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“Thanks.”
He pulled in a deep breath, the skin around his eyes tightening. “Being in love…it’s something else.” He trailed off, and my chest tightened.
Xander had never had another serious girlfriend after Thea. He’d dated casually, had hooked up with people, but I didn’t think he’d ever been in love with someone the way he was with my sister. Back then, I couldn’t see Xander as anyone but my sister’s boyfriend, a person to watch like a hawk and make sure he didn’t mess with my sister.
But Xander had turned into so much more than that throughout the last near decade. He was a good guy, and he would’ve made a great brother-in-law.
“You’ll find someone again,” I told him.
He shook his head and covered the pain with a forced smile. “Nah, I’m not looking for anyone. I’m good to be a bachelor for the rest of my days.”
I didn’t believe him. I opened my mouth to tell him how much I thought of him, but he cleared his throat and held up the evidence bag.
“I really should get this back to the station. You look out for her, all right?” He flicked his head toward the door.
“Always.”
He turned and started to leave, but he stilled on the last step, glancing at me from over his shoulder. “Make sure you’re looking out for yourself, too. You can never be too careful.”
31
Reid
Five days slipped by, and still we had no more answers.
I inhaled the scent of lilac as sleep drifted away and my eyes opened. Sunlight streamed in through the thin curtains of Lark’s bedroom windows. My arms tightened around her waist as I savored the warmth of her soft body pressed against mine.
She was deep in sleep, her lips parted and breaths even. Her face was placid and peaceful in sleep, and I was thankful she wasn’t having a nightmare. She’d been struggling since the package containing my sister’s necklace showed up on her doorstep. Lark had been waking up in the middle of the night, her eyes filled with terror as she gulped for a breath she couldn’t catch.
I held her most nights, letting her know that she was safe and protected. She wasn’t alone.
My nerves were on edge with each passing day that we didn’t have any more information. Lily’s body had been autopsied and combed over for evidence, but like Xander had guessed, nothing was found. Her body had been cleaned before it was dumped, washing away the evidence we needed to find her killer.
Lark hadn’t made an official statement with police about the small things she was beginning to remember about the man who murdered my sister. Xander had taken her basic description, but he thought it was best to give her a little more time to see if she could remember anything more substantial before he brought her in for a more extensive interview.
I placed a kiss on the top of Lark’s head and carefully slipped out of bed without waking her.
Staying with Lark and her mother had been…interesting. I was all for spending my time with Lark, but Winnie had been avoiding me like the plague, which wasn’t entirely a bad thing. I had a feeling she suspected I knew about her little charade. I had been asking around town about her; all it would take was one person to mention that to her, and she’d be on guard.
I stretched my tight muscles and glanced at my phone. Damn, it was early. I wasn’t used to so much light in the mornings. I had thicker curtains in my own place that kept it darker.
Quietly, I pulled on a shirt and a pair of gray sweats and padded into the hallway on the balls of my feet. I never knew what time Winnie woke up in the morning, so I was always careful not to wake her.
I neared the kitchen. The sound of someone humming met my ears. Frowning, I poked my head through the entrance to the kitchen.
Winnie Meadows was humming some upbeat song I didn’t know and literally dancing around her kitchen. She wasn’t making much noise—her humming was low and her movements were spry and light—but she was definitely dancing. She moved her hips, her feet deft as she shimmied on her tiptoes like some kind of salsa dancer.
I silently entered the kitchen, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring. Her ankle had obviously healed, if it was ever an issue at all, though she always wore that damn boot in Lark’s presence.
I watched Winnie as she continued to do a weird little dance until the toaster popped, revealing a bagel. She stopped dancing and approached the toaster, but kept humming.
I let out a heavy sigh. “You’re looking chipper this morning, Winnie.”
She froze, her whole body locking up. Slowly, she turned around. Her face paled, but she tried to school her features into something neutral, as if she hadn’t just been caught.
“Everyone needs to move their body every once in a while,” she said, a bit breathless. She pushed back a lock of frizzy hair that had fallen over her face, her dark roots a strong contrast to the white-blonde hair on the ends.
I tilted my head to the side. “You’ve been moving your body more than you’ve been letting on, haven’t you?”
