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Andre’s dark eyes went a little wide as Jace stepped in front of him and clamped a hand around the back of his neck.
“J, don’t.”
But Jace was already leaning in to kiss him. The sight of the two of them was a little hard for my brain to process. Of course, I’d seen two guys kiss before. But not two I knew so well. Jace and Andre had been best friends for so long—bros, dudes. And both were about as alpha male as any guy could get. They fit into these certain boxes in my head. Boxes that hadn’t included this. But it was hard to deny the sweetness there between them as Jace took the kiss and cajoled Andre into returning it. Soon, as if forgetting he’d protested a moment before, Andre relaxed into it, his hand going to Jace’s hip and moving him closer.
When Jace finally pulled back, Andre blinked, seeming to come back into himself, then scowled. “Dammit, J.”
“Now that the awkward is out of the way,” Jace said, turning and heading back toward the couch with a pleased grin, “who’s going to challenge me in Mario Kart?”
Andre peeked my way as if bracing for the impact of my reaction, but I was too busy smiling. “Wow, you guys are perfect for each other. I’ve never seen anyone shut you up, Dre.”
Andre stared at me for a moment then matched my smile, his stance loosening. “Evan’s pretty good at leaving me speechless, too.”
I walked over to him and gave him a hug. “I’m happy for you. Really. We’ve both tried to live for other people a long time. Tried to be who we thought we were supposed to be. Frankly, I’m freaking sick of it.”
He held me to him, putting his chin on top of my head. “When you’d get to be so smart?”
“Well, I’ve always been smarter than you,” I teased.
Andre huffed a laugh and leaned back from the hug, putting his hands on my shoulders. “True. So then tell me, why is my smart, eminently levelheaded sister back in town with no job and no place to live?”
I smirked. “Are you going to yell at me if I tell you it’s for a guy?”
“Ian Foster,” he said, his tone going a little grave.
“Yes. And don’t give me that look,” I said, jutting my chin upward. “I love him, Dre. And he loves me back. I don’t want to walk away from that.”
He blew out a breath and lowered his arms to his sides. “Well, I imagine if that’s the case, he could really use you here with him right now.”
My brows knitted. “What are you talking about?”
“You haven’t talked to him?”
“No, he was going to call me. He had something to take care of, but I decided to come here and surprise him instead.”
His frown deepened, increasing the foreboding vibes going through me. “Oh, Cela, I thought you knew. It’s been all over the local news here.”
My stomach dropped to my feet. “What has?”
“They arrested a child serial killer. They’ve pinned at least fifteen missing children cases on him from the last two decades all over the South. He confessed to the Foster girl’s kidnapping, rape, and murder.”
I put my hand over my mouth, horror bleeding through me and making everything go icy cold. “Oh my God.”
“They interviewed the parents on TV for a minute last night, but I haven’t seen Foster on anywhere.
Even my precinct has been buzzing with calls about cold cases from all over the place who want to know more about this guy. The details of the crimes are pretty gruesome, Cela. I can’t imagine what the family must be going through.”
What Foster must be going through. His worst nightmare had come to fruition. Nausea rolled through me. “I need to go. I need to see him.”
Andre nodded with sympathy. “Sure, okay, but be careful, baby girl. If he hasn’t called you, there may be a reason. He may want—”
But I wasn’t even listening. I was already retracing my steps back to the door and grabbing my purse. I made it out to the parking lot on high-speed autopilot.
As soon as I slid in my car, I picked up my phone and hit Dial. Pike answered on the first ring. “Doc.”
“I’m in town. Where is he?” I asked without preamble.
“Thank fucking Christ,” he said, his voice filled with relief. “He’s at home, and I don’t have a clue what to do with him. I’ve never seen him like this. He’s shut down completely—like some emotionless, T-1000 version of himself. And he’s talking about closing his business, saying it doesn’t mean anything anymore. I can’t seem to get any sense through his thick skull. And don’t even get me started on his fucking parents. I feel horrible for what they’ve been through, but they’ve ignored Foster through all of this. Like he doesn’t exist.”
