Page 2 of Wicked Rush

“Said you got crushed by a wave. You know what that tells me?”

“What?” Lars sipped his drink, letting the mellow liquid roll over his tongue.

“You don’t have your head in the game.”

“Had a lot on my mind that day. Don’t say you don’t do it too sometimes. I’m a big boy. I can handle it.”

“This story is a short one, Lars. Girl got shot on the beach,” Garrett said.

“The police left the case wide open. Exactly how does that happen?” Lars asked, shaking his head.

“It’s unsolved. Happens all the time,” Garrett argued. “The key witness can’t provide a description of the shooter. Can’t say why she was shot at. Can’t say how it started. Can’t help with a motive.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Maybe she’s got no freakin’ idea why she was shot at. No matter what her reasons, she still didn’t want you there in the hospital. Even after you pretty much saved her ass, she didn’t even say thank you. Come on, man. This isn’t like you. Take the hint and move the fuck on. It’s time to get on with things.”

Lars leaned back into his chair and reached into his pocket. Slamming the key onto the glass table, he blew out a breath.

“What’s that?” Garrett’s eyes widened but then he quickly glanced away.

“It’s a key.” Lars fingered the metal object.

“No shit. And?” He picked up his beer and held it to the air before taking a long draw of the amber ale.

“I found it buried underneath the sand. It was in the same cavern where I took her after she was shot on the beach.”

“You’re serious?” Garrett asked, his voice laden with sarcasm. “How do you even know that belongs to her?”

“It’s got the initials B.R. Braelynn Rollins. I don’t know if it’s really hers, but I’m going to find out.” Believing the key had something to do with the shooting was a long stretch but Lars had already decided he was going to launch his own investigation, and it gave him an excuse to see Dr. Rollins. He locked his eyes on his old friend, and continued. “I don’t know if this is a clue or not, but I’m going to pursue it.”

“Even if it belongs to her, it could be nothing. You need to give this up.”

“When Evan died you wouldn’t have given up…” Lars knew he’d hit a nerve by the twitch in Garrett’s jaw. Their mutual friend had been murdered. “Saving her life on the beach that day,” Lars sighed and shook his head, “it was intense. That shooter was trying to kill her. They shot at us too. I didn’t hear her wrong. She knew my name. Now she might want to conveniently forget what she said, tell the police she doesn’t know me, but I can’t forget it.”

“I know what you think you heard,” Garrett countered.

“I heard her. Doesn’t really matter, because the situation isn’t resolved. Why would she lie about knowing my name? Why not at least take two minutes to thank the guy who saved her? Why is she saying she can’t remember anything? Why did the police give up trying to solve the case so quickly? Dean has been dodging my calls for weeks, refusing to answer my questions. No. This ends now.”

“I’m just sayin’ you might want to just let all this go. The club is almost restored. We’re going to have a party soon. You should ask one of the girls from the hangar to come with you. Anne-Marie. The redhead you’ve been seeing. She’s kinda hot. That’s what you need to take your mind off all of this.”

“Anne-Marie’s just a fling.” Lars blew out a breath. It wasn’t as if he didn’t enjoy fucking her every now and then but she was a release and nothing more.

“All the better.”

“Look, I know my head hasn’t been in the game.” Lars set his attention back on Garrett, pinning him with a hard stare. “It’s why I haven’t been going out. There’s something about this situation. It’s nagging me. I’ve let it eat me up for weeks. I need to know what the hell happened out there even if no one else seems to care.”

“You need to be careful. Setting out for long swims…”

“G, you know I appreciate you worrying about me, but there’s nothing more to say. I was shot at on that beach. Seth too. Dr. Rollins is going to talk to me. Now maybe she doesn’t think she owes me jack shit, but I’ve got news for her; this isn’t over. And she may have been able to throw me out of a hospital, but we’re going to have a long sit down.”

Lars slammed back his liquor and set the glass onto the bar, ignoring Garrett’s eye roll. As the band started playing, relief set in that the loud music made it nearly impossible to hear anyone. He loved Garrett like a brother. They’d been friends for over ten years, their businesses intimately tied. As much as Lars respected his opinion, the lovely little doctor would be seeing him soon. He’d discover her secrets, and the asshole who had tried to kill him would regret the day he ever stepped into San Diego.