Chapter Nine
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T ristan was in his kitchen making himself a sandwich for an early dinner when he heard a key in the lock on the front door. He paused with the carving knife in hand, waiting to see which sibling it was, since they all had a key and dropped by when they felt like it.
Gavin appeared around the corner a moment later. “Hey.”
He was happy to have the company. He didn’t enjoy having this whole space to himself as much as he’d thought he would.
Living alone had gotten old fast soon after Gavin moved out.
His twin was easy to have around—when he wasn’t being obnoxious.
They were so comfortable in each other’s presence they didn’t even have to talk.
“Hey yourself.”
Gavin eyed his plate. “Oh, man, BLT?”
“Yeah. You want one?”
“I wouldn’t say no.”
“So you do want one?”
“That’s what I said.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“What, you seriously want me to say it out loud?”
“Kind of, yeah.”
Gavin heaved a sigh. “Fine. Pretty please, Tris, can I have a BLT?”
“Sure. Help yourself.” He pushed the loaf of freshly baked country grain loaf from Whale’s Tale across the island toward him.
Gavin threw him a dirty look but came around the island to rummage in the cupboard for another plate. They’d shared this condo until he’d moved in with Autumn a few months ago, so he still knew where everything was. “Can I at least borrow your knife?”
“By all means.” He handed it over.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Using a regular knife, he spread a thin layer of mayo on the second piece of toasted bread and placed it on the lettuce topping the bottom half, pressing it down with a satisfying crackle before slicing through the whole thing on the diagonal.
“Ooh, yeah, it’s thick cut bacon, too. Score,” Gavin murmured, coming up beside him to grab some off the baking sheet.
Tristan had lined it with foil before cooking the bacon in the oven to make cleanup easy. Having no one else to help with the cooking was enough work without having to clean greasy pans on top of everything else.
“Got any beer?”
“A few.” He took a big bite of the sandwich, relishing the satisfying, salty chew of the thick bacon and the crisp texture of the bread against the tang of the mayo and sweetness of the fresh tomato.
It was a nostalgic meal for him. Growing up in their house, bacon, let alone thick cut bacon, had been a luxury reserved for special occasions like birthdays.
After their mom died, in the summers Marley used to make him and Gavin toasted sandwiches with tomatoes from the vines she’d grown in a big barrel in the backyard.
She’d had such a steep learning and responsibility curve to navigate after being parentified at such a young age. He still had no idea how she’d juggled everything and still managed to pass high school.
Gavin finished making his sandwich in companiable silence, grabbed a beer from the fridge, and took a seat opposite him on one of the stools at the island, eyeing him with uncharacteristic concern. “So. You good?”
Tristan had called to tell him what had happened on the drive home from dropping Cassie off. “Yeah.” He’d been better.
“Sure about that?” Gavin looked as unconvinced as he sounded.
He lifted a shoulder, kept eating.
Gavin picked up half his sandwich. Also cut on the diagonal, the way Marley had taught them as kids. Sandwiches cut any other way just didn’t taste right. “You wanna talk about it?”
None of them had ever been great at talking about stuff. They’d all become experts at bottling things up at a young age. But he appreciated that his twin had asked, because he needed to get some things off his chest. The situation between him and Cassie had him tied in knots.
“I’m worried about her. She says she’s fine, but she’s not.”
“No?”
He shook his head. Took another bite, thinking about her and what had happened today.
Those heart stopping moments of hearing the gunfire in the background and knowing he was too far away to protect her.
The endless few minutes it had taken to reach her, praying she wouldn’t get shot.
Seeing the bullet holes in the SUV, and her kneeling on the ground, hands and arms covered in blood while she fought so hard to save Penny.
Coming so close to losing her had shaken him. He was falling for her, big time, and nothing he did could change that. If she’d been killed, his world would never have been the same again.
“How do you know she’s not?”
“Because I can tell,” he said around the mouthful of sandwich. How could she be fine after what happened? “She was completely alone, facing down three shooters until Ryder and I got there, and Penny was killed.”
Gavin took a bite of his own sandwich, watching him. He chewed. Swallowed. “How’d the meeting at HQ go?”
“It went okay. They cleared her of any responsibility, but they’re making her take a few days off.”
“Makes sense. That’s standard.”
“She wasn’t happy about it. And she’s not entirely in the clear yet, because Penny’s family could still sue.”
“They’ll have to go through CPS first, and that won’t be easy.”
“Let’s hope so.” Cassie had been through more than enough and had risked her life to protect Penny. He shook his head, frustration eating at his insides like acid. “God, I fucking hate that I can’t protect her from any of this.”
Gavin paused with his sandwich partway to his mouth, staring at him.
“What?”
“Holy shit,” Gav said in amazement.
“What?” he insisted.
“You’re really in deep with her, huh?” His twin grinned, looking way too smug.
Tristan stared back, the last bite of his sandwich dangling from his fingers.
“Come on. You gonna just pretend you’re not? Never seen you this twisted up over a woman before.” He cocked his head, nodded in approval. “I’m here for it. Love this for you, bro.”
There was no point in trying to deny it, but he had been trying to hide it.
He’d never felt this kind of intensity for someone before.
He thought about her constantly. He fucking dreamed about her.
Though he shouldn’t have been surprised that Gavin had figured out what was going on. Nobody could read him like his twin.
“Don’t worry, I don’t think anyone else has noticed yet,” Gavin continued. “At least, no one’s said anything about you guys as far as I know.”
“Don’t mention it to Marley and Deck.”
Gavin snorted and gave him an insulted look. “Gimme some credit. Not that I’d tell Deck anyhow. And Marley would just be excited.”
Tristan grunted. There was nothing for their sister to be excited about on that front because Cassie kept throwing up walls.
He finished off his last bite, debating whether to make another sandwich. He was so keyed up he couldn’t decide if he was still hungry or just wanted to eat his feelings.
“So what are you gonna do about it?” Gavin asked, wiping his hands on a paper towel.
He pushed out a frustrated breath. “Nothing.” For now.
Gavin blinked at him. “What?”
Tristan eyed the remaining bacon sitting on the baking sheet. He’d meant to save it all for tomorrow, but...fuck it. He snatched a piece and shoved half of it into his mouth. “It’s complicated.”
“Cuz you work together.” Gavin snagged one for himself, earning a glare.
“Yeah.” He pushed the sheet out of his brother’s reach. “And she’s made her boundaries clear.” But there was more to it than being colleagues. He could feel it.
“Gotta respect the boundaries,” Gavin agreed, taking a sip of beer. It was damned good beer. A locally brewed IPA here in Crimson Point with a hint of citrus. “But there’s no way you’re sitting back just because of that.”
He contemplated how much he wanted to disclose. He and Gavin loved to give each other shit, but he didn’t much feel like being on the receiving end of it right now.
Fuck it, they were twins and always had each other’s backs when it counted. “I fucking hate that she’s shutting me out,” he blurted.
“ Yeah .” Gavin raised his eyebrows, nodding. Took a bite of sandwich.
Tristan scowled at him. “That’s it? I’m spilling my guts over here, and that’s all you’ve got?”
“If that’s your version of spilling your guts, you suck at it worse than I thought.” He made a circular motion with his hand, encouraging him to continue. “Keep going.”
Tristan set his jaw. Unlocked it. Gavin was an easy target for his annoyance, but it was his frustration level that was making him so damned edgy. And his twin was literally the only person he would ever talk to about this.
“She still doesn’t trust me. Not even after all the time we’ve spent together and all the ways I’ve tried to earn it.”
“Sure, she trusts you,” Gavin argued. “Maybe she just doesn’t want to take the risk of getting involved.”
Yeah, maybe he didn’t want to talk about this after all.
“What do you know about her and her background?”
“Same as you. She was a cop in Vegas before she moved here to be close to her mom and Bristol.” Exactly like he and his siblings had all come out here from Kentucky to be a family again.
He respected that more than she knew, the level of dedication and value she placed on family. That was important to him.
“You guys work and train together all the time. She’s never told you anything else about her background or past?”
“Nothing except she’s really close to Bristol.
” With most people, he wouldn’t have cared if they kept him at arm’s length.
But that distance from Cassie made him crazy, twisting him up in ways he’d never known possible.
“My gut says it’s more than her being the only female bodyguard we have.
I think something happened to her when she was a cop in Vegas. ”
“Makes sense.” Gavin polished off the last of his bacon. “You check up on her?”
“Course I’ve checked up on her. She just says she’s okay and thanks for asking.” Like he was just another acquaintance. He’d thought about driving over there and showing up at her door but didn’t want to be iced out again and feel even more unwanted.
“You just want to take care of her.”
More than that. Way more than that.
He groaned, dragged a hand through his hair. “I don’t know what the hell else to do.”
“Wanna go for a run?”
“No.”
“Wanna go to the gym and beat the shit out of a punching bag?”
“No.” Well, kinda, actually.
“Well, you better figure out something to burn off some of that frustration. Because that shit is wafting off you like a bad smell.” Gavin stood and grabbed both their plates. “Get outta here for a while. Go for a drive or something. Take a walk. Or a hike.”
“Off a short pier?”
“I mean, if the urge hits, go for it. And whatever you do, do not stop by her place uninvited.”
Tristan considered it. Getting out for a while for a mental reset wasn’t a terrible idea.
“Hello? I mean it. Don’t go there and pull the white knight routine. You’ll just make it worse.”
“Thanks for the pep talk.”
“Welcome. Go on, I got this.” Gavin shooed him away as he carried their plates to the sink.
“Okay, maybe I will.” He paused. “You wanna come?”
“Do I wanna come along and deal with your moody ass for longer than I already have? No, thanks. But come over to our place later if you want. I don’t know what we’re having, but Autumn and Carly made an apple caramel cake for dessert.”
The idea lifted his mood slightly. “Sounds good. See you later.” He hesitated. “Thanks, man.”
Gavin shot a grin over his shoulder. “See how emotionally supportive I can be?”
“Scary. Barely even recognize you right now.” He was smiling as he stepped out of the building into the cool, damp air. The deciduous trees planted on the grounds were all drenched in fall color, their damp leaves glistening in the light.
Gavin was right. He needed to burn off some frustration. He started down the hill, heading for the waterfront. A long, hard walk along the beach, listening to the waves pound the shore felt like a good idea.