Parker’s no fool. She’s only been on the job for two years, but she’s got the best instincts of anyone I know besides my brother—and maybe me.
“Go see him. He won’t admit it, but he’s really struggling, Jasper. Every Saturday he goes out on the same trail Grace used the day she disappeared. I know you can’t run anymore, but maybe one day…you could go with him.”
Fuck. I didn’t know it was that bad. “I’ll talk to him. Don’t expect much. Big brother doesn’t give two shits about what I have to say. But…I’ll try.”
Dark clouds gather on the horizon as I park my truck next to AJ’s black SUV. His lake-front property has seen better days. Brown patches of dead grass dot the front lawn, the bushes are so overgrown, they’ve started to block the windows, and his gutters are chock full of weeds.
The doorbell echoes through the house, but he doesn’t answer. I give it one more try—and a good two minutes—before I head for the side gate. He used to keep a spare key under one of the planters by the back door.
Behind the house, the late afternoon sun hits the water. A stiff breeze turns the lake into a sea of glittering diamonds. I always loved this view. Hell, we’d sit out here for hours on a Saturday night with the fire pit going—back when AJ and Grace used to invite me over on the regular.
Belle, an Australian Shepherd/Bernese Mountain Dog mix, trots over to me and nudges my hand with her nose. The pup was so bonded to Grace that AJ had to give her anxiety meds for months. Belle didn’t want to be anywhere but at the front door waiting for her person to come home.
“Wasn’t sure you’d remember me,” I say as I scratch Belle behind her ears. “But you’re a smart girl.” I squint up at the house, and though the sun against the tall windows threatens to blind me, I can make out AJ sitting in one of the Adirondack chairs on the deck. “Come on. Maybe he’s got a tennis ball up there.”
The dog sticks close to my side until I find an old, faded ball next to the steps. Then she starts dancing around me until I throw the mangled thing halfway to the lake.
“What are you doing here?” AJ asks, his gaze pinned to the water. A bottle of Shiner sits at his elbow.
“Thought I’d drop off a dictionary to remind you what the words, ‘Give me two hours,’ mean. You were supposed to call me back, asshole.” I lower myself down into the chair next to him with a quiet grunt.
“Leg?” AJ sits up a little straighter, but he still doesn’t look at me.
“And hip. The explosion knocked me on my ass last night.” I dig my knuckles into my thigh, but the pressure doesn’t bring much relief. Only an ice pack and a couple bottles of beer can take the edge off.
Belle drops the tennis ball at my feet, her tongue lolling out of her mouth and her butt wiggling so fast it’s practically a blur. AJ swipes it up before I can move. “No offense, Jas, but your pitching arm ain’t worth shit anymore.”
He’s not wrong. The ball travels almost twice as far this time. Belle takes off like a shot. That dog can go for miles without getting the least bit worn out. Grace used to take her on long runs every weekend. If Belle had been with Grace that day…maybe she’d still be here. But she’d stepped on a wasp the day before, so Grace left her at home.
“Are you investigating Eugene Fowler?” I’m done mincing words with my brother. He’s gonna give me a straight answer or I’m gonna kick his ass.
“Of course not!” He turns his head to meet my gaze. “For fuck’s sake. I would have told you.”
“I asked Parker about the Cordova Cartel. She clammed up on me. So don’t give me that attitude. I know you’re hidin’ something.”
Belle drops the ball between us, then stares from me to AJ and back again before she tries to climb into AJ’s lap. He wraps his arms around her, a small smile curving his lips despite having an eighty-pound dog crushing his nuts.
“When have we not had an active case against the cartel?” he asks. “Far as I know, there are at least three separate investigations goin’ on right now. But I ain’t involved in any of them. Neither is Parker.”
Well, fuck.
AJ takes a swig from his beer. “You want one?”
“No.” That’s a bald-faced lie, but I can’t shoot the shit with him for the rest of the afternoon—as much as I’d like to. We’ve talked more this week than in the past eight months combined. “I have to pick Emi up at seven. If she’ll let me, I’ll bring her out to Grandpappy Blade’s cabin. Otherwise, we’ll be at her place.”
“We?” AJ gives me the side eye. “What the fuck are you doing, Jas? Knockin’ boots with the woman who almost blew up the case against the Marquez drug ring? You barely know her!”
I push to my feet. Belle whines, and I reach over and give her sleek head one last stroke. “Since you barely know me anymore, what I do or don’t do with Emi is none of your damn business.”
Without waiting for him to say another word, I head for my car. I should have enough time to stop at home, take a shower, and pack a bag for the weekend. If I’m lucky, Emi and I will be knockin’ boots by the end of the night. But AJ doesn’t need to know that.
I’m fresh out of the shower when the six o’clock news comes on. After the initial headlines, the anchor—some guy named Jim Flanagan—stares straight into the camera. “And now, Emmylou Marsh is here with an update on the Empress Hotel and Eugene Fowler controversy. Emmylou?”
The camera pans to Emi sitting next to him. Her bruises are still visible, and she looks exhausted. “Thank you, Jim. Over the past week, we’ve brought you a story of bribery, corruption, and possible cartel ties with Consolidated Investment Group. Last night, while I was doing my weekly grocery shopping, someone wired a bomb to my car. It went off when I was only steps away.”
She stares into the camera, brushing a lock of hair away from her face to reveal the dark purple bruise swelling at her temple. “While I haven’t uncovered any other proof linking the cartel to Consolidated Investment Group, the attack on me has their fingerprints all over it.”
Goddamnit. She’s painting an even bigger target on her back. It only takes me five minutes to get dressed and shove a couple changes of clothes into a duffel bag. I need to get back to Channel 5. Right fucking now.
