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My brows pulled together. “What do you mean?”

She leaned in, reaching across the table to put her hand on top of Dakota’s which was still holding mine. “You’ve both wanted each other for years. You’ve been circling each other and watching each other all that time. Babe, if you ask me, this has been a long time coming.”

“But . . . what if he doesn’t feel the way I feel.”

Lennon smiled. “Then I think it’s time you pull your head out of your ass, because everything you’ve described so far? Honey, that man’s gone for you.”

I wanted to believe that. And when I was with him, everything he said and did made me feel it. “He’s keeping something from me,” I confessed, giving words to the very thought that had been sitting in the back corner of my mind since the night after Angela’s attack. “I don’t know what it is, but it’s something big, and it has to do with why he came here to work for Tolliver Brady. He promised he’d tell me, but he hasn’t.”

“Maybe he needs a little time,” Dakota reasoned.

I nodded. “Yeah, maybe. But you guys . . . you should see his house. He’s been living there for years, but you wouldn’t know it by looking. There’s hardly any furniture, no decoration, and the only photo in the entire house is him as a teenager with a girl who looks like she could be a relative, but I wouldn’t know, because he won’t talk about it.”

“Then ask him,” Lennon said. “Way I see it, you can sit here with us and let your mind swirl in all kinds of wrong directions, or you can ask him and give him a chance to give you all of him. Either way, spinning out like you are right now isn’t going to help anything.”

She was right. Rationally, I knew that. But I didn’t always feel the most rational when it came to North. I guess that was a side effect of finally landing the man you’d been fantasizing about for years. Now that I finally had what I’d wished for for so long, I couldn’t help but wait for the rug to be pulled out from under me. And given my past with Davis and my worthless, waste-of-space father, it was easier to believe something bad was waiting right around the corner than to trust what I had in my hands.

But that was what I had these ladies for. When I felt myself sliding too far, they were there to pull me back.

Deciding I was going to do what they suggested and ask North to let me carry his burdens, like he’d insisted on helping carry mine the other night, I was able to push my concerns to the back of my mind and enjoy the rest of my time with my friends.

By the time I left Daily Grind, I was feeling a hell of a lot better. But as I beeped the locks on my car and reached for the handle, I felt an uncomfortable prickling sensation on the back of my neck, as if I was being watched.

I turned and looked around trying to find the source of the discomfort. And there he was, right across the street. I couldn’t remember his name, but I recognized him as the cop that nearly retraumatized Angela all over again after her attack.

My first instinct was to lift my hand and give that sorry excuse for law enforcement the middle finger. But the look on his face made me stop. There wasn’t just anger in his eyes as he glared over at me. There was a hatred there too that I didn’t understand, but it was coming off him in strong enough waves that it made my skin crawl and sent a tremor of fear up my spine.

With his eyes still on me, I yanked open the car door and jumped inside, being sure to lock it before I started the engine. I didn’t know what the guy’s deal was, but I felt those eyes on me until I finally turned the corner and was out of sight.

TWENTY-FIVE

NORTH

I was sitting at my dining room table, going over Layne Denning’s file for what felt like the millionth time. I’d read and re-read the thing so many times I practically had the damn thing memorized. I was going through it, yet again, feeling like I was beating my head against a brick wall when the front door suddenly burst open, and Archer came stomping inside like a bull chasing after a red cape.

“The hell you playing at, man?”

I looked up from the file, my brows pulling together in confusion. “Hi to you, too.”

The look on his face told me he wasn’t in the mood for jokes. “I asked you a question, North. What the hell are you playing at?”

Slapping the folder closed, I pushed the chair back and slowly rose to my feet. I didn’t realize how long I’d been sitting in that hard, wooden chair until I stood up and felt my spine crackle like pop rocks dumped into a can of soda. It wasn’t often my body reminded me of every one of my thirty-seven years, but that uncomfortable as fuck chair sure as hell did.

Stretching out my back, I moved to the kitchen as I spoke. “Maybe if I had any clue what you were talking about, I’d be able to answer.” I opened the fridge, pulling out a beer for myself. I waved it Archer’s way in a silent offer, but whatever had him hot under the collar wouldn’t be ignored.

“I’m talking about Iris.”

My spine went stiff at the mention of her name, especially given the tone of his voice when he spoke it, but I did my best not to go on guard as I cracked the bottle open, tossing the cap into the trash before taking a much-needed pull.

“What about her?”

He threw his arms in the air in frustration. “You two are together.”

I didn’t understand why he was so upset. “You’ve known that since the campaign rally, man. If I remember correctly, you’re the one who pushed for it. Why has it become a problem all of a sudden?”

He stomped into the kitchen, stopping across the island opposite me. “The problem is, the whole goddamn town knows it too.”

I felt my own blood starting to heat at the accusation in his voice. “You’re goddamn right they do. What? You want me to hide her like some dirty little secret?”