AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Colt’s fingers stilled on the keyboard. He glanced up at me, eyebrows drawn together. “Barto is clearly the partner who tried to kill Syd Wharton for the treasure, right?”
“Seems likely,” I agreed. “Unless Barto somehow found out about the treasure later and just wants it for himself. But Shifty didn’t know the partner’s name, so we’re still missing that piece.”
Colt frowned, his fingers tapping idly on the edge of the laptop. “And no one knows where Syd is?”
I shook my head.
Colt’s eyes narrowed as he processed everything. “So… do we think Barto did something to Syd? Maybe that’s why he disappeared?”
My jaw clenched. “He might have. We need to figure out if Barto was in Charlotte Oaks around the time Roy passed away.Shifty said Syd didn’t show up for the funeral, so if Barto was in town back then, it’s possible he took Syd out.”
Colt’s gaze flicked up to meet mine, his tone turning serious. “Do you think Barto is the one who shot you?”
I blinked, the question hitting me harder than I expected. “Why would he?” I asked, frowning. “He hired us to retrieve his stolen goods. It doesn’t make sense that he’d try to take me out before we could do it.”
Colt rubbed his chin, thoughtful. “So… could it have been a freak hunting accident after all? Just a coincidence?”
I let out a dry laugh. “You know I don’t believe in coincidences.”
“Yeah… sure.” Colt leaned back, a slow grin spreading across his face. “But maybe think of it as unrelated to the case—just a little divine intervention to lead you straight to Dakota.” His tone was level, his expression serious, but the mischievous glint in his eye told me exactly how much he was enjoying this.
I shot him a deadpan look, my voice flat. “You’ve got jokes now?”
“Who’s joking?” Colt spread his hands, all innocent. “I’m just saying, sometimes the universe works in mysterious ways.”
I grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at him. “You’re the worst.”
He dodged it easily, laughing as he leaned back in his chair. “Come on, admit it. You’re in deep with her.”
I groaned, running a hand through my hair.Yeah, no kidding.
Colt gave me a knowing look, his grin widening. “I warned you.”
“Yeah, well,” I muttered, shaking my head, “maybe try not to look so happy about it if you really thought it was a bad idea.”
“What can I say? Maybe I’m just a sucker for romance.”
Romance,I thought bitterly. It wasn’t a word that was in my vocabulary. Between the terrible relationship examples I witnessed growing up and my own past attempts that ended in disaster or never really took off, it wasn’t something I wanted to prioritize.But Dakota…Dakota had already turned everything upside down, and I wasn’t sure I could—or wanted to—get things back to where they were before.
And that kiss? It had already changed everything.
“So, what’s the next move?” Colt asked, leaning forward now, his serious tone back in place.
“I don’t know... I need to talk to her. Make sure she knows that kiss meant something but that I’m still leaving when the case is closed, and—” I stopped, narrowing my eyes when I found Colt grinning from ear to ear. “What? What’s wrong with your face?”
“I wasn’t talking about Dakota.”
I let my head fall back with a sigh, then after taking a beat to get my head on straight, I met Colt’s gaze. His expression had softened, the teasing grin gone now, replaced with something more serious.
“I mean it, Tuck. What’s the next move? With the case. If Barto’s out there, and you think he’s dangerous… what are we walking into?”
For a moment, the weight of it all pressed down on me—the case, the danger, and now Dakota. I had no idea what the hell we were walking into, but one thing was certain.
Whatever was coming next, it wasn’t just about treasure anymore.
18?/?
dakota
