Page 66 of Home Town Knight

I smiled. “Let’s get going then. So we can break this investigation wide open, and then have the rest of our time available for the good stuff.”

Until I have to go home to Denver, I thought.Until we have to say goodbye.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Owen

The momentI asked River to help me out, he agreed. So we grabbed Gen’s belongings that she’d brought to the station, jumped in my SUV, and drove the short distance over to River’s apartment.

He lived on Main Street in a rental above the Hartley Saloon. I pulled around to the back of the building. River stood on the second-floor landing, waving down at us. His hair was a wild mess as usual, and he wore the black-framed glasses he favored whenever he’d been staring at a screen. They were blue-light blockers rather than corrective.

“I already sent him the info on Stillwater you shared with me,” I said to Gen. “Not sure if he’s dug into it yet. I figured you would be better at answering any questions he has.” But I didn’t get out yet. I was worrying a loose thread in the seam of my jacket, something I did when I was restless.

Gen noticed. “You’re not honestly afraid of me and River flirting, are you? He seems like a good guy, but I’m not interested. The only man in Hartley I’ve got my eye on is you.”

I reached for her hand, feeling a smile warm my expression. “I was kidding about that.” Mostly. “I’m just trying to sort through everything in my head. It doesn’t sit right.”

Stillwater had been operating here for over a year, probably longer, and I’d had no clue.None. How could I serve and protect my constituents when I didn’t even know the true extent of the danger? It was enough to shake a man’s confidence.

Both DA Grissom and Norris had been harping on the next election, on my preciousreputation, but I didn’t give one single shit about that. Not if it made me care more about appearances than substance. If that had been my outlook, the smartest move would be to pretend I’d never heard of Stillwater at all. Just find whoever had killed Ace Tucker, tie the case up in a bow, and ignore any complications.

That wasn’t me.

Gen and I had this much in common. We both would risk our careers for the truth.

The only solution was to get to the bottom of this. Thank goodness I had friends I could count on, because this wasn’t the kind of case I could tackle alone.

And I had Genevieve. A woman I’d quickly come to respect as a confidante. This wasn’t the ideal time to meet someone like her and wonder if we could be more. But my mind was pulled in that direction too. As if I didn’t have enough to ponder.

One thing was certain: I couldn’t allow anything to happen to her, yet the potential danger just kept increasing.

I wouldn’t have considered leaving Genevieve with River if I didn’t have complete faith in him. The guy was an ex-Navy SEAL and CIA spy. Flirtatious, yes. But he probably knew a hundred ways to kill someone with a piece of string.

“We can talk more later,” she said. “Share what we learn.”

“Sounds great. I’ll be looking forward to it.” I leaned over to capture her lips. She was wearing my cap again. I liked seeing her in it. I tugged gently on her braid, which trailedover her shoulder. “I’ll keep the rest of my deep thoughts on hold until I’m with you again.”

“Are you going to walk me up?” She nodded at the outdoor staircase leading to River’s place. He was still on the landing, arms crossed and looking impatient.

I shook my head. “I need to catch up to Rossiter and Sykes, find out what they know about the missing evidence.”

Her hand wrapped around my arm. “You’ll be careful? Keep me updated about where you are?”

I liked that she was concerned about me. I didn’t want her to be nervous. But it suggested I wasn’t alone in this feeling. This sense that we had the potential to be more than just a brief fling.

“I will.” I gave her one more quick kiss. “I’ll see you soon.”

Keira still hadn’t pinned down where Sykes and Rossiter were. It seemed the state patrol dispatcher was having trouble locating them. But it turned out that I didn’t have to wait long, at least for Sykes.

As I drove down Main Street, I spotted the asshole eating a late lunch at Jessi’s Diner.

Immediately, I pulled to the curb. Jumped out and stormed over to the glass door. He saw me coming, pausing as he chewed his sandwich.

I slid into the booth across from him, waving off the server who came to take my order. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“Sheriff?” he said, mouth full. Crumbs littered the front of his uniform. He swallowed and reached for his iced tea to take a hefty gulp. “What about?”

There was only one other customer in the diner at themoment, sitting in a far corner out of earshot. Still, I kept my voice down. “Where’s Rossiter?”

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