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Mia lights up when she sees us. “Hey guys,” she greets, starting to pour our beers.

I lean in a little closer, keeping my tone casual. “Hey, quick question. That new guy that’s been coming here, leather jacket, big dude, name’s Kyle. You know who I’m talking about?”

She raises a brow. “Kyle? Yeah. He gets a whiskey neat.”

“Has he ever asked about Ryder?”

Her face shifts into something more cautious. “Uh, yeah, he did. He asked who he was the first time he saw him, and if the two of you were dating. Why?”

I shrug, trying to play it off. “Just wondering. Guy gives me weird vibes.”

Mia leans in slightly closer. “You and me both.”

That confirms that my gut hasn’t been wrong. I nod my thanks and hand Ryder his beer that Mia set on the counter in front of me as we walk over to our usual table. We sit and wait to see if he shows up, and not even ten minutes later, he does.

“Logan,” Ryder mutters with an edge to his tone, eyes locking on something behind me. “He just walked in.”

I glance toward the door and see Kyle walk in and head straight to the bar. He waits a few minutes for Mia to pour his drink, exchanges a few words with her, and then, like I knew he would, he turns and scans the room, stopping dead when he sees us. He pauses briefly, then makes his way toward us.

“I can do all the talking again,” I murmur to Ryder, and he gives a small nod.

Kyle walks over, wearing that same worn-in leather jacket, a pair of dark jeans, and black boots. He’s got a smug grin on his face that’s been rubbing me wrong since day one, and his eyes land on Ryder, as predicted. “Well, look who it is,” he says conversationally. “Didn’t think I’d run into you guys tonight.”

“Why not? You’ve seen us here the last couple of Fridays.” I state, once again, completely uncaring if I come off as rude.

Kyle chuckles, and the sound scrapes through my ears like nails on a chalkboard. But I don’t let him get another word in. “Or is it because Ryder told you he’s not interested in you, and yet, you keep showing up?”

That makes Kyle’s smirk drop, and it’s replaced with a death glare if I’ve ever seen one. Ryder lifts his beer to take a sip, and the movement catches Kyle’s eye, and he shifts his attention to him now.

“Rough week?”

Before Ryder can answer, I step in once again, knowing how much it’s pissing Kyle off to not get a chance to speak to Ryder himself. “No, we’ve been fine all week. Though ithasbeen weird. Someone’s been sending Ryder these strange emails. Supposedly a fan. But way too personal, you know?” I pause, then ask the question I’ve been sitting on. “You an audiobook guy, Kyle?”

As far as Kyle knows, Ryder isn’t a narrator because we’ve never discussed our jobs—only that Kyle’s here for construction. So, unless heisstalking him or interested enough to find his socials, he wouldn’t know what Ry does for work.

“Sure, I’ve listened to a few,” Kyle says, but I don’t buy it.Unless the few are Ryder’s and Ryder’s only.

I raise an eyebrow. “Any favorites?”

He pauses, then says, “Nothing specific. Whatever pops up.”

Don’t buy that either.

“Interesting,” I say slowly. “You ever recognize narrators by voice? Or gravitate to specific ones? Some people can’t stand it if the voice is off. But when it’s good, it sticks with you.”

That gets me a look. Kyle shifts slightly, his smile tightening. “Doesn’t mean I’m not a fan of a good voice.”

His eyes land on Ryder and linger there long enough to make my skin crawl. He’s got to realize we’re on to him, but maybe he doesn’t care. Maybe he wants us to know, especially since he made it known he was close enough to be watching in the first place. I hold the silence, waiting to see if he slips.

“Well,” he says, gaze sliding back to Ryder like I’m invisible, “Good seeing you again. I hope we get a chance to talk more soon. Just the two of us. There’s so much I’d love to say.”

And like all the other conversations we’ve had with him, he walks away, and I can’t help myself. “I’ll be right back,” I say to Ryder.

“What?”

“Just stay here.”

I follow Kyle and grab his arm as he’s walking away. He stops and spins to face me, yanking out of my grip.