Defending Serenty by Elle Wylder Page B

have much time left. No point in causing problems
now.”
    “Much time left for what?” That sounds
threatening and I don’t like it one damned bit.
    “She’s quitting her job. She didn’t tell
you?”
    I shake my head. I’m the one who needed to
know that. Why had she told Hunter first? I look at Walker who
shrugs. He didn’t know she’d made that decision either. But. I
narrow my eyes. I bet he knows what’s up with her and Monroe.
    “And Tim Monroe?”
    Everyone tenses up especially Hunter.
    “I’m pretty sure she’s investigating him.
She’s right. He’s dirty as hell.”
    I’m not surprised. Tim Monroe is a rich
asshole, always has been. I was twenty when I went to prison and
Monroe is my age. My friends and I stayed away from drugs, too
messy, and Tim had filled the void. I’m sure that hasn’t
changed.
    “Tell me something I don’t know,
brother.”
    Hunter looks around. The clock has slid past
ten and the gym is filling up. “Not here,” he says, and we all trek
into the office.
    “Talk,” I order my little brother once the
door closes behind us. “Tell me about Monroe.”
    I hope Walker won’t shut me down like Hunter
has. He sighs, goes to the mini-fridge and pulls out a beer. I cock
my eyebrows. At ten in the morning? His expression is grim and he
salutes me with the bottle.
    “You might want one too.”
    I don’t think so but I’m getting worried. How
deep in the shit is Serenity?
    “Monroe’s dirty,” Walker says.
    I snort. “Tell me something I don’t know,
little brother.”
    He smiles slightly. Everyone else is
suspiciously quiet. This is not good.
    “No one can catch him at anything illegal and
most of the good people of Madison think he walks on water. He’s
running drugs. I don’t know how big his operation is. Not my
thing.”
    I’m not really surprised at this revelation
and notice Hunter isn’t either.
    “Tell me something I don’t know, I
said.”
    “Okay. About a week and a half ago, a couple
of kids found ten thousand dollars cash down on the riverbank near
Mrs. Baker’s dock.”
    That’s a lot of cash to find floating around
in Madison. I reach for Walker’s beer and take a long drink.
    “Got your attention, huh?”
    I nod once. “Go on.”
    He shrugs. “There really isn’t more. That’s
the problem. We live on a quiet little cove, but there’s been a lot
of unexplained night activity. You know that already. The money. A
lot more drug activity than usual.”
    He pauses. “Then there’s Monroe and his
squeaky clean image. We all know that’s a crock. His dad almost
bankrupted them before good ole Tim took over and turned their
business around in a year. He started out building warehouses down
on the bay. He’s building condos on the beach now.”
    “Not much to go on there.”
    Walker fidgets, and I know there is more.
Something I’m really not going to like hearing.
    “Remember Magee?”
    “Shrimpy little kid used to hang out with
Monroe?”
    Walker snorts. “Yeah. Well, he went to work
for Monroe, on one of his construction crews. Couple of weeks ago,
he called Lynn and told her he needed to talk to her about Monroe’s
business. Set up a secret meeting and everything. He never showed
up. No one’s seen him since, actually.”
    Great. Walker’s story has just gone from
weird lights and found money--harmless enough--to missing people.
Lowlife people, but still. What the hell is Serenity getting mixed
up in?
    I turn to Hunter and he shakes his head.
“This isn’t our business.”
    “She is my business,” I say softly, knowing
I’m probably burning every bridge in town. Hunter swears under his
breath then looks me in the eye.
    “I know what this woman means to you, Trace,
and if I could help I would. Get her to back off. It’s not just
herself she’s putting in danger by pushing this.”
    I remember something Walker said to me
earlier. “Honor?” I ask.
    “I want her kept out of this,” he snaps.
“Lynn’s made her own