It wasn’t flashy, more like Cari’s elegant taste, but unmistakably Devil’s Pointe.
The railing looked decorative until Julia noticed the spacing between the heavy vertical slats, narrow enough to keep curious gators from climbing aboard.
Cari stood in the center, slowly turning as she took it in with visible satisfaction. “He’s been talking about this for a year,” she said quietly. “Sketching it, changing his mind, sketching it again.”
Julia glanced at her. “So, you built it for him.”
Cari’s expression softened. “Yeah. He works hard and does so much for others. Case in point, charitable donations instead of gifts. I thought he needed something… special.”
Julia moved up next to her. The water lapped softly beneath them. The house behind them glowed, distant but present. For a moment, everything felt still.
“It’s perfect.”
“I think so too,” she said, smiling. She sat and patted the seat next to her. “Sit and tell me how things are going with Mr. Tall, Tattooed, and Brooding.”
Julia laughed softly. “That’s Leland, although not so brooding lately.”
“So, what Gaby says about forced proximity is true?”
“She didn’t lie. We’re not done figuring things out, and what happens after the case is still unresolved, but it’s definitely better.”
“Only better?” Cari said, disappointed.
“Much better.”
“Keep at him. He’s a good man. I think he’ll come around.”
“I sure hope so.”
Julia sat with that word a moment. Hope. She’d given up on it not so long ago. She steeled herself for what so often happened: crushed hope. But tonight, back at the Pointe, with friends, and for the moment, with Leland, things seemed right.
Beside her, Cari slapped her arm. “Darn mosquitoes,” she muttered.
“We can go up.”
“Thanks. Mosquitoes love me. They have me confused with an all-you-can-eat buffet.”
Julia arched a brow at her. “You’re a mosquito magnet yet you built a pergola on the river in Florida?”
“I know. I’m nuts. But I love making Dev happy. Besides, I ordered a truckload of citronella candles, tikis, incense sticks, you name it. They just haven’t come in yet.”
The gate swung closed behind them when they stepped onto the dock. The lights flickered and went out, plunging them into darkness.
“Be careful. Don’t fall in,” Cari warned. She made a small, startled sound—a sharp exhale, cut off—followed by a loud splash.
The first thing Julia thought was gators.
“Cari?”
The sound cut off as a band tightened around her throat. She reached up to free it with both hands. A hard forearm crossed her chest and dragged her backward.
“Caught you at last, little bird. The hunt went on longer than I had planned. Your punishment will be extra slow for the inconvenience.”
Fear warred with the need to breathe. She struggled, tried to scream, but it turned out that wasn’t possible without air. Spots danced in her vision and she heard his low, terrifying chuckle before darkness swallowed everything.
***
Leland stretched out with his feet propped on an ottoman, a beer in his hand. Conversation swirled around him, but he wasn’t participating. Dev and Callan lounged nearby, amused as they listened to Alec argue affectionately with Emily over the dessert.
