“Solitude is enjoyable.Except for Jess and Ivy.”Ash pushed his glasses up his nose and briefly stopped pacing.“Red has a lizard named Tiny and a fiancée named Thalia.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” he said to Ash.
“Red has a beard like Rutherford B.Hayes.Nineteenth president of the United States from 1877 to 1881.Your last name is also Hayes.”
“No relation.”
Jess, who had been watching the exchange with a grin still on her face, moved over to the Crock-Pot and lifted the lid.The scents of basil and tomato intensified, before she placed the glass cover back over the dish.She checked the oven, grabbed a potholder, and removed a sheet pan of garlic bread.He found himself wanting to move forward to help her, his stomach suddenly clenching when Jess’s hand went toward the oven.He instantly recognized that was wrong.He didn’t know Jess or Ash.Didn’t know how their disabilities impacted their daily lives.
Ivy had told him Jess lived mostly independently with the help of her parents who also lived in the building, and he couldn’t deny that he’d been a bit surprised.He noted that many features of the condo must’ve been specialized, like the door handles, lowered countertops, and intercom system—something he assumed would connect her with her parents at the press of a button.He watched as Ivy moved into the kitchen and reached above her head to the cabinet.Fuck, she was beautiful.He found keeping his eyes off her soft curves was not only difficult but nearly impossible.
Ash sidled up to him and cleared his throat.“If you look for more than three seconds, it’s considered staring.Staring can make someone feel uncomfortable.”
“Right.Sorry,” Jude muttered, not sure how to respond.Ash wasn’t wrong.He had been caught staring.Ivy thankfully seemed unaware of the exchange, while she removed four bowls, straining on her tiptoes to grab them before setting them on the kitchen counter.Ash sighed heavily, like a man who knew he wasn’t going to get his way, and stalked over to the refrigerator where he pulled out a jug of water.He poured four glasses and brought them to the table two at a time.
“Jude, you get forks and take the bread to the table,” Jess directed, leaving no room for argument.He wasn’t sure how he’d been pulled into a family dinner, but he found himself not wanting to disappoint his hostess.
“Silverware is in here.”The warmth in Ivy’s eyes shot straight through his chest as she gestured toward the drawer where he could find the forks.He pulled out four utensils, adapted with thicker grips.He took the forks and the plate of garlic bread to the dining room.When Jess had served up large bowls of lasagna, they all sat around the table.Ivy sat beside him and dug into her food.After the first taste, he could understand why.The sauce, noodles, and cheese were the ultimate comfort food.
An image flashed in his head.The pounding of feet on the wooden floor, followed by the scrape of chairs as he and his brother clambered up to the kitchen table.Mom serving some kind of creamy elbow pasta casserole.Dad pouring glasses of milk for his boys.He and his brother talking over each other to share the best parts of their day.Finger paintings hung on the refrigerator.Ivy squeezed his thigh, and for crazy moment, his past melded with the present and it fucking gutted him.Pain wedged into his throat and made the bridge of his nose tingle.Something touched his face, and he turned toward it.
Ash held his hand to Jude’s cheek.“It’s okay, buddy.”The depth of his expression, like he could see straight into Jude’s soul, rocked him to the core.He felt something fracture in his heart, and he drew in a quick breath.Ivy’s brother gave his cheek a pat and went back to his meal like nothing had happened, but something had.Ash might struggle with people on an even deeper level than him, but the gravity of his empathy when Jude was nearly breathless with grief struck him profoundly.It was as though everyone at the table had gone quiet, recognizing and then absorbing his heartache.A strange sensation of rightness passed over him, and he knew he’d do whatever he could to protect these people.
He glanced at Ivy, and her eyes were glassy with unshed tears.She gave his thigh a gentle squeeze and removed her hand.He held her gaze for a moment and understanding passed between them.He had a feeling he’d just been accepted by Ash, and it had not only moved him, but her as well.After they ate, Jess poured them each a glass of wine and they went into the living room and played a few rounds of UNO.He found himself smiling at Jess and Ivy’s enthusiasm and Ash’s over-the-top competitiveness.At times he’d mutter to himself or stomp his feet on the floor, then jump up waving his cards in excitement.When Ivy’s phone rang, pausing their game, he watched as her brows knit together.
She sought his gaze and frowned.“It’s the Realtor who hired me for the estate.”
“Put it on speaker.Nothing about what happened—only information pertaining to the inspection.Everyone, stay quiet.”He moved closer to her on the couch as she picked up the call.
“Hello?”she asked.
At first, it seemed like no one was on the other line but then he heard breathing.His ability to process information clinically flew from his mind, and his gut tightened.
“Hello?Who is this?”Ivy asked again.The only indication that someone was on the other line, listening, was the breaths sawing in and out.
“Hang up.”He shot to his feet and snatched the phone out of her hand, disconnecting the call.It immediately rang again.“Fuck.”
He fished his own cell phone out of his pocket and dialed his FBI contact.It was nearly eleven o’clock at night, but the man answered on the second ring.
“Agent Levine.”
“Ivy got a call from the Realtor who sought her services for the estate.Only breathing on the other line, and they keep calling back.I’m assembling a few of my agents for a wellness check.”
“Copy that.I’ll send some patrols by the condominium complex she’s staying at to look out for any suspicious activity.Keep me posted.”
“Will do.”He tucked his phone back into his pocket, followed by Ivy’s.“I need to take your phone.Have one of our tech people see if they can determine any additional information about that call.”
“Maybe it was nothing.”Ivy bit her bottom lip, drawing it into her mouth.The urge to cross the room and pull her in close was overwhelming.
“Maybe.Going to check it out anyway.”
Ivy stood up and followed him out of the living room toward the front door.“Be safe and thank you again.For everything.”
Before he could think better of it, Jude gently gripped Ivy’s chin and planted a quick, hard kiss on her mouth.“I’ll be in touch.”He didn’t dare look at her again before stepping out the door and down the hall.The pull to stay, to keep watch over her would be too strong.She was safe enough for now, but a sour sensation churned in his stomach.The fine hairs on the back of his neck stood out as he walked quickly to the truck, got inside, and placed another call.
A half an hour later Cameron, Ross, and Jon met him at the Realtor’s downtown office.When nothing seemed amiss, they tried her home address, which was a small ranch-style home in the ocean city of Coronado in San Diego Bay.Both Red and Sully lived on the small resort peninsula, but it was too late to bother them, especially now that each of them had a woman at home.They pulled into the driveway, and their headlights shined over a meticulously maintained surface.They silently spilled out of the SUV, and he instantly noticed the front door was ajar, light pooling from the long, vertical gap.
He reached for the weapon at his hip, pointing it toward the ground as he took his position on the entrance.Ross stood on the other side and counted down from three on his fingers before kicking in the door.Jude raised his weapon and stepped inside, clearing the first room, then the second.It wasn’t until he reached the tiled floor between the kitchen and the first-floor laundry unit that he noticed the blood spatter.He rounded the doorframe and halted at the gruesome scene.A woman with dark hair and a purple bathrobe lay on her back with a kitchen knife protruding from her throat.Her eyes were open, staring sightlessly at the ceiling.
