“I want to feel something other than sorrow and pain, Ash. And I want to feel it with you,” she murmured.
I tipped my head back, glaring at the ceiling. “I can’t. Not like this.”
The sting of rejection in her voice hit me in the gut. “What? Why?”
So many fucking reasons, and if I were less of a man, I would ignore all of them.
“You’ve been through so much; you just lost your friend. We need to have a conversation, or a few, before we get to that point.” I paused, swallowing. “This pull between us, Angel, it’s not something I’m willing to lose. Not to mention that when you give me your consent, I want to take my damn time with you, and I can’t do that today.”
“So you feel it too?”
I closed my eyes, my body vibrating with need. “Baby—”
“Yo! You okay?” Jake yelled from downstairs. My mouth snapped shut. In a flash, I was out of the room, closing the door behind me. I pinched the bridge of my nose, knowing that by the end of this calendar year, I would be beating his fucking ass. “We’re fine,” I told him at the top of the staircase. “She’s just a little shaken up.”
Jake nodded. “Understandable. Humbly’s getting a little stir crazy in here.”
“Humbly can choke on a dick,” I shot back. “If he is in such a hurry, he can come back when she is ready to talk.”
A second later, the sheriff himself appeared with a glare on his face. “You fucking done?”
“She needs some time to process this, Humbly,” I said, walking down the stairs. “If you have places to be, go. Let her settle and come back.”
“We need to question her while it’s still fresh on her mind.”
“Trust me, Michael,” Dominic said, coming into the foyer with his hand in his pockets. His tie was loose, his shirt rumpled. “She’s not going to forget this morning anytime soon.”
Humbly sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. I remained at the base of the stairs, folding my arms over my chest. “Go. Tell Marg and get the autopsy started.”
“His body won’t be at the morgue for another hour or so. My forensics team is still at the beach.”
“Then perhaps you and I need to go to Margie’s Place together,” Grayson offered as he came into the space.
Humbly’s brows came together, his eyes turning to slits. “Why would you need to come? This isn’t one of your cases.”
Grayson’s eyes met mine, asking the silent question.We in this?
I gave him a single nod, knowing there was no other choice. Angel was mine, after all.
“Red Snake Investigations is formally requesting to partner with you on this case,” Grayson continued. Behind him, Hayes came into view and leaned his shoulder against the wall, his green eyes pinned to Humbly’s profile.
“Why would Red Snake need to be involved in this?” Humbly pressed.
“Because Felix Kolby was a friend and coworker of Angel’s,” I said. All heads turned to me. “Angel is a woman I rescued years ago while on a job.”
“Who were you after then?”
“I’m not at liberty to discuss that with you. At least, not here.”
Grayson’s jaw ticked.
The sheriff put his hands on his hips. “And you believe this death is connected to her in some way?”
“After everything she’s been through, I can’t afford to not suspect,” I replied, casting a glance at Jake. He jerked his chin and moved back into the kitchen.
Humbly clocked this, shook his head, and turned to look out the screen door. “And if I deny your request?” he challenged with an exhausted sigh.
“Then you’ll work your investigation and we’ll work ours,” Hayes answered him. He looked at me, something shifting in his gaze, a muscle jumping in his cheek. “We have more resources, Humbly.”
