Page 50 of Skin Game

“Am I breathing?” Paul teased.

“Tea is full of antioxidants and much easier on your stomach.”

“Quit worrying about my stomach. I hate tea. I’ve always hated tea and knowing that about me, you still decided to move to America with me.”

“Ah, the things we do for love.” Etienne smiled.

Etienne vaguely reminded Casey of a kinder, gentler Jason Statham, quiet and careful but with an edge of danger. He might have been raising dogs now, but Casey suspected Etienne had a past that was best left undiscovered. In fact, he figured both Paul and Etienne were more than they appeared.

“Milk?” Etienne offered, waggling a small carton.

“Black is all right.” Casey looked around, liking what he could see of their home. He was always impressed by how they managed to make it truly feel like a cabin in the woods, despite its size.

“Is black coffee what you prefer?” Etienne asked sharply.

Paul snorted. “You might as well tell him. He will keep asking until you confess. I don’t know why you haven’t figured that out by now.”

“Life is too short to settle for second best,” Etienne added.

That sounded like something Gabriel would say. He probably had, and Casey had shaken his head. “Café au lait sounds wonderful. And once again, you’ve forced me to utilize my entire catalog of French.”

“Café au lait, it is.”

Moments later, the three of them were seated around the large square oak table that took up the dining space. Outside, the dogs were woofing and whumping as Bowie took the lead and the Newfies chased after him.

“He’s gonna be extra tired tonight,” Casey commented before sipping at his drink.

Etienne said, “A tired dog is a well-behaved dog.”

“Come on, out with it, what brought you up The Valley on this dismal day? Is it something about that nonsense from last fall up at Snowcap?” Paul asked. “We were visiting Etienne’s family outside of Marseilles and missed all the action.”

“How was your trip? One of these days, I’ll make the effort to get out of the country.”

“It was good,” Etienne said. “My parents are not as young as they used to be—but then again, who is? I always enjoy our visits but equally enjoy being back here.”

Not for the first time, Casey wondered what the couple’s history was and what they did other than raise large dogs these days to keep themselves busy. Casey suspected both men were ex-LEOs of some sort. Paul being a federal agent or CIA tracked. Etienne could’ve been Interpol or something equally sneaky and secret.

“There was a possible sighting of Calvin Perkins earlier in the week. Since he used to spend a lot of time up here, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to take another look around, see if there were any signs of him.”

“You think he’s still alive after the winter?” Etienne asked.

“I do, yeah. Calvin has the skills and knowledge to survive in these woods. Admittedly, he was more unhinged than usual the last time I saw him, but I think it was grief over losing Dwayne. Now I’m worried he’s out for revenge. Not sure who on, but if he’s alive, he wants someone to pay. It’s the way the Perkinsbrothers always were. But I didn’t find any evidence today that Calvin has been lurking up there.”

“And you’re wondering if we’ve seen him.” Paul lifted his coffee to his lips and took a tentative sip.

Casey nodded. “Or his truck. It’s one of those big Fords with Confederate flags flying.”

“That’s something I’ve never understood.” Etienne wrinkled his nose. “This state had little to do with the American Civil War.”

“I’m sure there are folks who have written entire dissertations on the subject,” Casey said dryly. “But I’m going with ignorance. It’s easier for me to tolerate.”

“We haven’t seen Perkins or his truck.” Paul looked at his partner, and Etienne agreed with a nod of his head. “But the dogs have been hyperaware the past week or so. We both thought it was a cougar or bear that had them acting squirrelly, ended up keeping them in the barn for a few days. But I suppose their nerves could have been caused by a human.”

Etienne tapped the table with his index finger, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “I have heard a few vehicles driving up the road. More traffic than usual for this time of year.” He shrugged. “I didn’t run out to the road and stop them to inquire what their business was.”

Casey nodded and took another sip of his drink. It was delicious, and he felt like a bit of a traitor. Gabe’s coffee was not as good as Etienne’s. Maybe it was the French influence, but Casey was going to buy some different beans to test.

“There are only a couple of homesteads above you,” Casey pointed out. And at least one of them was on his to-visit list.