Page 9

Dakota

C hance’s expression was withdrawn and tired when he exited the van, and I caught my lip between my teeth as I watched him approach. We’d never been close, but I still cared for him. I wanted to change our relationship for the better, but Blake told me he’d taken his late wife’s disappearance a lot harder than anyone, including him. Something about them being childhood friends.

I knew not to take it personally, so I’ve been patient. Recently, however, since the wedding, I decided it was time to finally push a bit harder to close that gap. Being ambushed by the very people he was so eager to run from, family or not, was not the best way to begin those efforts.

I might have succeeded in holding Mallory back, and consequently Calvin and Florence, if it weren’t for Blake’s unusual eagerness to join. I hadn’t had a moment to ask him why he was so adamant that we join everyone for the impromptu camping trip, but I intended to as soon as we found a moment alone.

‘What are you doing here?’ Chance asked as soon as he was close enough, but kept himself at a distance, refusing to welcome us. I didn’t blame him, especially when his eyes flickered briefly to where Florence was batting her oversized fake lashes at him.

‘We just wanted to support you in your… hobby,’ Mallory finished lamely, the sincerity completely lacking in her tone. I never liked the woman. She was just as fake as the other society women. I fully believed she had once been a woman of kindness and morals until her induction into wealth. Now, however, she was constantly searching for some means to control and micro-manage every aspect of the lives around her. I had become quite adept at giving her what she wanted without actually giving her anything, but, like now, I couldn’t win every battle.

‘My career ,’ he stressed with a sneer, ‘has never been of any interest to you so far. Why now?’

‘Chance, don’t go making a scene. We’ve come to support you. You should be grateful. Why are you not happy to see us?’ Mallory simpered, laying her trap.

But Chance had never cared for her games, nor did he play them. ‘Now’s not a good time, Mother. I’m working.’

‘Don’t you speak to your mother that way,’ Calvin chastised when Mallory’s lip began to wobble. I kept my expression neutral, but it was difficult when I was so desperate to roll my eyes at her blatant crocodile tears. ‘We have decided that a short family vacation will bring the family together. You will join us.’

‘I will repeat myself until you hear me, Mr. Dodd. I am working. I do not have time to vacation. I do not interrupt you when you’re at work, I expect the same courtesy.’

Calvin’s face turned bright red, then purple as the vein on his forehead pulsed dangerously. He took a step forward, threat in every line of his ageing skin. ‘Now, you listen here, boy…’

‘All right, that’s enough posturing for one day, I think,’ Blake stepped between them, cutting the argument short before it could escalate further. Ashe and Gloria chose that moment to join Chance outside, though Mikey stayed within the safety of the van. I didn’t blame him. I wish I could hide in there, too. ‘Dad, why don’t you take Mom and Florence to get settled in. I’ll talk to Chance.’

Calvin’s displeasure would have been clear to a blind man, but he battled his demons back down to where they simmered just beneath the surface, his mask of composure back in place. Flicking an imaginary piece of lint from the shoulder of his jacket as if he were dusting Chance off of him instead, he turned back to face Mallory and the vapid bitch they’d brought with them, his expression softening immediately. ‘Come, darling. I will need help setting up the tent.’

By ‘help’ he meant ‘sit back and watch while I do all the work’, but the three of them sauntered away regardless. It would be interesting to see what they considered ‘camping’, and I was fully expecting some sort of elaborate glamping set up. I knew Blake was the outdoorsy type, constantly going on weekend fishing trips to decompress after a long, hard case at work, and I was also aware that he got his love for the outdoors from his father, but I had never seen it myself. At least beyond our skiing trips. We did that quite a bit.

‘Are you okay, bro?’ Blake asked Chance, who visibly sagged as the others retreated out of sight.

‘Just wasn’t expecting to deal with this shit right now. I’m sorry, Blake. I’ve just got a lot going on with this case.’

‘I’ll say,’ Ashe muttered under her breath, but we all heard it. Blake’s ears perked up at the prospect of gossip. He wasn’t as into the paranormal as Chance was, but he was still more interested the most. He would always pick Chance’s brain whenever he came back from a case.

‘What’s going on?’

Chance sighed, his shoulders drooping even further like he was being weighed down by the world. ‘We ran into a problem. There have been a series of drownings up and down the highway. We believe they’re intentional murders committed by an entity for reasons unknown. Unfortunately, we came across one of the drowned victims today when we almost ran through some police tape.’

Blake frowned, concerned, and I stroked his arm soothingly. He shot me a loving smile that I returned before turning back to his brother. ‘Things get dicey when the police are involved.’

‘Forget the police,’ I said, wondering why that was what he chose to focus on out of what we were just told. ‘I’m more worried about you, Chance. If people are being killed, you could be putting yourselves in danger.’

‘That’s what I said,’ Gloria chimed in, vindication colouring her tone. ‘After what I sensed from this entity and the screams from the newly deceased spirit, I don’t like the idea of continuing. We should let the police deal with the situation.’

‘The police can’t arrest a ghost, Gloria,’ Chance argued. ‘If we leave it up to the professionals, it’s still us dealing with it. We’re the professionals, here.’

‘Okay!’ Ashe stepped between them, much like Blake had stepped between Calvin and Chance. ‘We have a lot to mull over. Let’s just sleep on it and come together in the morning for a team meeting. Yes? Okay. Let us know if you need us, Chance.’ And then she was dragging Gloria away to their RV, leaving the three of us alone.

Mikey stuck his head out, saw that the area was clearing up, and made a dash for his own RV. His was the biggest, likely to make room for his computer set-up, if I remembered their jobs correctly. Tech guys had big computers, right?

‘I’m sorry, Chance,’ Blake apologised. ‘I didn’t think it would be a big deal. I thought you might like it if Mom finally showed an interest. I should’ve asked.’

Chance released a heaving sigh and ran a hand through his hair, mussing the brown strands that seemed to be peppered with more and more grey each time I saw him. ‘No, it’s fine. I just… need a minute to decompress.’

My husband nodded in understanding, his expression open and compassionate, one of the reasons I’d fallen in love with him in the first place. He wore his heart on his sleeve and was the kindest man I had ever met, always looking out for others above himself. That’s why I thought his actions the past couple of days were so strange, but now I could see it for what it truly was. Just a little brother wanting to spend time with and support his big brother. A brother who was very clearly struggling.

‘Why don’t you join us for dinner tonight?’ I offered. ‘We were thinking of checking out the café.’

Though he didn’t smile, the muscles around Chance’s eyes softened, smoothing out some of the wrinkles there and making him look younger. ‘I… Sure. I’d like that. Let me just get my head screwed on right and sort through some of the data we got today, and I’ll meet you out front at six?’

‘Six it is,’ Blake said, brightening immensely. I knew how much he looked up to his big brother and how much he missed him. I hadn’t known Chance before Blake’s previous wife went missing, but I’d heard he was a lot more fun and easy-going. There was something more to his grief that went over everyone else’s heads, but I knew a man in love when I saw one. He had loved Kali with everything he had, which added an immense strain to his relationship with Blake, and my dear, sweet, innocent husband was so oblivious it was kind of ridiculous. I never said anything. That was so not my place, but I definitely wanted to help them rekindle their brotherhood. They both deserved that, at the very least, despite the gaping wound Chance’s secret created.

Every time I thought about it, about her and what she must have been like to have garnered such unwavering and unconditional devotion from both brothers, I could only conclude that she was one hell of a woman. I found myself daydreaming about meeting her, even though I knew that she was most likely gone from this world. Sometimes, I would imagine her waltzing right back into Blake’s life, into the home we shared that she had picked out, and demand I give him up, but something always switched up the daydream. From what I’d heard about Kali, she was kind and sweet, the perfect woman for a man like Blake. The image of her I created wanted to be mean and cruel, but I just couldn’t bring myself to keep it up.

If what I’d heard was true, in another life, we might have been friends.

As Chance trudged away to his van, I turned to Blake. I didn’t have to say anything because he was already giving me a sheepish look.

‘Yeah, I know. You were right, honey. I’m sorry, I should have listened to you,’ he said, pulling me close and resting his forehead against mine in a tender moment that made my heart melt for him even more. I didn’t think it was possible to love this much any more than I already did, but he continuously proved me wrong time and again. Every day, I woke up next to this wonderful human being, and he would give me another reason to fall a little more.

‘You’re heart was in the right place, babe. He knows that,’ I assured him.

His breath ruffled my hair and ghosted over my face in a sweet-scented caress. He’d always had a sweet tooth, and I loved that every time I kissed him, he tasted like sugar. Sweet in every possible way.

‘I love you. So does your brother. Now let’s go help your parents set up the tent.’

He scoffed, the sound full of wry amusement. ‘You mean help Dad set up the tent while Mom and Florence watch. Speaking of, why is she here again?’

‘Your mother is playing matchmaker.’

‘Oh. Right. Because that’s going to end so well.’

I snickered when he wrinkled his nose in disgust. ‘You should have seen her at the luncheon. At one point I thought she was actually trying to crawl inside his skin. She’s a nightmare.’

He pulled another face, this one comically horrified. ‘Help me run interference?’

‘Of course. That’s what I’ve been trying to do this whole time.’ I gave him a pointed look.

‘Yeah, yeah. I get it. I messed up. I’ll fix it though, I promise.’

He leaned down to smack a kiss against my lips, and I took the opportunity to deepen it. Slipping my tongue past the seam of his lips, I tangled mine with his, eating up the groan he made while I pressed my body flat against his. I had never wanted a man as much as I wanted Blake Dodd, and I was one lucky fucking woman that he wanted me just as much. As evidenced by the thick, hot rod currently poking my stomach.

He pulled away, using my body to hide as he discretely adjusted himself. ‘Goddamn, woman. I love you so fucking much. I can’t wait to have you all to myself tonight. I’m going to make you see stars.’

I caught my bottom lip between my teeth and gazed up at him coyly through my lashes. ‘I want whole galaxies.’

He laughed, still a little breathless, but I enjoyed the way his eyes lit up and that dimple in his right cheek stood out. ‘Oh, is that all? Baby, I’ll give you the whole damn Milky Way.’

I took a deep breath, sucking in his scent. Sugar and musk. Delicious. But then I had to pull away, because people were waiting on us. ‘Come on,’ I said, grabbing his hand and tugging him along behind me. ‘Your mother is probably wondering what’s taking so long.’

He groaned disapprovingly. ‘What a way to make my boner deflate.’

I grinned at him cheekily from over my shoulder. ‘I’ll reinflate it later, babe. Promise.’

His answering grin was a little lopsided, but a lot heated, especially when his gaze dipped to where my jeans hugged my ass like a second skin. ‘Fuck, I love you. How did I get so lucky?’

My smile softened into something more tender, and my heart went pitter-patter inside my chest. ‘I’m the lucky one.’