His head moves back slightly, giving me the impression I’ve shocked him in some way, but he quickly recovers. “Whatever you need. I’ll always be here.”
Nine of Wands... Reversed
Nick
I PULL MYgray T-shirt over my head and discard it on top of my overflowing laundry pile. This week has been exhausting. I’ve hardly had time for anything other than sleep, and the state of this room shows it.
My bed was haphazardly made, and it’s evident from the rumpled gray mess that’s calling my name. For a bachelor, my place is spotless. My family likes to call me OCD. I’m not. I just prefer a clean space to come home to. The organization has everything to do with my sister.
Falling back onto my bed, I grab my black-covered pillow and place it over my face, groaning into the soft material. I should shower. I should eat something. All I wanna do is sleep.
It’s unlikely, because my mind will be racing most of the night, analyzing all that Alyssa said and my less-than-diplomatic responses.
The way her face paled before hardening into stone will stick with me.
“Dumbass,” I mutter, closing my eyes. In my defense, it’s a lot to unpack, but I’m going to attempt to think of anything else.
As soon as she left, I put a call in to the station alerting the guys on duty to the tip about the body. It’s likely nothing, but I told her I’d follow up on it, and I’m a man of my word.
My mind wanders with all the possibilities. Was Corinne her source for all of this? I make a mental note to look into the woman, because while I don’t know Alyssa that well, I believe that she believes what she was told.
Everything I know about Alyssa Mann came from Garrett. He and I bonded taking out the trash on Sunday evenings. We started up a friendly camaraderie, mostly conversations surrounding sports and his family. The way he would talk about his girls was a clear indicator that he had a life most men would love to have. He’d tell me all the funny shit that occurred the day before, typically involving a very clumsy Alyssa. He’d brag about their artistically gifted daughter, Ava. Through his stories, I feel like I know them.
But really, I don’t.
When Garrett died, it rocked me. It typically does when a healthy man is tragically killed. A freak accident could happen to any of us. Life is unfair that way. One minute you can have everything, and the next it’s pulled out from under you like a rug missing the gripper.
And now, someone has Alyssa believing it wasn’t an accident.
Of everything she said, what really stood out was her linking the Garet and Moore accidents to her own. Is this Corinne woman playing with Alyssa’s head? What would the motive be?
I’ll do everything in my power to help Alyssa get closure because she deserves that much. Having lost Isla, I can’t imagine questions surrounding her death hanging over my head. In hercase, we knew what went wrong. Having someone play with Alyssa’s mind about Garrett’s death pisses me off beyond reason.
You like her.
I sigh heavily, recognizing the truth even when I try to push it aside. I do like her. What’s not to like?
But that’s not why I’m going to help her. Despite how much work I have ahead of me, I’ll do it to give her peace.
I’m just getting comfortable when my phone rings from my jeans pocket. For a moment, I think about just letting it go to voicemail. With my luck, it would be Captain, and I’d catch major shit for ignoring a call from him. Grudgingly, I remove myself from the comfort of my king-sized bed and root around for the buried phone.
When I finally locate it, it’s my sister’s name lighting up the screen.
“What’s wrong?”
It’s the first thing I say, because it’s after twelve o’clock and she’s calling me. Which is highly unusual.
My baby niece wails in the background, putting me on high alert.
“Jaclyn. What the hell is wrong?”
“Nothing’swrong, idiot. I’ve been calling you all day and you haven’t returned any of them.” She coos at Zoey before returning to our conversation. “Zo woke up. She’s teething. Thought I’d give you one more chance to answer before I called the station.”
I let out an exasperated breath, running my hand back through my hair. Being a detective, I’m more than adept at remaining calm, but when it comes to my family, all bets are off. I’ve learned to keep my cool where they’re concerned, but at this time of night, it’s tough not to be worried. Especially with her husband, Joe, working nights on the force.
“Sorry, Jack. It’s been a day.”
She sighs. “I figured. How you holding up lately?”
