Page 102 of Home Town Knight

I narrowed my eyes. I’d read every single article that Gen had written since she’d arrived at her new job. “Of course I’ve read it. She sent it to me yesterday. Before it was officially published.”

“Oh, you’re still talking to her? I thought it was just me.”

I clenched my hands into fists, willing myself not to strangle my friend. River loved to stir up shit.

From the day Genevieve had left Hartley, we’d remained in close touch. We texted nearly every day, spoke on the phone or video-called almost as often. We’d had more late-night conversations than I could count. Sharing memories from our childhood, debating music and movies. We could lose hours talking about nothing.

And every one of those conversations ripped my heart out.

The only thing worse than talking to Gen was the thought of us drifting apart. Losing touch, which was inevitable. She had a bright future ahead of her. A future that wouldn’t bring her back to Hartley.

This morning, she’d published her article revealing a portion of Stillwater’s crimes, forcing them out into the open. It was a huge shot across the bow. As always, I was nervous about her safety. But more than anything, I was damned proud of her.

“Any sign of a response from Stillwater so far?” I asked.

River and Cerberus, as well as their extended hacker network, had been keeping tabs on Stillwater for the last couple of months. The criminal organization had remained dormant. Trying to ride out their exposure here in Hartley. Genevieve’s article was designed to compel them to take action and reveal themselves. There were other reporters out there who’d received tips on Stillwater from the same hacking group Cerberus belonged to. She believed more stories would follow. More pressure.

“We’re monitoring the chatter on the dark web. I also asked a couple of SEAL brothers of mine to keep an eye on Genevieve. It would be extremely foolish of them to retaliate against her, given the national attention on this. But people do foolish things all the time.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” I muttered. “Thanks for doing that.”

“Of course. Now that she’s finished her big story, she’s heading back to Denver to finish packing up the rest of her belongings. She still has some things in storage. I’ll make sure someone tails her from the airport. She’s already refused an official escort for the trip, so I’ll keep it discreet.”

I pretended to be extremely interested in the oldwallpaper on the far wall. “Right. Makes sense.” Meanwhile, my chest felt like one of those nail guns had just fired straight into it.

She hadn’t told me about her trip to Denver.

Gen had sent me the article early, so it wasn’t like she’d disregarded me completely. But she’d mentioned the trip to River. Apparently he was her new best friend.

Maybe the details about her trip had gotten lost in the last few days. She’d been incredibly busy.

Unless she hadn’twantedme to know.

This would be the closest she’d come to Hartley in months. It was a long drive, sure. But if she’d asked me to meet her in Denver, I would’ve done it. No matter how much it would torture me to see her for a few days, touch her, and say goodbye again. It would’ve been worth it.

I was that far gone. But Gen didn’t feel the same.

“And what about you, Tex?” River said. “How are things?”

Aside from this bleeding hole in my chest?I thought.

“I’m all right.”

The attorney general’s office hadn’t issued their final report, but they’d signaled multiple times that I wouldn’t be charged with any wrongdoing. Norris was recovering well from his gunshot wound, which had been through and through. Hadn’t done any damage to his bum knee. He was now on desk duty and in fighting shape otherwise. As eager to take down Stillwater as I was, now that he knew more about the organization. Maybe I was his boss, but I relied on his advice and mentorship every day. I hadn’t told him about the Protectors yet, not in any detail, but I was confident we would get there.

Keira was also doing great. She’d struck up a friendship with my buddy Dean. I didn’t know what was going on there, but I knew I could trust him with her.

“What about the election coming up later this year? Haveyou changed your mind about me doing opposition research on Jud Hale?”

I managed a watery smile. “Nah. Still not interested.”

Even though public opinion favored the actions I’d taken to save Genevieve and stop a killer, Jud had officially thrown his hat into the sheriff’s race. The trouble was, I had a hard time caring. My cynicism was at an all-time high. I still planned to run, of course, but I didn’t know if my heart was in it.

Maybe my heart was focused on the wrong things.

River drummed his fingers on the side of his laptop. “I was kidding earlier. I know you talk to Genevieve a lot. And trust me, whenever I speak to her, she asks about you. Manages to work you into the conversation only every five minutes or so.”

I shifted in my chair. “Your point?”

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