Page 8 of Outlaw Ridge: Shaw (Hard Justice: Outlaw Ridge #5)

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Shaw leaned against the kitchen counter, his coffee cup cradled in his hands as he watched Ava move around his kitchen.

Thanks to sheer exhaustion, she’d stayed the night.

But now, in the morning light, with her here, right here , he figured she was battling second and third thoughts about having this kind of one on one contact with him.

He didn’t see any signs of their togetherness triggering a panic attack, something that’d happened before when they had been near each other.

Or rather when they’d attempted that. Fate was sure laughing its ass off about giving Ava and him this scalding attraction for each other and then making it next to impossible for them to be together.

But not totally impossible.

The proof of that was that right here part.

“You’re staring,” Ava said without looking at him, her voice light but threaded with something else—something that made the air between them hum.

“Just thinking,” he said. “Can’t really just shut that down.”

Ditto for the heat. For the memories. Hell, for pretty much any and everything when it came to Ava.

She made a sound of agreement, finished her coffee and then rinsed the mug. Her movements were slow but deliberate as she were handling a fragile Faberge egg.

“When I look at you, I try to focus on the good stuff,” she murmured. “On us saving the ones we did. On our time together before my body decided its go-to reaction would be a panic attack.”

Well, that sounded…promising. A little anyway.

Because the good stuff had been damn amazing.

The successful rescues, their relationship, and the sex.

The bad stuff often tarnished that and took away the shine, but if he wanted a second chance with Ava—and he did—then he’d need to figure out a way to make the shine more important than the tarnish.

Definitely not easy.

His phone sounded with a text, cutting through those thoughts, and because there was a sick bastard killer out there, he checked the screen right away.

“It’s from Reed about Lorelei,” he relayed to Ava. “Apparently, her support group isn’t passive and into grief counseling, more like vocal activists who put pressure on the members to get justice for their loved ones.”

Ava blew out a breath and leaned back against the counter beside him, her shoulder brushing his. “We need to dig deeper into that group. Maybe we’re not just looking for her, but someone who could be egging her on. Or flat-out aiding and abetting her.”

“Agreed,” Shaw replied. “Reed’s digging into that, but he thought we should know that Valerie was right. Lorelei has been very vocal on social media about blaming Donovan, Grant, you, and me for not stopping Dell before he could kill her sister.”

And that made Lorelei zoom to the top of their list of suspects.

Well, along with Valerie. Dell’s sister was prime for something like this, and it was the reason Owen had already brought the woman in for an interview. Valerie had no alibi but then there was also no evidence to arrest or hold her, so Owen had had to cut her loose.

For now.

Shaw was hoping they’d soon have evidence to slap some cuffs on whatever asshole was doing this.

“We might not be the only ones in the path of this killer,” Ava reminded him.

He nodded. “According to Reed, most of the people associated with the original murders have been notified of potential danger. Most,” he emphasized.

“Because there’s no way to be sure we have a complete list. The killer could go after the media folks who covered the stories or someone who barely had a connection to the investigation. ”

That was the trouble with not knowing a killer’s motive. They didn’t know who would become the next target.

“There’s been a siting of Nathan Belmont through Cyclops,” Shaw added a moment later. He’d gotten that info from an earlier text from Owen, and the info got Ava’s attention. She pinned her gaze to his. “Using facial recognition, he was caught on a traffic cam about a block from Valerie’s house.”

As expected, that got her attention as well. “When?”

“About two weeks ago.” Which could mean around the time the latest riddle abduction had been planned.

Could . “There’s no proof that Nathan actually saw Valerie, but if so, he’s in the wind now.

No other siting. He needs to be brought in before the killer can get to him.

” He paused. “Or he could be the copycat killer.”

Ava rubbed her temple and sighed. “True. He went through hell when he was a captive, and it might have twisted him up. It could have turned him into a killer.”

Yeah. It was definitely possible, and that’s why they needed to find him.

Before Shaw could put away his phone, it buzzed again, and he saw the text not from Reed but from his fellow deputy, Lexa. “Grant Huxley’s awake,” he told Ava after he read the message, “and he’s ready to talk.”

“Guess we’re about to find out if he has the answers we need,” she muttered.

Shaw nodded, his hand brushing hers as he grabbed his keys from the counter.

The touch lingered a beat too long, and when Ava glanced up at him, the heat in her eyes told him she felt it too.

But there was no time to chase that feeling, not when they finally might have a lead.

It was possible that Grant had seen his attacker and could even make an identification.

He kept watch around them as he pulled out of the garage. Just as he’d done the night before when he’d driven Ava to his place. Shaw didn’t see anything or anyone suspicious, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a threat nearby. The killer might be keeping a close eye on them.

The hospital was less than a mile from his house so it didn’t take them long to get there. When Shaw pulled into the parking lot, he immediately spotted a welcome sight. Another cruiser right by the entrance. Hopefully, the police presence would deter the killer from trying to go after Grant again.

Shaw parked behind the cruiser, and Ava and he wasted no time hurrying inside where they made their way to the patients’ ward, where they found Lexa standing guard in the hall.

“Good,” Lexa said. She hiked her thumb to the door. “Because he seems eager to talk.”

“Has he said who this woman is who tried to kill him?” Shaw couldn’t ask fast enough.

Lexa shook her head. “No, but you might get more out of him than I did.”

Shaw hoped that was true, and he was about to go into the room when he caught some movement from the corner of his eye. He automatically shifted in that direction, ready to respond to a threat, and when he got a good look at the approaching woman, he slid his hand over his gun.

Lorelei was making her way up the hall toward them.

She wasn’t carrying any kind of visible weapon. Not even a purse. But she was wearing a jacket with pockets so she could have something concealed. If this was the start of an attack though, it would be a damn stupid one, what with two cops right here ready to take her down.

Lorelei no doubt saw the position of Shaw’s hand on his weapon. And she must have noted the fierce all-cop expression on his face. She stopped in her tracks and hesitantly lifted her hands as if surrendering. Her forehead bunched up. The confusion went through her eyes.

Maybe fake confusion.

If she was the killer, then she’d know that Shaw was right to react the way he was. And even if she wasn’t, the woman should be aware that he’d be taking precautions to protect Ava and anybody else who got in the path of the sonofabitch who was doing this riddle bullshit game.

“I, uh, wanted to speak to Grant,” Lorelei said, lowering her hands to her side.

Not Mr. Huxley. Not the DA who got Dell convicted. And the given name seemed to roll off her tongue as if she was accustomed to saying it. A lot.

“Speak to him about what?” Shaw demanded, and he didn’t bother to sound even remotely polite. This visit put him on full alert, especially after what they’d learned about Lorelei’s support group.

Lorelei opened her mouth. Closed it. And she seemed to rethink what she’d been about to say. “Uh, I’ve stayed in touch with Grant over the past seven years.”

“In touch,” Shaw repeated, recalling Lorelei blaming Grant, among others, for her sister’s death. “From what I’ve heard, you’re not exactly friends with him.”

“No, not friends,” Lorelei admitted. Her mouth tightened, and she glanced away but not before Shaw saw the flicker of anger in her eyes. “I want to ask him about the person who tried to kill him. I need answers.”

“What kind of answers?” Ava asked. She stepped to Shaw’s side, facing Lorelei head on.

Lorelei muttered something under her breath that Shaw didn’t catch. “I need to know who took him and tried to kill him. I have to be sure the person who murdered my sister is already behind bars.”

“You have doubts that Dell’s guilty?” Shaw pressed.

Again, she hesitated. “I have doubts about a lot of things,” Lorelei finally replied. “And if Melissa were alive, she’d have them, too.” She stopped again, her gaze drilling into Shaw’s. “Grant and Melissa were lovers. I’m betting he’s never told you that.”

Shaw was certain he looked surprised. Because he was. Nope, Grant had never mentioned that, and he glanced at Ava to see if she’d ever heard that. She shook her head, indicating she hadn’t.

“If that isn’t a conflict of interest, I don’t know what is,” Lorelei went on.

Yeah, it would be. If it was true. But Shaw wasn’t about to take Lorelei at her word. Not when she was a murder suspect.

“Ask Grant about it,” the woman demanded, and the anger was coating her voice now. “Then, ask him if he put the right man behind bars. I don’t want my sister’s killer roaming free because the cops and the DA fucked up the investigation.”

With that, Lorelei turned and walked away. Shaw considered going after her to try to get more about why she thought Dell might not be guilty, but it could wait. For now, the answers he wanted were those from Grant.