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"Where are you guys?" I asked, zipping my coat as I stepped into the crisp morning air. After being cooped up in that sterile hospital room for the night, it felt good to be outside.
"At the B&B. Room two," my best friend and business partner replied, his voice steady and light—just like he was.
Colt was funny when I needed it and serious when the situation did; he was the perfect wingman, and he was someone who’d had my back for what felt like my entire life. I hadn’t thought of my injury as a big deal while it was happening or while I was getting loaded into that ambulance, but hearing Colt’s voice? It somehow had sand clogging my windpipe, and I had to clear my throat before I could speak again.
But then I scowled, shaking my head as I walked toward the center of town. "Wait, the B&B? Really?"
"What? Where else should I have taken him? The kid needed a safe place to sleep last night."
Hanging my head, I pulled back my attitude. “No, you’re right. Thanks for taking care of him."
"Of course."
I took a minute to settle myself as I walked, taking in the show of fall in this tiny Tennessee town. The treeslining the streets blazed with shades of crimson, gold, and copper. Pumpkins and scarecrows littered the porches and shop windows I passed, and the breeze carried a hint of wood smoke.
What I wouldn’t give to sit by a fire with a beer in hand right about now. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t plan on sitting anywhere for at least the rest of the day. Maybe two.
I still couldn’t believe I’d gotten shot—not to mention where the bullet had grazed me. But worse than that, I couldn’t believe my little brother had witnessed it.
"Colt,” I said, almost afraid to ask but needing to know. “How's the kid holding up?"
"Oddly enough, he's good. Excited to see you. Won't stop asking me questions about the case."
The chill in the air burned my nostrils as I snorted. "You tell him anything?"
"You think I wanna be the next one laid up for a bullet wound in my—” He stopped short, chuckling as he course-corrected. "Backside?"
"Nice save."
"He's gonna have the same questions for you, though, so get ready."
I heard the humor in Colton’s tone as he raised his voice slightly, and my lips tipped up as I pictured Austin's wry smile as he listened in from somewhere in the room. I could practically see his lanky form sprawled across the B&B’s bed, with his tousled brown hair and sharp blue eyes locked on the ceiling as he listened in. And I bet he hated the bed, with its probably outdated floral bedding, and it’d be just like him to show that by having his muddy boots propped on the antique footboard.
"Find anything out while you were in the hospital that you wanna share before you get here? Ya know,for my ears only?" Colt asked.
A faint voice in the background called out an offended, "Hey, not fair!" and I grinned.
"Well, first, one of the women we saw with Hope the other night was a nurse at the hospital."
"Really?"
"Yep."
I would've recognized her anywhere. When Colt and I staked out the town to learn more about our target, I'd had to do a double take when I first laid eyes on Dakota Cole. There was something magnetic about her, and no matter how much I needed to watch Hope and learn abouther... I couldn't keep my attention from drifting back to Dakota.
It was annoying… but I also hadn't fought it too hard.
"Did you ask the nurse about her friend?" Colt asked.
"Nah. I didn't get a chance. Started to, but then a cop walked in and made her leave the room."
My teeth ground together just thinking about the air of protectiveness—not to mention the affection—wafting off the officer. It wasn't subtle at all, and something inside me had come alive right along with it when he'd fired it up in her direction.
I wasn't sure what their relationship was, but I knew he cared about her, and that bothered me for reasons I didn’t care to explore too deeply.
"Do you think she'll know anything about what we're after? Maybe you can get to know her a bit. See what you can get out of her."
Colt’s suggestion bothered me for two reasons: First, I didn’t like the idea of using Dakota for information, even though it would make total sense.
