25. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
ETHAN
T he sound of my phone vibrating against the hardwood floor next to my ear wakes me. I roll over, see that it’s my alarm, and click snooze.
I don’t want to wake up. Not yet. I roll back over, intending to curl into Kinzie, but find nothing but the rug beneath me. Kinzie isn’t here. I bolt upright and reach for my phone again.
There’s a missed message.
Kinzie: I know you said no regrets, but I might be freaking out. Just a little. Maybe we should take today off. Tessa doesn’t have to see us together every day.
The text came through at two a.m. Did she even sleep? How the hell did she get home?
I respond, asking if she got home safe and telling her not to overthink any of this. What I don’t tell her is how disappointed I am to have woken up alone. If she’s freaking out, then that would send her running. Instead, I find my rumpled clothes next to the couch, get dressed, and head out, locking Maggie’s door behind me.
An hour later, I’m showered, in my uniform, and ready to clock in. Beckett appears out of nowhere and hijacks the biometric time clock before I can punch in.
“Whoa,” I say, pulling back to avoid a collision. An overpowering combination of perfume, whiskey, and men’s cologne floods my senses when she turns around. I can’t help but chuckle. Clearly, she didn’t have time to run home after one of her swipe-right dates. All her telltale signs are present: messy hair, strong perfume, and stormy eyes.
I don’t get it. For the average person, sex releases endorphins and oxytocin, feel-good hormones we seek out and enjoy. It seems, however, that hooking up has the opposite effect on Beckett. She becomes anxious, moody, and hostile.
It doesn’t happen more than a few times a month, but if this is a result, I don’t understand why she does it at all.
“Oh, hell no.” Her eyes go wide. “You do not get to judge. Not after what happened last night.”
My smile falters.
“What happened last night?” Sheila, our human resource director and my mom’s best friend, asks as she peeks her head out from behind the front counter.
“Oh, you didn’t tell anyone yet?” Beckett asks, arching a brow.
The look is one that turns my stomach. Her next words are going to hurt, that’s for sure.
She turns to Sheila, who we all know is the gossip queen of the station, and says, “Our man Tate, here, got engaged last night.”
My mouth drops, along with my gut. What the hell is she talking about? The Kinzie thing was fake, but how would she even know about it in the first place?
Sheila pops out of her chair. “What? I thought you and Victoria ended things weeks ago.”
As heat creeps up the back of my neck, I pull at the collar of my uniform and clear my throat. “We did.”
“Then how are you engaged already? I didn’t even know you were dating anyone.” Sheila rambles on, pouting about how she had plans to set me up with her niece. That she was giving me the standard one-month rebound time before introducing us.
I try explaining that it was all a misunderstanding, but the minute Kinzie’s name pops out of my mouth, Sheila’s face brightens.
“Kinsley? As in Kinsley Grant? You two are back together? Your mom never told me she was back in town. I remember when the two of you were in high school. I bet your mom is so happy.” She pulls me in for a hug, squeezes me, and then rounds the counter and disappears from sight, no doubt already spreading rumors I’ll have to squash later.
I don’t bother stopping her. The woman has a one-track mind. When she’s set on something, she’s all-in, which is what makes her so good at her job. And to be honest, I’m not as bothered by the misinformation as I should be.
“Tate. Beckett,” Lieutenant Mullens calls, waving to us from the doorway of his office.
With a look at one another, we head that way.
“Are logistics set for the festival this weekend?”
“Yes, sir,” Beckett says, still surly. “The parade starts at the high school at five on Friday. We’ll have officers on patrol every few blocks. The fire department will set up near the library, but they’ll have a few newbies walking behind the color guard, and they’ll set up a first-aid station on the corner of Third Street.”
“Good. And Silver Springs and McEllen are on board too?”
We nod in unison. Both towns are on standby every year.
He lets out a long breath. “We’ll need to call Morganville and Timber Oaks too. Your dad,” he points at Beckett, “said he got intel that the fourth witness in the Hernandez case might be here on Hope Island.”
My stomach twists. “Here?”
He nods, lips pinched together.
“Does he know who?”
“If he knew, he’d probably handle it himself instead of ordering us to ramp up security. I reviewed the case file again. It’s safe to say the witness is a male and likely in his thirties.” Mullens blows out a breath. “If he is here, then he’s been here for a few years and has probably established roots. He’s likely blended in well if he’s lasted this long. I don’t want any of you trying to figure out who it is. If Hernandez has anyone out here already, he doesn’t need us leading him straight to the witness.”
“Knock, knock,” Sheila says, standing in the doorway. “Sorry. I didn’t want to bother you, but a call came in a minute ago about a domestic disturbance down the street and—”
“Cliff is on patrol, right?” Mullens drops into his chair and shuffles a few files around on his desk.
“Yes.” Sheila cringes. “But the call came in about Jill’s house.” My heart lurches, and my throat goes tight. “Jill?” I rasp.
She nods.
Pulse racing, I head for the door. There has to be some sort of mistake.
“Go. Take care of your sister. Let us know if you need anything,” Mullens says with a wave.
When I get to the door of my truck, Beckett is at my heels. “I’m coming with.” She plucks the keys from my hands and shoos me away.
I don’t bother arguing. On the outside, she might be a bulldog, but beneath that hard exterior is a teddy bear. She just doesn’t flaunt it for everyone to see.
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” she says as soon as we pull out of the parking lot.
Nothing isn’t what I’m imagining. Bloody lips, broken ribs, and dislocated shoulders are what I envision. Jill and Peter aren’t violent people. At least, not that I know of. But I’ve been doing this job long enough to know that even the nicest of couples can be hiding dirty little secrets.
When we pull up to Jill’s townhouse, nothing looks amiss. There are no nosy neighbors loitering around the property. The front lawn is clear of debris. And when I step up on their porch, I can see straight through the glass door.
I ball up my fist and pound on the doorframe, eager to get whatever this is over with.
“Take it easy,” Beckett warns.
Her words fall on deaf ears. Until I know my sister is safe, I will not calm down.
I bang again, and I’m about ready to break the door down when Peter comes down the stairs. He’s dressed in black slacks and a green-and-white checkered dress shirt. His suit jacket is draped over his arm. When he catches sight of us, his brows lift in question.
He pulls open the door, wearing a confused frown. “Everything okay?”
I’m about to growl out a mouthful of obscenities, but before I can, Beckett rushes at Peter and yells.
Her voice is hard as she pushes him up against the wall. “Hands up where I can fucking see them.”
The hard thump of his body against the drywall catches me off guard, and the urgency in her voice causes me to go straight into defensive mode. “Where the hell is Jill?”
“Whoa,” he says, his voice wobbling. His jacket falls to the floor, and a combination of surprise and fear spreads across his face. “She’s not home. She went to your mom’s.”
“What happened to your hand?” Beckett asks, her arm still firm against his chest.
My eyes drop to where his hands hang at his sides. That’s what tipped her off. Fuck. His left hand is fine, but I seize up at the sight of the right one.
Red clouds my vision, and I rush him, grasping the front of his shirt.
Beckett backs off as Peter begs me to call Jill.
“It’s not what you think. I promise.”
“No? So that’s not blood on your hand?” Beckett asks.
“No. I mean it is. But it’s not Jill’s blood.” He sucks in a sharp breath. “Ethan, you have to believe me. I’d never hurt Jill. Just call her.”
Beckett nods to me and holds Peter against the wall once more.
Keeping my eyes on him, I pull out my phone and dial Jill’s number. It rings four times before going to voicemail. Anger billows inside me as I try the call again.
“It was only a little argument. I swear. This,” he says, lifting his hand and stretching out his fingers, “wasn’t until after she left.” Peter’s voice catches, his eyes swimming with anguish. But there’s something about his demeanor I don’t fully trust, like he’s hiding something.
With my heart in my throat, I dial my sister’s number again.
This time, Jill picks up. “Hey, now’s not a good time.” She sighs heavily.
“Where are you?” I bark, cutting her off before she can disconnect the call.
“I’m pulling up to Mom’s house. Peter and I had an argument.”
“Did he hurt you?” I ask, gripping the phone with all my might.
“No. It’s fine. I just needed space to clear my head.”
I don’t know that I believe her, but if she says she’s fine, then all I can do is trust that it’s the truth. So after a quick goodbye, I hang up and let Beckett release Peter.
“How’d that happen?” I point to the blood on his knuckles. I’ve never known Peter to have a temper. He’s boisterous, but not violent.
He hangs his head. “I put a hole in the bedroom door. After she left.”
“Not cool, man,” Beckett says.
He mumbles something in response, but I don’t care to listen. Any man who resorts to violence isn’t worthy of my sister.
When Beckett and I leave, I take the wheel and head straight to my childhood home.
“Does your mom typically have parties this early in the morning?” Beckett muses as I park on the side of the road.
There are a couple of cars in the driveway and a few more on the side of the road, including Kinzie’s. My chest tightens at the prospect of seeing her after last night. “My brothers must be here.”
“I’ll wait in the car,” she says, her voice soft. “You know, just in case a call comes in or Mullens needs us.”
“We’re not on patrol,” I remind her.
She holds firm, telling me I can handle Jill on my own.
I step into the house and make a beeline for the kitchen, where my family always congregates. But when I step into the room, it’s empty. The lights are on, and there are paper plates scattered across the countertop, along with a bucket of paint, another labeled grout, and something that could be glue sitting unopened against a now empty wall.
Laughter billows in through the screen door that leads out back, so I follow it.
On the patio, my entire family has gathered, sitting at my mom’s prized whicker dining table, eating breakfast like this is a regular thing. Confused, I stand in the doorway and watch for several seconds.
When I slide the screen door open, the whole group turns to look, but it’s Kinzie I find first.
Her mouth falls open, and her large blue eyes go wide, as if she’s been caught doing something she shouldn’t be. She averts her gaze, looking back at her plate, and stabs her fork into a hunk of pancake.
“Ethan,” my mom chirps, pushing her chair out and standing. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be working?” She eyes my uniform. “You hungry? Want me to make you a plate?”
“I came to see Jill.” I point at my sister, who instantly shrinks in her chair beside Carter. “And no, thank you. I can’t stay long. Beckett’s waiting in the truck.”
Carter perks up. “Mya?”
The two of them went to school together and used to be good friends.
“Why on earth is she out there by herself? Go tell her to come on out for some breakfast. We have more than enough.” Mom laughs as she waves a hand at the overabundance of food on the table.
“I’ll go get her,” Carter says, getting to his feet.
Jill appears at my side a moment later. I turn, ready to usher her inside for some privacy, but I’m stopped by Logan’s shout.
“Hell yeah. Now that’s what I’m talking about.” He fist-bumps Kinzie and then looks up at me. “Your fiancée just agreed to be my social media manager.”
Kinzie turns pink and slinks even lower.
“Oh, yes. Your fiancée.” My mom chuckles. “You two are the talk of the town.” She squeezes Kinzie’s shoulder and then sits back down beside her. “I’ve been getting phone calls about your little escapade all day. When you decide on a date, let me know. That way I won’t have to hear about that from the neighbors too.”
She’s busting my balls, but there’s a hint of wistfulness in her voice, nevertheless.
Kinzie glances at me with pinched lips, trying to hold back a smile. She’s wearing a white T-shirt and a pair of faded jeans. Her hair is pulled back in a loose ponytail, and she’s wearing a few gold bangles on her wrist.
Images of last night pop into my mind, and suddenly, I want to know what she’s wearing beneath all that.
Jill shoves my arm, throwing me off balance. “Inside, Romeo,” she says.
“Want to tell me about your little argument with Peter?” I ask my sister as she slumps onto a barstool at the island.
She rests an elbow on the counter and drops her head into her hand. “It was just a little argument.”
“I think your neighbors might disagree with that assessment. Somebody called nonemergency, and now it’s been labeled a domestic disturbance,” I bite back. “Beckett and I had to make a house call.”
Groaning, Jill rubs at her temples. “I’m sorry. Things are just…it’s a lot right now.”
“Is it the engagement? Wedding planning?” I take a seat next to her, only now realizing that she hasn’t so much as mentioned wedding plans since the announcement of their engagement last year.
She shakes her head. “It’s everything. Peter’s upset because I won’t go back to work with him. He tried all kinds of tactics, and now he’s being passive aggressive. He’s hounding me about getting a new job, but only so long as it requires a law degree. Anything less would be embarrassing.”
“He said that?”
“Not in so many words.”
I groan. Fuck. I’ve never had a problem with Peter, but my opinion of him is quickly tanking. “Do you not want to use your law degree?”
She turns, finally facing me, and worries her bottom lip. “I don’t know what I want. At first, I thought I needed space from him because we were always together and our entire lives revolved around work. That’s not the life I envisioned when we got engaged. Then, the more I was away from the office, the more I realized I wasn’t in love with my job.”
“And now?”
“And now I don’t think I’m in love with Peter either.”
I drop my hand to hers and squeeze. Rather than mentioning the details about Peter punching their bedroom door, I tell her I’ll stand behind her, no matter what she decides to do. “I just want you to be happy.”
“Would you be mad at me if I didn’t use my degree?”
My heart aches at the fear in her voice. “Why would I be mad? If that’s not what you want to do, that’s your decision.”
“But you basically paid for my education. I’d totally understand if you were upset.”
“I’d be more disappointed if you spent your life doing something that didn’t bring you joy. And as for my paying for your school, that was a team effort.”
Every one of us pitched in where we could, and she’s done the same in other ways—working at Four Oysters, opening her home to me when I was discharged, and so much more.
Jill leans in and hugs me. “Thank you. You have no idea how much better I feel. I’ve been living in this limbo, not knowing what to do because I was so afraid you’d be disappointed in me.”
“Never,” I whisper, squeezing her tighter.
“I’m glad you said that.” She pulls away and looks at me with puppy dog eyes. “Because there’s one more thing. I may or may not have asked Kinzie to help me end things with Peter.”
I lift a brow. “You already made up your mind?”
She nods solemnly. “After this morning, yes. If I go back home, Peter will try to convince me today was a mistake. He’ll say he’s sorry like he always does and promise me things will get better.” She lowers her head and wrings her hands in her lap. “I need a few days to figure out what I want to do with my life. I’ve been with him for so long that I don’t even know what I enjoy anymore.”
“If that’s what you want—”
She grasps my forearm. “That’s what I want.”
After we get to our feet, Jill takes a stab at getting information out of me about last night.
“So,” she drawls as we head to the back door. “I noticed you didn’t go home last night. I take it you and Kinzie had a late night.”
“How do you know I didn’t go home?”
She huffs. “Seriously? I drive by the bay on my way home from the restaurant.”
“Maybe I got home late?”
“Maybe you did. Either way, you’re both glowing this morning,” she says, her eyes dancing with amusement.
It takes all my strength not to smile. That’ll give her far too much ammunition.
“Do you think she’ll stay?”
I hope so . Not that I’ll tell her that.
The front door whips open then, and Beckett yells, “We need to go before I handcuff your brother and arrest his ass for—”
“For what?” he shouts. “For falling in love with you? Mya. I literally just told you that I’m in love with you.”
Jill and I spin around, gaping.
My little brother follows her into the house, pleading with my partner to look at him.
“If you don’t back away right now, I will tase your junk.” She pulls the yellow taser from her belt and aims it directly at his crotch.
Carter’s hands go straight into the air before he quickly covers his crotch.
“We’re leaving,” Beckett growls over her shoulder. “Now.”
Jill shoves me from behind. “You better hurry the fuck up. She doesn’t look like she’s playing.”
Beckett and I ride back to the station in silence. From the looks of it, she’s not in the mood for sharing today. And to be fair, I’m a little frightened of her myself.