Page 83 of Sterling Heat

Quit pretending, my heart pesters. I’d be here, danger or not.

Once I leave Enya’s, I run through my morning ritual in my apartment, open the bakery, and rush through the early half of the day. Around lunchtime, I call Stone from my office.

“What’s wrong?” The directness in answering tells me he read his caller I.D. and immediately assumed there’s trouble if I’m calling him.

“Nothing’s wrong.” My defensiveness isn’t going to help me get information, so I take a deep breath and try again. “As you know, I’ve been spending a lot of time with Enya.”

“At the Wallace farmhouse.”

“I think it might be time we switch ownership and call it Enya’s place.”

“So Enya’s place . . .” Stone’s pause encourages me to continue.

“About a week ago, Enya claimed she heard someone walking across her porch.”

“Which people do on porches.”

“Dammit, Stone. It was late and dark when that happened. That’s the reason I’d left the bar when I was hanging out with Knox and Clay last Friday.”

Stone’s silence allows me to carry on.

“Then last night, I saw lights out toward the woods just after midnight. I couldn’t tell if it was a flashlight or maybe a four-wheeler or a parked car.” I lean back in my desk chair and stare up at the ceiling. “But I don’t like it, and I wondered if you’ve heard anything, seen anything out there.”

“What are you worried about? What might I find, Sebastian?”

That trouble isn’t following me but found me again.

Slamming forward, I brace my elbows on my desk. “I don’t know, Stone. You’re the sheriff and that’s why I’m calling you. If deals are going down out there again, it’s a little too close to home.”

“That home being Enya’s place?” A slight tease fills my brother’s voice.

“I’m fucking serious here,” I snap, failing to find any humor in a potential situation.

A heavy silence fills the line and I swipe a hand down my face in frustration. “Just forget it.”

I’m ready to click off the phone and chuck the device across my office when Stone hollers. “Wait.”

My eyes close in relief.

“I’ll check it out. Send Andy out there. Could just be kids parking but we’ll want to make sure it’s nothing more.”

Thank you. My throat is too thick to form the phrase. And as Stone knows I’m shit at expressing gratitude, he changes subjects.

“Bringing Enya to the Fourth of July parade in town?”

I hadn’t thought about it, but we take the parade seriously in this town because of the friends we’ve lost in the military. Hell, my own brother is a local hero. A true hero. Not like the term Enya keeps labeling me.

“Yeah, I’ll probably be there.”

“See that you are. And bring your family.” With that, Stone hangs up on me before he realizes what he’s said.

My family.

Chapter 25

[Enya]

When the Fourth of July arrives, the downtown area is packed with parade watchers. Lining the length of Corner Street with collapsible chairs and homemade quilts, families sit close together to watch first responders, veterans, public school teachers and local sports’ teams plus a slew of businesses march along the main road to be celebrated by their community.