Page 29 of Rogue Wave

Dougie and Hank exchanged a weird look along with what appeared to be a secret-sharing thing with their eyes.

I sighed and sat back down in my chair, frustrated with how this night had turned. I’d just wanted to eat my delicious Italian food, listen to my audiobook, and have a peaceful night.

Once again, the men in my life had ruined everything.

9

“Bioluminescence is just the ocean throwing a rave party.”

—It’s science

Hank

Shadow and I had just finished our nightly walk on the beach and were walking back up the trail to my house when I saw Hazel’s car pull up her driveway.

I could have walked into my house through the back door. It not only would have been faster than going around the side next to Hazel’s place, but it also would have kept her from engaging me.

Secretly, though, I knew I wanted her to engage me. If Dougie were around, we would hang out on either of our porches most nights. But lately, even on the nights I knew he was working, I still sat out on my own porch in the hopes that I would catch a glimpse of Hazel.

It was insane, but I couldn’t help myself.

Not wanting to startle her as I rounded the corner of my house, I yelled out to her as she walked from her car to her front porch. “You’re late tonight.”

She jerked back and let out a small shriek.

She put her hands on her hips defiantly, which caused her chest to stick out, drawing my attention to her beautiful set of tits I knew were buried under that tight shirt.

“As a sheriff, I would think you would be aware that stalking is illegal in all fifty states,” she hollered back dryly.

God, this woman was quick-witted, full of attitude, and sexy as hell. All things I should keep away from, but I loved it, which was why I goaded her so much.

I watched her as she turned away, clearly dismissing me, and walked up to her place. I was going to shout something back at her, desperate to keep the conversation going, when she jerked to a halt on the bottom step, the delightful, smirking look on her face gone. She stared frozen at her front porch as if she were dissecting it. Then she slowly started taking steps backward, as if something was there that shouldn’t be.

“Hazel,” I said in a low voice, trying to figure out what was wrong.

There was no reply. She was still focused on something near her front door. As I rounded the front of her house to approach her, I scanned her porch but found nothing.

“Shadow, come,” I commanded, and she quickly came to my side, her body in a low position, clearly picking up on my cues.

I put my hand on Hazel’s back as she continued to step backward, stopping her in place.

I muttered quietly, “What’s wrong?”

“Someone’s been here and tried to get in.” Her voice was low and steady, but there was definitely fear as her gaze never left the porch.

“How do you know that?”

“Because I set a trap,” she said simply.

She did what?

“Why would you need to set a trap?”

Her shoulder jerked, as if to give a halfhearted shrug. “Because I thought Rourke might come back since he thinks I’m hiding something related to the reward money. It made me nervous, so I set the trap.”

Okay, there was a lot to dissect there, but one thing at a time.

“What trap did you set?”