Page 26 of Shades of You

“Does it matter?” I replied, avoiding the question Iwasn’t ready to answer. Protecting Brenna felt as natural as breathing, but whether it was from Knox or from me remained to be seen.

Garrett eyed me, assessing and silent, always the strategist planning his next move. I could practically hear the cogs turning in his head.

“Look, I’m not in the mood for twenty questions,” I said, standing abruptly. “I’ve got things to do. Like trying to find the asshole. Keep watching Brenna today, okay?”

“Sure thing, boss,” he replied blandly but let me escape without further interrogation.

I slid into the driver’s seat of my SUV. The cool leather against my skin was a stark contrast to the heat Brenna’s proximity ignited within me. “Dammit.”

I knew what I needed to do—check on Knox. Locate the son of a bitch or confirm that he was out of the picture. And find an excuse to pull back from Brenna before I entangled us in something neither of us could escape. If Knox was truly gone, then so was my reason for staying close to her. And maybe that would be better for both of us.

Except that every cell in my body screamed in protest, wanting to claim what my heart had always thought of as mine. Yet the echo of my past reverberated loudly in my head, reminding me I wasn’t the man for her. I pressed the ignition button and the engine roared to life.

After several more hours ofuseless searching, a thirty-minute drive brought me to isolated Middle Torch Key, where I staked out an old address I’d found for Knox. I settled into my seat, and my frustration only mounted that I’d still found no sign of him. Earlier, I’d returned to the boatyard, and his boss said he’d just filled out Knox’stermination paperwork. Knox’s roommate was clueless, offering nothing but shrugged shoulders and empty beer cans as answers. Knox’s meager, tattered belongings were still there, untouched and gathering dust—an abandoned life with no forwarding address. The roommate had been more pissed off about needing to find someone else to split the rent.

“Chasing ghosts,” I said aloud, my voice echoing off the metal confines of the air-conditioned SUV. The sun outside was relentless, its glare like an accusation. This stakeout at Knox’s old place was a last-ditch effort, and I knew it. The ramshackle building stood desolate, a front yard full of nothing but weeds and rusting car parts. All of it a monument to futility.

My phone buzzed, Gabe’s text lighting up the screen.

Gabe: You up for a beer?

A beer this early? I drew my brows down, but they flew up after I checked the time. It was mid-afternoon. I’d been sitting here, staring at this empty piece-of-shit house for hours. I quickly texted back.

Hunter: Sure. Conch Republic? I can be there in thirty minutes.

Gabe: See you there.

I could use a drink, but even more, I needed some semblance of normalcy. With a sigh, I pulled out onto the road and away from the ghost house. But as much as I tried to leave my feelings behind, they clung to me, stubborn as the salt air on the breeze. My tongue found the cut where my mouth had torn on my teeth from that amazing kiss. Awave of desire rolled through me. I couldn’t abandon Brenna so easily, but now I had no reason to keep her close.

Knox was gone.

The Conch Republic Brewpub was housed in what used to be a cannery. I pushed open the heavy wooden door, and the familiar scent of fried conch and beer welcomed me. The place had a rustic charm, with exposed ductwork overhead and worn wooden tables that held the stories of countless patrons. The brewpub was already humming with a mixture of locals unwinding and tourists seeking authenticity.

“Over here,” Gabe called out from a booth by the window where the light caught the lingering dust in the air, turning it into gold. He’d already ordered a pitcher of the house IPA, and frosty condensation beaded down the sides.

“Thanks,” I muttered, sliding in opposite him. I poured myself a glass, the frothy head spilling slightly over the rim.

“I ran into Myles this morning as he was coming off his final overnight shift,” Gabe said. “You hired two pretty good guys.”

I barely heard him as I stared at the bubbles rising through the golden fluid in front of me.

“Hello? What’s up with you?”

I snapped my head up at that. Then I rubbed my face with both hands, expelling a sigh that was almost a growl. “I’ve been working on a new case. And it’s eating me alive.”

Reluctantly, I told him the whole story. Almost the whole story. I couldn’t bring myself to admit I’d been in love with Brenna for years. “I can’t let it go any further, but it’s looking like her ex is out of the picture. So I guess the whole thing is just going to end.” My gut clenched at that.

Gabe cocked his head. “You just said you couldn’t seeher due to a conflict of interest. Sounds like that won’t be an issue anymore. So what’s the problem?”

I took a long pull from my glass, hoping the cool liquid would soothe the heat pulsing through me at the thought of that kiss. “It’s complicated.”

Gabe leaned back and studied my expression. “Because she’s a Coleridge?”

“Please.” I scoffed, pushing away thoughts of old arguments and historic bitterness. “That’s got nothing to do with it.”

“The enmity between our families isn’t nothing, Hunter. It’s a pretty major complication.”

I raised my eyes to meet his. “If one of her brothers wants to pick a fight with me, I’m all for it.”

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