missed it if he hadn’t been waiting for it.
“Butcher…” He squinted and then nodded. “Oh, yeah. That mean old dog of yours.”
“Not my dog, Dad.” He rubbed a thumb down his jaw. “You remember how that lady, Nichole,
used to give you so much hell about Butcher?”
Theo’s eyes, hard as ice and just as cold, bored into his.
“They found her, Dad.”
“What the fuck do I care?”
Guy reached down and untucked his shirt, unbuttoned it. As he revealed the scars on
his belly, he said nothing. His father’s breath started to come raggedly. “I remember,
Dad. I remember where you had me bury him. They’re already digging him up. The question
is … will it be considered murder? Or manslaughter?”
“You son of a bitch!”
Theo lunged for him but the leg shackles didn’t give him much room. Guards came rushing
into the room.
“You fucking son of a cunt!” Theo roared. “You keep your mouth shut. You’ll burn if
I do. I’ll tell them all you knew. That you helped.”
Guy turned away, his gut rolling. His hands were steady, though, as he buttoned up
his shirt, hiding the scars very few people had ever seen.
Guilt, shock, and disbelief were a nasty mix inside him.
“I came here hoping I was wrong somehow, you know,” he murmured, stopping in the doorway
to look back. “You have no idea how badly I needed to be wrong about this.”
In his mind’s eye, he saw a woman. That wicked, sly grin. Those wide, sad eyes.
He loved her … so much.
She’d never been more out of reach than she was at that very moment.
Chapter Ten
“Hi, Mom.”
Jensen knelt at the headstone and brushed away a few of the silken yellow roses that
had fallen from the most recent arrangement. Chrissie’s handiwork, she had no doubt.
A gentle breeze blew through the graveyard and she brushed her hair back. “Every time
I feel a breeze like that when I’m here, I try to tell myself it’s you. Talking to
me.”
A knot swelled in her chest. It was going to choke her. End her. Sucking in a breath,
she pressed her fisted hand to her forehead and tried to level out.
It was done.
Not completely, she knew that, but she had the answers. After all this time.
Hearing the faintest whisper of sound, she tensed and slid a quick look behind her.
The sight of Dean crossing the ground to her had her heart skipping a few beats. He
was still wearing the suit, all sexy and sleek in a charcoal suit that probably cost
a mint. But he’d loosened the tie, pulled out the cord he used to keep his dreads
back from his face. And he looked tired as he came to a stop beside her.
“Want some company?” he asked softly.
She shrugged and looked back at her mother’s headstone. “Sure. Have a seat.” Then
she scowled and looked at his suit. “Then again, you might not want to sit in that.”
He blew out a breath. “After the day I’ve had, all I want to do is sit.”
“All?”
A faint grin tugged at his lips. “Maybe not all.” He slid a hand up her back, cupped
her nape. “You weren’t at the station today.”
“No. I spent it with my family.” She plucked a blade of grass and rubbed it between
her fingers. “The chief knew I needed the day. So I took it.”
“Understandable. How are they?”
“Confused. Mad at me. They want answers I can’t give them right now, but…”
Dean caught her hand. “You’ll have some soon, I think. Guy … have you talked to him?”
At the sound of Guy’s name, she flinched.
“No. I … no. Shit.” Clambering to her feet, she wrapped her arms around herself and
stared off into the distance. “Have you learned anything?”
Dean’s arms came around her and although a huge part of her wanted to pull away, it
felt so very right to lean against him. Was it wrong? What was so wrong about this? Taking comfort in the arms of the man she … her stomach dropped
out.
Oh, hell.
Swallowing, she turned around but instead of looking up at him
“Butcher…” He squinted and then nodded. “Oh, yeah. That mean old dog of yours.”
“Not my dog, Dad.” He rubbed a thumb down his jaw. “You remember how that lady, Nichole,
used to give you so much hell about Butcher?”
Theo’s eyes, hard as ice and just as cold, bored into his.
“They found her, Dad.”
“What the fuck do I care?”
Guy reached down and untucked his shirt, unbuttoned it. As he revealed the scars on
his belly, he said nothing. His father’s breath started to come raggedly. “I remember,
Dad. I remember where you had me bury him. They’re already digging him up. The question
is … will it be considered murder? Or manslaughter?”
“You son of a bitch!”
Theo lunged for him but the leg shackles didn’t give him much room. Guards came rushing
into the room.
“You fucking son of a cunt!” Theo roared. “You keep your mouth shut. You’ll burn if
I do. I’ll tell them all you knew. That you helped.”
Guy turned away, his gut rolling. His hands were steady, though, as he buttoned up
his shirt, hiding the scars very few people had ever seen.
Guilt, shock, and disbelief were a nasty mix inside him.
“I came here hoping I was wrong somehow, you know,” he murmured, stopping in the doorway
to look back. “You have no idea how badly I needed to be wrong about this.”
In his mind’s eye, he saw a woman. That wicked, sly grin. Those wide, sad eyes.
He loved her … so much.
She’d never been more out of reach than she was at that very moment.
Chapter Ten
“Hi, Mom.”
Jensen knelt at the headstone and brushed away a few of the silken yellow roses that
had fallen from the most recent arrangement. Chrissie’s handiwork, she had no doubt.
A gentle breeze blew through the graveyard and she brushed her hair back. “Every time
I feel a breeze like that when I’m here, I try to tell myself it’s you. Talking to
me.”
A knot swelled in her chest. It was going to choke her. End her. Sucking in a breath,
she pressed her fisted hand to her forehead and tried to level out.
It was done.
Not completely, she knew that, but she had the answers. After all this time.
Hearing the faintest whisper of sound, she tensed and slid a quick look behind her.
The sight of Dean crossing the ground to her had her heart skipping a few beats. He
was still wearing the suit, all sexy and sleek in a charcoal suit that probably cost
a mint. But he’d loosened the tie, pulled out the cord he used to keep his dreads
back from his face. And he looked tired as he came to a stop beside her.
“Want some company?” he asked softly.
She shrugged and looked back at her mother’s headstone. “Sure. Have a seat.” Then
she scowled and looked at his suit. “Then again, you might not want to sit in that.”
He blew out a breath. “After the day I’ve had, all I want to do is sit.”
“All?”
A faint grin tugged at his lips. “Maybe not all.” He slid a hand up her back, cupped
her nape. “You weren’t at the station today.”
“No. I spent it with my family.” She plucked a blade of grass and rubbed it between
her fingers. “The chief knew I needed the day. So I took it.”
“Understandable. How are they?”
“Confused. Mad at me. They want answers I can’t give them right now, but…”
Dean caught her hand. “You’ll have some soon, I think. Guy … have you talked to him?”
At the sound of Guy’s name, she flinched.
“No. I … no. Shit.” Clambering to her feet, she wrapped her arms around herself and
stared off into the distance. “Have you learned anything?”
Dean’s arms came around her and although a huge part of her wanted to pull away, it
felt so very right to lean against him. Was it wrong? What was so wrong about this? Taking comfort in the arms of the man she … her stomach dropped
out.
Oh, hell.
Swallowing, she turned around but instead of looking up at him
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