanks for coming.”
In nothing more than his shirtsleeves, his tie loosened and his expression weary, Logan looked around. “Guess I missed all the excitement.”
“There wasn’t much.” Rowdy led the way to his office, and then took a few minutes to explain what had happened.
“You shouldn’t have approached the car. If this guy is crazy enough to keep pushing the issue, he’s crazy enough to be a threat.”
Avery agreed with him there. “Is there anything you can do?”
“I can check the plates.” Logan called it in while pacing the room. “We should hear back soon. Takes less than a minute to run them.”
He looked so tense and tired that Avery regretted involving him. “Would you like some coffee while we wait?”
He went to a chair and dropped into it. “That’d be great, thanks.”
“No problem.” She gave Rowdy a meaningful frown to let him know that she did not want him taking advantage of her absence.
His return look told her he’d make no promises. Blasted stubborn man. “Logan? This concerns me more than anyone.”
Confused, Logan looked between them. “Okay.”
“Don’t let Rowdy make plans without me.” Instead of waiting for his agreement, she hurried to the break room to fetch three cups of coffee. In her haste she almost spilled one, but made it back just as Logan got news.
As he disconnected the call, he said, “The plates don’t belong to the car.” He accepted the coffee with gratitude. “Whoever was hanging around didn’t want to be identified.”
Rowdy seemed to take that in stride, as if he’d expected it. “Old plates?”
“Yup. Probably stolen.”
That made it all seem so elaborate. Not just a random drive-by to snoop, to maybe follow her home, but a deliberate, covert plan to draw her out. She felt a little sick, and a lot afraid. “My apartment?”
“I sent a squad car over to check on things.” Logan sipped his coffee. “No one in our department called you.”