A Biker and a Thief by Tish Wilder Page B

whole lot. Why he'd thought they did he didn't know. The kid obviously wasn't a moron. He checked in with Reynaldo. He hadn't come up with anything new but he was still looking.
                  With nothing else to do right now and his stomach growling, Jake decided to grab some dinner at the bar. Tuesdays Gigi worked the dinner shift, it was a little late but hopefully she'd still be there.
                  His booth was open so he took it. Gigi was busy waiting on another table but she waved and he knew she'd get to him when she was done. It didn't take long before she was at his table asking if he'd like his regular to drink. He said yes and ordered his food. He didn't need a menu, he was in there so often and it wasn't like they served a wide range of options anyway.
                  Gigi watched Jake while she poured his drink, the TV was on and he was watching it so she didn't think he'd notice. Something was bothering him she could tell. He looked tired and while he'd been friendly and smiled while she was talking to him now he was frowning and kept tapping his fingers on the table. She wondered if it was over the same thing that had soured his mood yesterday. Trying to think of what it could be she remembered that he'd gotten upset after the story about the jewelry store robberies on the news yesterday.
                  She knew he'd been following the case in the news but didn't know why he'd have that kind of reaction to it. It was a scary world and crime happened everyday and in her experience bikers like him didn't get hung up on little things like stolen jewelry. Maybe he was the secretly the thief and was worried they were getting close to catching him. There went her imagination again, running wild she chided herself. Still, that would be kind of exciting wouldn't it, to know a master jewel thief. Nope, she wasn't going to get lost in that kind of silly fantasy. More likely he knew someone that was involved and was worried about them.
                  The bar was slow after the dinner rush on a Tuesday so she slipped into the booth opposite him to visit for a few minutes while he finished eating. She'd been a little afraid her company wouldn't be welcome after the way he'd shut her out yesterday but he seemed almost grateful for the distraction. He was telling her about his plans for a trip he was going to take in the spring when the news broke into the boring reality TV show with a special report.
                  As the image they'd been using to represent the jewelry store thief flashed on the screen her heart sank. She looked back at Jake thinking maybe she could turn his attention back to their conversation but he was now intent on the broadcast. It wasn't going to be good news, they didn't interrupt shows for good news or regular 'ol reporting. The too happy reporter delivered the news that there had been yet another Tuesday night jewelry heists but this time something had gone horribly wrong and the store manager had been killed.
                  Jake had gone pale but as the reporter continued with a comment about the thief's comeback to continue an 11 year career and then going from no injuries to a killing a man Jake became very still. He didn't trust himself to move. He wanted to punch things, starting with that damn TV. He couldn't afford to react badly. No one associated him with any of this right now and he needed it to stay that way. He tried to smile at Gigi hoping to go back to their conversation but road trip stories seemed beyond his ability. His smile must not have been that convincing because she said she'd get him something stronger to drink and got up.
                  She came back with two glasses and a bottle of whisky. He raised an eyebrow at her and asked if he needed one for each hand. She laughed, poured just enough for a shot in each, handed him his and threw back the second herself. He