High-Sided (Armed & Dangerous #3)(19)

I pointed at him and smiled, even though inside, all I could think about was mentoring Levi. “You got it.”

“Logan,” Richard called, nodding toward the door. “It’s time.”

“See ya later, boys,” I said, following Richard outside. We hopped in his truck.

“I called Ethan and told him we’re on our away.”

“Did he sound angry?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I think shocked, especially when I told him you were with me.”

“I’d say so. I showed up out of the blue after eight years. I’m sure a lot of people are going to ask questions.”

“You have that all figured out, right?”

“I’ve done this a thousand times, Richard. I know how to do my job.”

“Yeah, but you’ve never had to investigate the people you know. It complicates things.”

“That it does.” I sighed, focusing my attention out the window. He had a point; it was hard to keep emotions out of the way when it was people you knew. “So I researched those three gamblers on your list.”

“What did you find?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary. One of them died about a year ago, and the other two aren’t living in the area anymore. I think I’m going to focus more on the people around here, mainly the Hendrix team.”

He huffed. “Makes me sick to think anyone could hurt my team out of spite. I hope you figure this out soon. Whoever’s behind it needs to pay for what they did to Levi. He was an amazing young man.”

Yes, he was.

I loathed the Hendrix racers and could definitely see them being the ones contributing to Bennett’s downfall. Unfortunately, I had to keep an open mind. I turned away from the window. “What do you say about me putting cameras up around the shop?” I asked.

His eyes widened. “That’d be great. For years, I kept saying I was going to put some up, and never did.”

“Good. Micah and I’ll do that tonight. Make sure we can get in.”

He nodded. “Will do. Did you see Kassidy when she left?”

I shrugged. “All of two seconds. After we finish up with Ethan, I’m going to her house. She needs to know the truth.”

We pulled into Ethan’s driveway and he shut off his car. “I told her about my gambling. That’s why she left pissed off.”

“She deserved to know. Keeping her in the dark will only make things more dangerous for her. She won’t know to stay on her guard.” I got out of the car and waved at Ethan. He was in his garage, working on the motor of an old Chevy truck. His dark hair had a little more gray in it, but overall, he still looked the same.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” he shouted, smiling wide and ignoring the fact that Richard stood right beside me. “How the hell are ya?” He held out his hand and when I shook it, he pulled me in for a hug.

“Happy to see you,” I replied. “It’s been way too long.”

He slapped me on the back. “That it has. What’ve you been up to?”

I glanced quickly at Richard. “It’s a long story. Do you mind if we come in and talk?”

His smile faded and he huffed when he glanced at Richard. “Sure. Come on in.”

We walked inside and he sat down at the kitchen table, clasping his hands on top. “You’re not going to accuse me of stealing something else are you?”

Richard closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them. “No. I’m here to offer you your job back. I was wrong, and I’m sorry, Ethan. You’ve been nothing but a loyal friend to me.”

His face brightened. “Did the cops figure out who did it?”

“No,” Richard said sadly.

Ethan glanced back and forth between us. “I don’t understand. If you don’t have proof, why are you asking me back? You were pretty adamant on kicking my ass the other day.”

“That was until Levi was killed,” I spoke up. “Listen, he told me what you said about my crash not being an accident. After his death, Richard knew it all didn’t add up. There’s someone who wanted you both out of the way. Why? I don’t know.”

His gaze narrowed. “So what is bringing me back going to do? If I’m wanted out of the picture, don’t you think whoever it is will strike again?”

I nodded. “That’s what I’m hoping. That way, we can catch them.”

Ethan chuckled incredulously. “The police aren’t having much luck. So, how the hell are you going to catch them?”

I pulled out my FBI badge. “Because I’m not the police. I want to find who killed Levi, and who tampered with my bike. They could’ve killed me too.”

His eyes went wide and he smiled. “You actually did it?”

There weren’t many people I’d told about my dream to become an FBI agent; he was one of them. I had family members who laughed in my face when I told them because they thought I would never make it. Being an FBI agent was hard work and took a lot of discipline, but I’d done it. It felt good to prove everyone wrong.

“I did,” I responded. “And that’s why I’m back. Whoever these people are, they don’t need to win. Having you back will stir them up. I can’t say it won’t be dangerous, but I have plans to keep everyone safe. Bennett Racing needs you.”