Page 28 of Falling for the Wrong Guy

“Sorry, Leo, I don’t think our friendship is at that level of trust yet.”

“Three of them,” Leo growled. “Part of some underground stolen goods ring. The guy behind bars, the one who beat up your friend—he’s one of them. Now, how about a hand up?”

“How much do they know about the location?” I asked.

“Not much. Just that the box was in Whisper Cove and something about rocks.”

“That’s it?” I asked.

“I swear that’s all we know. My ankle is swelling.”

“You’re leaving town, and neither of you will go near Quinn or his family … or the café owner.” I started down toward Leo.

“I’m leaving town the second we get to the truck.” He looked at Ace. “You should go with me. These guys are dangerous.”

Ace nodded reluctantly. “Yeah, all right. Sure could have used that ten grand, though.”

It took some strategic hiking, but I managed to reach Leo. I glanced around at the rocks. There was no way Quinn hiked down the treacherous rocks to hide the box. I looked at Ace. “You get under his right arm, and I’ll get under the left. And you move when I tell you, okay? We’re going to have to be in sync all the way up, or all three of us are going to end up dead and broken on these rocks.”

It took a good twenty minutes to get back to the top. We helped Leo to the truck, and the two climbed in and took off without looking back. It seemed that Quinn held all the good information right through to the end. That matched up with everything I knew about him. Thanks to his rotten childhood, he knew how to endure far more agony than most. I supposed you could have considered it one of the few life skills his dad left him with.

I climbed on the motorcycle and started it up. Tonight, even my damp cabin and hard bunk sounded inviting.

ChapterEighteen

Aria

I’d been relieved to get back to my cozy house, but while it was easy to relax my weary bones, my mind wouldn’t settle. The whole scene at Kellan’s replayed in my head over and over until I finally said, “Enough, Aria, turn it off.” I slept so poorly; it seemed every time I looked at the clock on my nightstand, only a few minutes had passed. The alarm jerked me from what was finally my best sleep of the entire night. My head and even my limbs felt as if they were filled with cement as I walked to the café. I usually enjoyed my early dawn walk to the restaurant. It gave me a chance to get into a workday mindset and fill up my mental to-do list. But this morning, I didn’t even pause to admire the pinkish glow peeking through the fog, signaling that daylight was on its way and the coastal fog would dissolve soon.

My chin was tucked down under my coat collar, and my hands were stuffed deep in my pockets. I stared down at the ground as I headed along Juniper Road. It was hard to focus, but I tried to push a to-do list into my sleep-deprived brain. I passed Stylish Stitches, the clothing boutique next to the café. I finally looked up to see if Claire had anything new in her shop window but was startled by a dark figure coming the other direction on the otherwise empty sidewalk. After the incident at the café, I was on high alert. I stiffened and my gaze flew to the café door. I could make it there in three big steps, and, if the door lock cooperated (which wasn’t always the case) probably slip inside before the person reached me.

I picked up my pace and was just a step away from the door when the figure came more into view. I should have recognized him sooner, given his size.

Dex reached me, and we stood for a few seconds in silence just staring at each other. “Couldn’t sleep,” he said.

“I know the feeling.”

“Hope I didn’t ruin your night.”

I laughed lightly. “No, I think last night was already destined for failure.”

He looked at me in question.

“Your surprise appearance definitely didn’t help, but Kellan and I—I don’t know. Things were pretty smooth the first six months, but … anyhow.”

Dex stepped closer. He looked anguished. “He’ll treat you right. My brother will treat you like a princess, like you deserve.”

“Not entirely sure we’re still together after last night. I left early, and we were both upset.”

“He’s not going to give up easily on someone like you, Aria. I’m sure of that. I came here this morning not just to apologize about last night.” He raked his fingers through his hair and looked shyly down for a second. “I just wanted to say—I always looked up to him when we were kids. He was my big brother, and I followed him around, copied everything he did.” A faint smile broke through. I much preferred to see him with a smile. “He loved to dip his chicken nuggets in ranch sauce. I thought the stuff tasted awful and much preferred ketchup, but Kel was dipping in ranch, so I did too. He never seemed to mind me tagging along. Then, I guess we both got old enough to realize that we were polar opposites.” Another smile. “Guess the ranch dressing should have been my first clue. Yeah, I got into trouble a lot more than I should have, and I didn’t like school, and I ended up in the principal’s office enough that the principal knew my dad’s number by heart. My dad never got very mad though. Kellan likes to say that I caused nothing but problems for our parents, but Dad and I were really close. We’d spend hours in his garage fixing old cars, and he’d tell me about his childhood on an Iowa farm. He died of a heart attack while I was stationed on the East Coast, and I was so devastated I could hardly talk or breathe or live.”

“I felt the same way when my mom died and then my grandmother. The two most important people in my life had left me, and it was hard to keep going. I had to though—for my sisters. Your dad’s death must have brought you and Kellan back together, right?”

“Not really. Things had been far too broken between us for years. After I realized I’d lost that connection with my own brother, a connection that I’d apparently needed far more than him, then I latched onto other people, people who were just as bad at making decisions as me. But it was my friend, Quinn, he’s the one that made me feel as if I’d found a long-lost brother. Quinn’s dad was so abusive, I worried he might kill Quinn one day. I spent my teen years trying to protect him from a monster. He spent a lot of time at our house, and Kellan wasn’t happy about it. I wish I could say it was a jealousy thing, that Kellan didn’t like Quinn because we were as close as brothers, but he didn’t like Quinn or me or any of my friends because we didn’t fit into that perfect life and future he’d planned for himself. We were an embarrassment.Iwas an embarrassment, and he was right. And now my buddy, my brother in spirit, has gotten himself back into trouble. That’s why I’m here, back in my role as his protector. Like the way you feel about your sisters. I saw all of you together, and I could tell that even as adults, they hang on your every word.”

I dropped my eyes shyly. “They do count on me a lot.”

“They’re lucky to have you. Well, I know you’re very busy, so I’ll let you go. I just wanted you to know that about me. I don’t know why—it was just really important to me that you hear it from me and not only through Kellan’s filtered version.” Dex pushed his hands back into his pockets and turned to leave.

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