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Once Blake was able to pick up her jaw, she couldn’t seem to connect the information fast enough in her head. “But... but... that’s not what he drives. He drives that beat-up Toyota that’s sitting in Sabrina’s driveway. Are you sure?”
Jason nodded. “We’re sure that truck’s registered to him. Maybe he just keeps it in the garage. Or maybe he’s letting someone else use it. Who knows? But we can’t go over to his place and take a look without a search warrant, and we don’t have that kind of evidence—not yet. Everything we have is circumstantial, and we can’t get a warrant based on a hunch.”
Maybe they needed a search warrant, but she didn’t. Now, where could he be hiding that truck?
Kyle sighed. “That’s why we were really hoping with a little prodding, you guys would be able to remember him.”
Blake raked her mind, but she knew she hadn’t seen anything but headlights. She thought back to the night of the party. Whit had come in late with his dad. Racking her brain, she tried to calculate whether he’d had enough time to make an appearance dressed in a clown costume and then go change before coming back to the party. Before she could respond again, text alerts sounded around the room, making her jump. Adam’s phone buzzed at his waist, and Jason reached for his pocket.
Kyle shot to attention. “What? What’s going on?”
Jason looked at his phone and uttered a curse. “Some party got out of control in Miller’s Field just outside of town. There was a shooting.”
Adam held up his phone. “I’ll bet that’s my shooting victim. I’ve gotta get to the ER.”
Blake couldn’t help the stab of disappointment that shot through her at his departure, and she immediately felt guilty. “I didn’t know you were on call.”
He headed to the front door, stopping at the coat closet for his jacket. The man didn’t waste any time. “Ryan,” he called to her brother, “please thank your wife for the incredible dinner.” Then he motioned for Blake to come closer. When she reached him, he lowered his voice so only she could hear him. “I’m so sorry I have to run. I will check on you tomorrow. Please be careful, sugar.” He leaned down and pressed a firm kiss to her lips, making tingles zip around her insides.
She only had a brief second to register the kiss, which left her breathless, before he was pulling away and opening the front door. Blake had to fight every urge she had not to yank him back inside.
“Good night, everyone,” he called, and gave her a wink before he pulled the door closed.
It took her a moment before she was able to tune in to the voices behind her. “I know he’s doing this just to spite me,” Kyle was saying to Jason as she trailed him into the foyer and watched him grab his WPD jacket.
“Babe, you’re reading too much into this. You work all the time. This is your night off. You knew that. I’m the one on call, not you. I’ll handle the shooting.”
Blake wandered back into the family room so Kyle and Jason could finish their argument and tossed herself down on the loveseat across from her brother.
He shot a glance at their sister. “She really can’t handle being left out, can she?”
“Yeah, what’s up with that? Isn’t that a middle-child-syndrome thing? I should be the one that drives you all crazy with my personality disorders.”
“Oh, little sister, you do. Have no worries.” Ryan dodged, laughing as Blake chucked a throw pillow right at his head.
The front door closed behind Jason, and Kyle looked to be fuming when she came back into the room.
Ryan pushed his glasses up his nose. “Give the poor guy a break.”
“Oh, I’m not mad at him.” Kyle kicked the corner of the sofa in frustration before she plopped down. “It’s my idiot boss. Raimy’s so pissed I yelled at him in front of his men, so he leaves me out of things like this just to spite me. Pansy ass.”
Blake raised a finger. “That’s another quar—” But she stopped abruptly when Kyle shot her a death glare. “Fine,” she laughed. “You get a freebie. And you should be happy about getting a chance to relax and enjoy your night off. It’s good to spend time with you when you’re not threatening to arrest me.”
Music sounded from the kitchen, a loud rap beat followed by the lyrics, “Heeeeeeey, it’s your mama!”
Ryan stood up. “That’s Rachel’s phone. I better grab it. I know she’s been waiting on a call from her mom.” Ryan retreated to the kitchen as Blake turned her attention back to Kyle.
“I’m sorry about that,” Blake said earnestly. “It’s my fault Raimy’s upset with you.”
Kyle scrubbed a hand over her face. “No, it’s really not. He should have listened to you when you called. He may not like you, but when you call about a murder for chrissakes, he can’t blow you off. And he knows that. I think he’s mad at himself, but me being your sister definitely doesn’t help matters.”
“Wait a second. He doesn’t like me? But I bring cookies to the station!” She really wasn’t used to people not liking her.
Kyle cracked a smile. “Yeah, he’s allergic to tree nuts.”
She didn’t understand the connection until she thought about the cookies she’d brought in a couple weeks ago. Then she let out a groan. “Oh no, chocolate-chip-pecan. I am so sorry.”
A laugh escaped Kyle. “Hey, they were labeled. That’s his own fault.”
Blake was happy to see her sister smile. It seemed like there had been a lot of tension between them throughout the week, so the fact that they were back in sync made her feel as though things were as they should be.
“Hey, we should probably get out of their hair.” Blake jerked her head toward the kitchen, where they could hear Ryan talking on the phone. “And you’re without a car. Need a lift? We could swing by my place first. I was going to bring you a box of my new chocolate-marshmallow cookies, but I left them setting on my kitchen counter.”
“Cookies and a ride?” A big grin stretched across Kyle’s face. “That’s the best offer I’ve had all night.”
Rachel rushed into the room. “Sorry that took so long. It took me awhile to scrub off all the twins’ makeup. I heard my ringtone upstairs. Please tell me Ryan didn’t—” She stopped when she heard Ryan’s voice. “Oh, mierda! Please tell me he’s not talking to my mama.”
“Yeah, he didn’t want you to miss the call,” Kyle said.
Ryan walked into the room and spotted his wife before he pushed the end button on the phone. He narrowed his eyes at Rachel, and some emotion Blake couldn’t quite place crossed his face.
Rachel looked at him with wide eyes, holding her breath, and Blake and Kyle just sat back, looking between the two of them.
Finally, Ryan broke the silence. “A month? She’s staying for a month?” He gripped the phone and looked at it as if the piece of technology had seriously offended him. “Rach, when were you going to tell me? A month!”
“Mama Bustos is coming for a month?” Blake clapped her hands together in glee. Rachel’s mom was amazing. Ryan was clearly not in the mood for her enthusiasm. He shot her a glare as Kyle tried to suppress a smile.
Then Rachel broke out in rapid-fire Spanish. “Iba a decírtelo. Pero parecía tonto molestarte antes de saberlo. Por favor, no te enojes.”
Blake had no idea what that meant, but it didn’t sound good.
“Babe, English, please.” Ryan ran a hand through his hair and just glared at his sisters.
Kyle stood up and looked at Blake, jerking her head in the direction of the door.
“What?” Blake didn’t really want to leave quite yet. She was way too curious about how the argument was going to turn out. But with the three people in the room glaring at her, she figured staying put probably wasn’t the best decision. “Right. Okay, well, thank you for dinner,” she said, getting up.
She and Kyle gave both Ryan and Rachel hugs, and Blake didn’t like the fact that she could feel the tension rolling off both of them. She didn’t even bother to ask for leftovers as she and her sister grabbed their jackets and made a quick getaway.
***
“I DON’T SEE WHY RYAN has such an issue with Mama Bustos visiting. Where else is she supposed to stay when she’s having her house painted?” Blake turned onto her street. “I love that woman.” She warmed at the thought of the pudgy little woman who had a giant smile and always smelled like cinnamon.
Kyle clapped. “I am so freaking excited to have her here over the holidays. That Christmas candy she always sends us? She’s going to be here to make it fresh! Oh, this is going to be amazing!”
As Blake slowed in front of her house, Kyle gave her the side-eye. “So, this whole drive home, you haven’t said a word about Hot Doc. I saw the kiss he planted on you before he left. Did you guys get a chance to talk at all?”
“Yes,” Blake said with annoyance. “And you, little sister, have the worst possible timing ever!”
Kyle made a face. “Sorry! I knew it looked like he was about to kiss you when we walked in. But that’s good, right? You said he’s been treating you like a sister. He sure didn’t look like he was treating you very sisterly tonight.”
The memory of Adam’s words washed over Blake. Inside that big heart of yours, I hope there’s a place for me.
Her hands shook a bit as she pushed the button to turn off her car engine. “He finally told me he has feelings for me.”
Kyle gasped. “That’s great!” She grabbed Blake’s arm and shook it. “Why don’t you seem excited? I thought that was what you wanted!”
“It was! It is, I mean.”
Kyle arched a brow. “But?” Blake shot her sister a glance, and Kyle sighed. “Sean. Right?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I mean, Adam’s amazing. But before I start anything with him, I need to make sure that there’s nothing there between Sean and me. If there’s any doubt, then that’s not fair to Adam. I can’t be with him unless I can give him my whole heart.” It was past time for her to woman up and ask Sean straight out what was up. Maybe they would have some time together after Halloween.
Kyle leaned back in her seat, and her silence spoke volumes, causing Blake to sigh. “You disagree.” She could almost tell what her little sister was thinking.
“Blake,” Kyle said gently, “I know that Rachel and I have joked over the last few months about being Team Adam or Team Sean, and maybe that’s been putting too much pressure on you, I don’t know. But it boils down to one thing. We want you to be happy.” Kyle put a hand on her arm, making her look up. “You deserve someone who loves you more than the whole world. In the end, to me, that doesn’t matter if it’s Adam or Sean or someone else. I just want you to have the love in your life that you deserve.” She dropped her hand in her lap. “That being said, is Sean still holding you at arm’s length?”
She rolled her shoulders and squeezed the steering wheel in front of her, considering. “Well, with Todd’s murder, it’s not like we’ve had time to really socialize, so I don’t know. But nothing’s changed drastically over the last few months. I thought he was going to kiss me the other day, but we got interrupted.”
“So ask him. Or grab him and lay one on him.” When Blake looked at her sister in horror, Kyle shrugged. “What? Be direct. If you want to know how he feels about you, ask. Then you’ll know. Remaining in limbo with those two is ridiculous. And it’s dumb for you to wait around for Sean if there’s nothing there. Hell, maybe he’ll kiss you, and there’ll be no spark whatsoever. That’ll make your decision easier.”
Kyle reached for the door handle. “I’m assuming there are sparks when you kiss Adam.”
“Oh yeah,” Blake said breathlessly, getting out of the car.
Kyle giggled—downright giggled—when she came around the car. “Yeah, I can tell. You should see how flushed your face gets when he touches you.”
Blake couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she nudged her sister’s arm when they walked together up the front sidewalk. “That was totally the wine.”
“Oh, bull,” Kyle laughed.
Blake’s wavy hair ruffled in the cool night air, and she shoved it out of her eyes. “So there’s probably no chance you’re going to let me manage my love life without all the external help, is there?”
“Heck no. What fun would that be?” Kyle draped an arm around her sister’s shoulders. “Just remember not to let Rachel pressure you. We’re Team Whoever-Makes-You-Happy. I like both Sean and Adam. Or maybe you won’t choose either one. Whit Hamilton’s pretty cute, you know. If he turns out not to be Pennywise, you could turn to page three and go for him.”
“Very funny.” Whit Hamilton was such a player, the thought of dating him made her throw up in her mouth a little bit. “Besides, Whit is sleeping with Pepper Wright. And that was after he slept with Elaine Page. That’s three big strikes in my book.”
“Actually, that’s only two strikes.”
Blake turned to Kyle as they reached the front steps and shoved her hands on her hips. “You’ve met Pepper. She totally counts as two strikes all on her own.”
Kyle started to laugh, when the sound of a breaking stick at the side of the house caught their attention.
The adrenaline rush was almost like a drug, causing every hair on Blake’s body to go on high alert. “What was that?”
The neighborhood was quiet in the dark night. No one was out in the yard, no one was walking their dog, and a stray cat wasn’t big enough to break a stick by stepping on it. Straining her ears in the direction the sound had come from, she distinctly heard the crunch of leaves as slow footfalls retreated. She took a step toward the side of the house when Kyle’s hand landed on her arm.
“Whoa!” her sister whispered. “Where are you going?”
“There’s someone back there,” she whispered back.
“I know that. I will check it out.” Kyle reached in her purse and pulled out her sidearm that she kept in an easy-to-get-to Velcro pouch. “Stay here.”
“Kyle, be careful!” she hiss-whispered before her sister walked quickly away.
Blake watched as her sister made her way around the side of the house. She felt so helpless. She hoped the intruder hadn’t gone inside her house. A shiver went through her at the thought.
Blake shuffled her feet on the sidewalk as she strained to listen. Kyle should have made her way around the house by now. What if whoever it is attacks her? But I would have heard that, right? Yes, I definitely would have heard something. The need to protect her baby sister overcame every other emotion in her body, and that was all she needed to man up.
Then she scoffed at the thought. “Man up, my ass. I’m going to woman up!” Fight like a lady. Her footsteps were strong and sure as she walked around the side of the house in the direction her sister had gone. A grunting noise and the sound of someone or something crashing to the ground came from the backyard. Before Blake could react, Kyle’s voice yelped, and the sounds of a struggle started.
The drumbeat of Blake’s heart echoed her pounding footsteps as she ran as fast as she could through the leaves and the grass to reach the back of the house. In the dim light of the lamppost in her backyard, she was able to make out Kyle lying on her back with a dark figure kneeling over her, his hand up holding something, ready to strike.
“Hey!” Blake ran straight for them, startling the intruder, who jumped up and began running.
Going after him was only a fleeting thought because the only thing in her mind was making sure her little sister was okay. “Kyle!” She fell to her knees beside her sister, who was breathing heavily as her hand searched the ground for her gun.
“Blake, I can’t let him get away!” Kyle’s voice was tight with pain, and her forearm was bent at an odd angle as she slid it along the grass.
On the far side of the yard, the intruder hit the fence and began climbing. When Blake looked down, she spotted the gun just out of her sister’s reach.
“I got it!” She lunged for the gun, and the training Kyle had given her at the gun range once upon a time came back to her in full force. She remembered that Kyle had mentioned law-enforcement weapons didn’t have a safety to click on and off, so all Blake had to do was point and shoot. With a surprisingly steady hand, she lifted her arm and aimed at the fence.
“Blake, what are you doing!” Kyle’s panicked voice was desperate.
But Blake’s focus was on the figure who was heaving his body over the top of the fence. She aimed as best she could at the person, closed one eye, and gently squeezed the trigger like Kyle had taught her. The kick from the gun knocked her back, flat on her butt, as the branch in her next-door neighbor’s yard exploded right before she heard the man land with an “oof” on the other side of the fence, followed by his rapidly retreating footsteps.
“Oh my God, give me the gun!” Kyle reached up and let out a wounded sound when she lifted her arm.
“Stay put!” Blake yelled at her. There was no need to be quiet anymore. The intruder was long gone, and people were emerging from their back doors. The glow of porch lights began lighting up the night. She began to fumble around in her pockets for her phone then realized it was in her purse, which she’d dropped somewhere between the car and the backyard.
“My tree!” she heard Mrs. Amos yell.
“Is everyone okay?” hollered Mr. Richards.
Kyle was pulling herself up to a sitting position when Blake yelled back. “No, someone call an—”
Kyle gasped and slapped her good hand over Blake’s mouth. “No ambulance! Don’t you dare! I will never hear the end of it.”
Blake gestured to the arm Kyle was cradling close to her body. “What do you think you’re going to do?” she hiss-whispered. “Hide that from everyone?”
“Just let me handle it. Get me my phone, and I will call this in.”
“Someone, call the police!” Mrs. Amos screamed.
“Uh-oh.” Blake scrambled to her feet, thinking the intruder had attacked the elderly woman next door. “Mrs. Amos, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m okay,” the woman yelled back in exasperation. “But I want someone to catch the vandal that shot at my tree. I want whoever did that to be locked up.”
Blake winced then rolled her eyes, because even with a broken arm, her little sister was behind her, giggling.