Quin’s fingers bit into her biceps, and he gently pushed her away.“Do you still have the message?”
She nodded and retreated to her bedroom, where she snagged her phone.As she made her way back to the kitchen, moving through the space on autopilot, she thumbed in her voicemail password and hit the button that took her to her saved messages—the only saved message.
She handed the phone to Quin and he pressed it to his ear.His eyes darkened as he stared at her, and the creases in his forehead deepened.He slid her phone onto the kitchen counter and pinched the bridge of his nose.“Christ, that could be anything.”
“I know.”
His jaw rocked back and forth.“He said something wasn’t right at work.But why wouldn’t he tell me?”
She lifted a shoulder, part of her wanting to shield him from the hurt in his eyes.“I’m sure he planned on it.Maybe you two were busy that day and he didn’t have the chance to get you alone.He called me to hear my intuition on the matter.”
Quin nodded slowly.“I’ve replayed that day from start to finish, over and over.We were swamped.I skipped our usual morning coffee break, and we had staggered lunch hours that day.”
“He called in the morning.It was probably during the coffee break.”
He hissed out a breath.Regret etched his face, making him age right before her eyes.“Did he say anything else that sticks out in your mind?Did he see anyone around that time?”
She grimaced.“I don’t remember.Nothing that sticks out as odd.”
He exhaled and stretched his arms so his palms gripped the counter at the small of his back.Brawny muscle flexed with the movement.His skin bore tattoos that were almost as familiar to her as Liam’s.
“I’m sorry, Josie.Sorry I couldn’t save Liam and even more sorry for leaving you.Can you forgive me?”
Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes.
Quin cursed.He reached forward and pulled her into an embrace.His heart thudded against her ear and that deep ache in her chest expanded tenfold.She hadn’t been this broken before Quin arrived.The past year hadn’t brought much strength, but the tear in her heart had mended a bit.Or maybe it hadn’t.Maybe she’d just ignored the pain long enough that she could cope.She nuzzled her cheek against the smooth cotton of his Henley.“Don’t do it again.”Her voice came out raspy and uneven.
“Never,” he said.
She sniffled.Embarrassment flamed in her cheeks.She didn’t need his comfort, but at least he’d apologized.Keeping her chin tucked and her gaze down, she pulled away.“’Night.”
She trekked back to her bedroom and shut the door.This time she’d sleep and she’d replace every thought of Quin with Liam’s laughing brown eyes.
CHAPTER 3
Quin pulled thecoffee pot from the machine before it beeped.It was bad enough he’d kept Josie up last night—he didn’t need to wake her at 5:00 a.m.too.He’d showered after she’d gone to bed.
He moved soundlessly around the kitchen as he fixed his brew.His stomach grumbled.The last thing he’d eaten was something akin to meat at one of the truck stops outside Denver.The least he could do was make breakfast for Josie as a thank-you for letting him crash, but he couldn’t stick around long enough to wait for her to wake up.
He added creamer to his coffee, stirred, and downed it in three gulps.He refilled the machine and reset the timer for 7:30 a.m.so it would be ready when Josie got up.She was never one to sleep in too late.Then he swung his gaze to the hallway and let it linger on the bedroom door.
The memory of her tears on the front of his shirt made him ball his hands into fists.Those tears had been because of him.She’d shed thousands over Liam, but it wasn’t fucking right that he’d made her cry too.Leaving Whistlemore had been a dick move.A cop-out he couldn’t take back.But he’d been trapped.If whoever had killed Liam had set a bar on fire to frame him, there was no telling what other lengths they’d go to get rid of him.Getting out of Dodge and away from Josie and anyone else who could potentially get hurt was the best thing he could’ve done.
He turned, rinsed his coffee mug, and placed it in the dishwasher.Why did leaving while Josie was asleep feel like another dick move?He’d see her again.Had to.But he also had someone else to see.Someone he hadn’t talked to since the day he left and who sure as hell wouldn’t be happy to see him.He went to the kitchen drawer and found a pen and paper.
He scribbled a note to Josie, grabbed his flannel jacket, and slipped out the front door.The sun hadn’t yet risen above the mountains, but the morning light had pushed away the dark sky, creating a purply-pink hue beyond the clouds.He inhaled a deep breath and stared at Josie’s modest piece of land.The twelve-acre property was looking a little unkempt, now that Liam wasn’t around to bear some of the responsibility of caring for it.He noticed last night that the back deck needed new boards, and the front porch’s wood peeled through the five-year-old stain.Flower boxes waiting for plants hung crooked off the railing, and the concrete walkway had heaved, leaving a big crack slashed across the middle.Fallen branches, likely the result of a windstorm, had been shoved to the side of the yard near the gravel driveway.
He sighed and walked down the steps toward his car.He jangled his keys in his hand and clicked the unlock button on the fob.The crisp mountain air filled his lungs, reminding him of why he’d chosen to live in Whistlemore.The vast mountains surrounded him like armor.Living in bear country was a double-edged sword, though.On one hand, he was mesmerized by the forest and mountains, on the other, always on guard for what could be lurking in the shadows.
A chill rose up his spine, and he swiveled his gaze around as he approached his car.He should take a page from Josie’s book and have bear spray on him.He’d grab some later today.
After he faced his past.
And his business partner.
***
He was gone.
