Spying Nic, he started to say something, but Nic held a finger to his lips, shushing him. He nodded at Cam asleep on the sofa, and Jamie smiled, keeping quiet as he made his way to Nic. “How long’s he been out?”
Nic checked the phone Cam had left on the table. “Couple of hours.”
Jamie, in sweats and a T-shirt, slid onto the stool beside him, looking him up and down. Nic knew what he was seeing. Same dress slacks from last night, wrinkled. Same dress shirt as well, likewise wrinkled. Scruff filling in as he approached three days without a shave. Not his usual look. “No, I haven’t slept any,” he answered before Jamie could ask. “And I already got the lecture from your husband”—he waved a hand—“so just no.”
Jamie chuckled until his smile turned contemplative. “I heard what you said last night at the hospital.”
“Walker.”
“We’ve been telling you for months that you’re family. Glad you’re starting to believe us.”
Nic rested his forearms on the table, gaze aimed out the window at the rising sun over the water. “Like I told Keith, I didn’t exactly have a functional one growing up. It’s hard to know what to do with one now.”
“You think we’re functional?” He slapped a hand over his mouth, trying and failing to contain his laughter. “Pssh.”
Nic couldn’t hold back his own laugh.
Seemed Jamie couldn’t hold back his coaching-moment either. “You protect, Price. You’ve been doing that for our family for a while now, and you’re doing it for Cam’s now, even if they don’t fully appreciate it.”
He gestured at the folders and documents on the table. “I wish I could do more, somehow mold this into a case, but we have so little to go on.”
“Or maybe not,” Jamie said, eyes locked on the sheet of paper Nic had clipped to one of the folders. “What’s this?” he asked.
Cam’s torso popped up, hanging over the back of the couch. “What’s what?”
“Sorry,” Jamie said. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”
“How long have I been out?”
“Just a couple hours,” Nic replied. “You needed it.”
Standing, Cam ran a hand through his hair, making it a bigger mess than it was already. “What were you asking about?” he said, coming to stand beside Nic.
“The list Becca made.” Nic nudged the paper toward him. “Names from the crew she used to run with here after she left home.”
Cam tapped at the third name down. “This one looks familiar. I’ve seen it. I’m just not sure where.”
“Laptop’s in my room.” Jamie stood and grabbed the list. “I’m gonna go run these again.”
“And I’m going to make coffee. Maybe it’ll jog the memory.” Cam glided a hand over Nic’s shoulders as he crossed behind him. The casual touch felt good, right again after not having the closeness when they’d needed it most.
Nic wanted more of it and with Jamie out of the room . . . Though hadn’t Cam wanted to tell their friends about them, if not his family? And hadn’t Nic effectively shown his hand to Jamie the night Bobby had called about Edith? Or last night in the van? At the hospital? No way the former investigator hadn’t figured it out. Nic was tired of hiding if he didn’t have to, especially when Cam needed every bit of support he could offer. He slid off his stool and followed him into the kitchenette. “How you feeling?”
Cam popped in a single-serve capsule, locked down the lid, and hit the Start button. Coffee brewing, he rotated and rested back against the counter. Nic was sure he was going to tell him to piss off. “I feel like this might just be the second worst week of my life,” he admitted instead.
Nic didn’t need to ask which week was Cam’s worst. It was the very reason they were here, buried in old case files that led nowhere. Stretching out an arm, he circled Cam’s shoulders and tugged him into his body. He was stiff at first but then relaxed into the hold. Nic dropped a kiss on his head. “We’re going to solve it.”
Relaxation vanished, however, when Cam’s phone vibrated on the table.
Stiff as a board one second, darting over to the table the next, Cam either didn’t notice Jamie standing in his bedroom doorway or didn’t care that his best friend had seen them embracing. Nic hoped the latter, that he’d made the right call. Jamie’s slight nod to him said as much, but Cam didn’t notice their exchange, reading a text on his phone instead.
“It’s Di,” he told them. “She said to call in.”
“So call in.” Jamie crossed the room, setting his laptop on the table, while Nic moved to stand beside Cam.
Di answered Cam’s call right away. “Morning, sugar.”
“Need a good one, Di. Tell me what you’ve got.”
