Framed Shadows: Shadows Landing #6, Kathleen Brooks [great novels of all time TXT] 📗

be safe. The second Maurice and Murray returned, they’d be on camera from enough angles to make a 3-D rendering of them.

However, the closer to dinnertime, the more and more nervous Tinsley acted.

“Hey, Tinsley,” Paxton called as he stepped down from the ladder.

“Yeah?” she said as she turned off the lights in the back of the gallery.

“Does everyone call you Tins?”

“My close friends and family do. Do you have a nickname?”

“I’ve had several undercover identities so if I happen to run across anyone from a past investigation, I have to be ready to answer to anything. Most of my coworkers call me Kendry.”

“Harper, my cousin who told us to come to dinner, is married to Dare who was undercover with the ATF when they met. I’m sure you’ll meet him tonight. However, you might be afraid of him.”

Paxton scoffed. He wasn’t afraid of much. “I’m not too worried about an ATF agent.”

“He’s in the knitting club.”

Yikes.

Paxton followed Tinsley into Harper’s bar. When he opened the door for her, his eyes widened at the bullets still lodged in the thick wood. What the heck happened here? Shadows Landing wasn’t a hotbed of crime, was it?

“Hey, Tins!”

Tinsley waved at the young bartender, but the welcoming committee at the Faulkner table wasn’t so friendly. Everyone just stared at Paxton. Even when they hugged Tinsley, they were staring at him with narrowed eyes. What the heck had she told them about him?

“So, you must be the guy scared of a couple of old ladies,” a large man with dark hair asked as he smirked at Paxton.

Paxton didn’t say anything. Instead he looked for a friendly face. The friendliest was Harper, who sat next to the man who had just spoken. That must be Dare.

“Harper, it’s nice seeing you again.”

She smiled at him, but it wasn’t welcoming. It was like a cat toying with a mouse. “And here I sit not knowing your name.”

“Oh, sorry,” Tinsley said, jumping in. “Y’all, this is Paxton Kendry. He’s the art crime agent who works with Peter. Paxton, you’ve met Harper. That’s her husband, Dare Reigns, next to her. Then that’s my cousin Gavin. He’s the only doctor in town. His wife, Ellery, is holding their sweet boy, Chase. Then there’s my cousin Trent and his wife, Skye.”

Paxton nodded his hello. Peter had told him all about Trent and America’s Sweetheart, Skye Jessamine. She was best friends with Peter’s girlfriend, Karri.

“Then this is my cousin Wade. He’s with the Coast Guard and his wife, Darcy, is a treasure hunter. Then this is my other cousin, Ryker Faulkner,” Tinsley continued.

Paxton noticed she didn’t mention what Ryker did. She didn’t need to. Ryker’s name was quietly whispered as one of the most powerful businessmen in the world.

“Then this is my brother, Ridge. He’s a builder of amazing designs. And this is my sister-in-law, Savannah. She has the interior decorating business above my gallery.”

“It’s nice to meet you all. I feel as if I already have from what Peter’s told me,” Paxton said as Tinsley took a seat next to Dare, leaving Paxton to sit next to Ridge. Great. The glare he was receiving from Ridge didn’t take a detective to figure out. Ridge was not happy that his sister had a man in her life, even if he wasn’t technically with her like that yet. Wait, yet? Paxton paused and thought about. Yeah, yet. Atlanta was suddenly not looking like the ultimate goal. The agitated woman sitting next to him was looking a lot more interesting.

“What are you doing with Tinsley, and why are you staying at her house?” Ridge asked bluntly.

“Ridge,” Tinsley hissed, but her brother ignored her censure.

“I’m here on a case. That’s all I can say.”

“What does my sister have to do with it?” Ridge asked. It was clear he wasn’t going to let anything go.

“She’s helping me with the case. I assume you know how smart your sister is and how knowledgeable she is about art. She’s a big asset to the case.”

It was the truth and the look on Tinsley’s face—as if he’d just hung the moon—was worth expressing more feelings than he was used to doing. It also helped that Savannah smiled at him and Darcy sent Ellery a not-so-subtle grin. He was winning over some of her family—a family he knew meant everything to her.

“I know all about how wonderful my sister is. Any man would be lucky to be with her, but a man who is just using her for a case—” Ridge didn’t get a chance to finish. Tinsley slammed her hand on the table and Paxton found it interesting that everyone seemed surprised by her reaction. She’d slammed things, yelled at him, and then looked at him as if she wanted to devour him. Tinsley was full of passion, so why did her family look so surprised?

“Stop it! Nothing is going on between us. This is for work. I’m trying to catch an art thief here. So knock it off,” Tinsley ground out between clenched teeth as she tried to keep her voice low so people didn’t overhear her.

“Yet,” Paxton added, knowing he had a death wish. Ryker’s cold gaze slid over him. Paxton was pretty sure the devil himself couldn’t produce such a stare. Ridge, on the other hand, looked like he was ready to explode.

Tinsley turned slowly to stare at him with heat in her eyes. He loved it. She was a mixture of disbelief and a little bit of hope.

“What did you say?” Tinsley asked slowly.

“I said yet. Nothing is going on between us . . . yet.”

“You do not touch my sister!” Ridge grabbed Paxton’s arm and then suddenly a sharp whistle silenced the entire bar. Paxton looked over at Ellery as she stood with the baby in her arms and smiled sweetly.

“Ridge, let go of Paxton. Ryker, call off the assassin you probably just ordered. The last time I checked, Tinsley is an adult. She can do whatever, or whomever, she wants. She’ll ask for our help if