He didn’t want to let her go. Sliding his arm around her waist, he inserted his thumb in her back pocket, keeping her next to him as he took in the people around them. More than one man focused on Ashley and then gave him a wary look, but for the most part everyone milled around them without paying any attention to them. There were families, kids, and couples; the bowling alley hadn’t changed much over the years.
“Do you see your ex?” he asked, after handing her a beer and taking his.
“No, but I’d think he’d be here. It’s definitely league night.”
“Keep an eye out for any rope bracelets,” he told her, and she looked up at him quickly, holding her beer in midair, her surprise at his comment obvious.
“Do you think whoever is giving the girls those bracelets would be here?”
“I think it’s too early to rule out any possibilities.”
Ashley nodded and then sipped from her beer. It wasn’t the best beer Chase had ever had. It was barely cold and slightly flat. He didn’t remember the beer being this lame years back. Apparently his taste was a bit pickier now than when he was younger.
Not that he didn’t already know that to be the truth. As much as he noticed the guys checking out Ashley as they worked their way through the mingling crowd above the lanes, he didn’t miss the ladies who gave him the once-over. None of them held a flame to Ashley.
She moved with a calm confidence next to him, her ass swaying perfectly as he rested his finger in her rear jeans pocket. He shifted his attention to one of the lanes when several people looked their way and then waved.
“Old friends,” she offered, but didn’t elaborate. She turned and descended the several steps to the lane where a group of people now looked their way expectantly.
“Ash!” A stocky man moved around the grinning girls, arms extended, and ignored Chase when he pulled her into a bear hug. “Why aren’t you out saving the world?” he asked, his deep barrel laugh causing the ladies around him to giggle.
Ashley hugged him but then let him go, returning to Chase’s side. He draped his arm around her protectively, all too aware of the curious stares from the group as they checked him out.
“Hey, Davie, Chris, Angie,” she said, sounding cheerful and more energetic than she usually sounded. “Everyone, this is Chase. Chase, this is everyone,” she offered, laughing.
The group laughed along with her. The stocky man, apparently Davie, held his hand out. “It’s good to see someone could get Ash out of that uniform long enough to take her out,” he bellowed, his tone sounding a bit forced. “I started worrying my brother had ruined your ability to get out and date again.”
“Hardly,” she offered easily. “Is Danny here?”
“Nope. Don’t know where he is.” Davie’s baritone grew quieter. “I hear he’s pretty messed up after Mindy got killed. You find the guy who did that to her, yet?”
All faces sobered and looked at Ashley expectantly.
“I’ve got some really strong leads,” she answered, lowering her voice to almost a whisper, which caused the group to sober further and lean closer to hear anything she might say. Ashley pointed at one of the girls, who stood next to Davie. “Chris, where did you get that bracelet?”
Chase tried not to look too interested as he glanced at the thin rope bracelet around Chris’s wrist. She held out her wrist and blushed, although when she lowered her head, thin, long blond strands covered her face.
“There’s a lady down at the Crossing who makes them,” Chris explained, shooting Chase a furtive look with pale blue, watery eyes. Maybe she was pretty, but her baggy clothes did a good job of hiding any figure she might have. Black eyeliner and dark lipstick distracted anyone from se
eing what she really looked like.
Ashley fingered the thin rope wrapped around Chris’s wrist. “What do the knots mean?”
“It’s kind of personal,” Chris whispered, blushing even further.
“It means how many times she’s had sex,” said the lady next to her, a chubby, dark-haired woman who had dimples when she chuckled. She nudged Chris, apparently indifferent to how furiously Chris blushed. “Come on, you two, join us for a beer,” she said, grabbing Ashley’s arm.
“We already were commenting there wasn’t room to bowl,” Ashley said, trying to back out of the invitation.
Chase was curious about the bracelet, and didn’t have any problem hanging out with these people in an effort to learn more about Chris, as well as hear any comments about Mindy, who at least the brother of Ashley’s ex seemed to know.
“We can stay for a beer,” Chase said, grabbing Davie’s attention when he spoke. The stocky man gave him a shrewd once-over, possibly feeling a bit protective of his ex-sister-inlaw. “Ash wanted to bowl but I told her league night would make it iffy.”
“Bring her down tomorrow night,” Davie told him, his jovial smile disappearing as his tone turned serious. “I’m sure my brother will want to meet you anyway.”
“Do I need his consent to take out his ex?” Chase asked.
The women sobered and he ignored the glare Ashley shot at him.