Dennis Chamberlin.
Loch knew the name before he’d been questioned, but he hadn’t known until just then what he would do if he heard it spoken aloud in this context. He knew Dennis. Had trained the other man himself. Had set his work hours, had talked to him the day Dennis died. And yet Loch hadn’t been there when the man had spoken his last word, had taken his last breath.
Loch hadn’t been there.
He’d been too late.
Again. And now it looked as if the man might have been killed, and everything pointed to Loch as being the guilty party.
He bit the inside of his cheek so he wouldn’t cry out, wouldn’t scream at the injustice of it all. Instead, he stood in his windowless office at the gym and wondered what the hell would happen next.
Dennis had been one of Loch’s best trainers at the gym. He’d come to work on time, he’d stayed late if needed. He’d never hit on any of the guests or made them feel uncomfortable. He’d always worked with both men and women, not scoping out the younger, hotter versions of either sex like some of his trainers had tried to do in the past. He’d cared about those he worked with, and Loch had liked him.
And now, the other man was dead, and there was nothing Loch could do about it.
“Knock knock,” Dare said as he stuck his head into Loch’s office. “Thought I’d catch you here.”
Loch narrowed his eyes at his brother. “I thought the door was locked.”
“I’d make a joke about Loch and locking, but this isn’t the time for that. And, yeah, you locked the front door to the gym, but I have a key, remember? We all have keys to our places in case of emergency.” Dare moved fully into the office, closing the door behind him. Though the two of them were the only people in the building, Loch appreciated the privacy.
“And what constitutes an emergency today?” Loch asked, folding his arms over his chest.
Dare leaned against the door, mirroring Loch’s movement with his arms. “Oh, I don’t know, the fact that Dennis is dead and, apparently, he either died on your property in the back or was moved there. I know the police asked you a few questions last night when you stopped by since you told me, but I can bet you they’ll ask a few more.”
Loch knew as much. “I figured. Even if I’m not a suspect—which, who knows what the hell the local detectives will be thinking on that point, especially given the pointed questions they asked me last night—they’re going to want to talk to me some more. Hell, I want to talk to them. Dennis had no family. He came to Whiskey with a group of friends about three years ago and stayed when he fell in love with the town. I hired him soon after, and he’s been my best trainer since.”
“That’s a long time, Loch. I’m sorry he’s gone.”
“I’m sorry, too. And pissed the fuck off that someone would dare end his life. If it really was a murder. He’s younger than us.” Loch paused. “Was younger than us. Jesus Christ. I’ve seen people die, Dare. Same as you. Our old lives didn’t allow us to think the best of the world. Hell, same with Fox and his work, even if he tries to find the best in his writing. But this? On our doorstep? I felt like we left our old lives because we thought Whiskey was safe. It was a fucking delusion.”
Dare shook his head. “Not a delusion. We might have thought it was safer but never safe. I almost lost Kenzie because it wasn’t safe. Fuck, Fox almost lost Melody because of the same thing. People make a place dangerous. And no matter how much you try to wall yourself off from them, they’re still around you. You work in security, Loch. You might have this gym, but your manager runs it most of the time. Your other job adding and providing security systems for those in town is what makes you the money. And that tells us both you’ve never really thought Whiskey was that safe. Nowhere is.”
Dare was right, but Loch wasn’t a fan of being reminded that his brother was sometimes smarter than he was. He couldn’t help it, they were all competitive.
“Just because I want to keep my family and friends safe doesn’t mean I’m prepared for shit like this.”
Dare nodded. “I get it. I was a cop, remember? You’re the one who added all the security for my house and at the inn. Shit, I don’t know if I’d be as comfortable having Kenzie alone at the house or the inn as much as she is without your security system. And, yeah, that makes me an alpha male with too much testosterone, but whatever. After everything that happened to her before we got together and right when we started seeing each other, I get overprotective.”
“I’m just surprised she’s not wrapped in bubble wrap and attached to your hip.”
“Don’t think I didn’t ask.”
“At least you asked. That’s a step up from demanding.”
Dare’s eyes went dark, and Loch knew it wasn’t about him but Kenzie’s ex. “I’ll never demand. Not from Kenzie. Not after the shit her ex pulled. But it’s all connected, Loch. We’re keeping those we love safe, and the fact that someone came in and hurt a friend, fucking killed a friend, pisses me the fuck off. Add to that the fact that you’re actually connected to him and it seems very suspicious that things seem to be pointing to you, and I just have a feeling we haven’t seen the end of this. You know?”
Loch nodded, his gut rolling. “I know.” He’d been feeling the same. Something was off about the whole situation, and not just that Dennis was dead. Loch had seen too much in his life, had been part of too much not to have a hinky feeling about the whole thing. He just wasn’t sure what he could do about it. Wasn’t sure what there was to do about it. Dare wasn’t a cop anymore. Loch didn’t work for his old company anymore. They had no jurisdiction, no power to do anything except wait and see.
He just hated not having the option to do anything about it.
“You have an alibi, though.” It wasn’t a question, but Loch had a feeling Dare was still asking. And, yeah, Loch had an alibi if the time of death were near when they found the body. They didn’t know yet, those details hadn’t been released.
He’d been with his family.
And after that…he’d been with Ainsley.
But Loch wasn’t sure what the hell he was going to do if someone asked.
“I do.” He didn’t elaborate. Didn’t need to. Dare just nodded, a question in his gaze, but he didn’t say more. They were brothers, they knew when they needed to share. But for now, they were allowed to keep their secrets. It would likely be different with Fox, but Loch understood that Fox liked to know everything so he could try and fix it.
“Then you’re good.” Dare cursed, and Loch just stared at him. “No, you’re not good. Sorry. I can’t believe Dennis is dead. And I seriously can’t believe his name was just released to Fox.”
Loch nodded. “I know. Word’s out, and soon it’s going to be even more of a mess as they try to figure out who’s responsible.”
“They don’t think it was an accident? They’re sure it’s murder?”
Loch shrugged. “They didn’t tell me much, but from what I could gather, his neck was broken, and his body was found at the bottom of the stairs behind the building.”
Dare’s eyebrows shot up. “You heard all that? Sounds like those details should have been kept quiet.”
“Two of the newer deputies were talking within earshot. I heard they got reprimanded by their boss once everyone realized I was near. Those details will probably be let out today anyway. Fox has a story on his hands.”
The brothers met gazes, both frowning. “Fox hates writing the horrors without the light,” Dare said softly. “You know that.” Dare looked down again, putting his hands on his hips as he seemingly ordered his thoughts. Loch just stared at him, his mind going down its own path.
Loch nodded. “That’s why he stayed in Whiskey instead of going somewhere else with more breaking news.” Fox had stayed in Whiskey to write what mattered to the town as well as to keep their people informed of what was going on in the world. Their younger brother had always been good at keeping the balance, but death and murder was a whole other thing. Fox could handle it, though, of that Loch was sure. His brother could deal with anything.
“Well, he’s going to be full of news soon I think.”
“Hopefully, they’ll catch the bastard,” Loch growled out.
“I don’t have that many connections to the department here, but I’ll do my best to find out more. Especially if they really think you have anything to do with this.”
“Just don’t put a target on your back because you’re poking your head where you’re not wanted,” Loch warned.
“I could say the same,” Dare drawled. “Now, come on over to the bar. We’ll go have lunch and get out of this place since it’s closed. You going to open tomorrow?”
“Unless there’s an issue, yeah. I could have opened today according to the department, but it didn’t feel right. You know?”
Dare met his gaze. “I do. Let’s get some food and figure out what the hell we’re going to do next.” His brother moved from the door and went to open it. “I know I didn’t ask, and I’m not really asking at all. Come to lunch, Loch. You lost your friend. Even if he wasn’t really a friend and just someone you knew and hired. You still lost him. And we both know this isn’t the end of the story.”
Loch sighed but moved toward the door as Dare opened it. “You’ve sure gotten deep since you got with Kenzie.”
“True. But she lets me scratch and burp when I feel like I’m getting in touch with my emotions too much.”
“Classy,” Loch said with a snort as they made their way outside.
Loch’s snort was probably the first thing the detective saw as he stepped out of his car, and Loch stiffened ever so slightly when he saw the other man.
“Well, here we go.”
“Loch Collins?”
Loch stopped in front of his gym, Dare by his side. His brother had his phone out and was either calling a family member, their lawyer, or getting ready to record the interaction. Knowing Dare, he’d find a way to make all of it happen.
Plus, none of them liked Detective Renkle. He’d been an asshole to Dare and Kenzie and hadn’t been the nicest to Melody either. His partner, Detective Shannon had been the nice one. Thankfully, the other detective was also getting out of the car.
“Yes, Detective Renkle. I’m Loch. We met two nights ago.”
“And a few times before that,” Dare added before turning slightly to speak into the phone.
Ah, the lawyer it seemed.
“We have a few questions for you,” Renkle continued. “How about you come down to the station so we can talk.” Again, not a question.
“Am I under arrest?” Loch asked.
Shannon shook his head. “No.”
“Not at this time,” Renkle added, and Loch did his best not to glare. He was a big man and looked intimidating even when he was smiling. It never helped when dealing with authorities to look like he could kick their asses. Well, it had helped when he was at his other job, but he’d usually been on the authorities’ side.
Shannon glanced over at his partner before looking at Loch again. “But we have a few questions, and it would be easier if you were at the station.”
Easier for whom? But Loch didn’t ask that.
“Fine. We can do that. We were headed out to lunch. Is this going to take long?”
“Just cooperate, and you’ll be fine,” Shannon added, but Loch wasn’t sure.
“We’ll be there,” Dare put in. “With our lawyer.”
“Need a lawyer?” Renkle asked. “Something you need to tell us?”
Loch didn’t say anything, but Dare answered for him.
“I was a cop, Renkle. I know our rights.” Dare sounded almost bored, but Loch knew it was just a façade.
“For a cop, you sure are friendly with lawyers.” Renkle’s voice almost sent Loch over the edge, but he held himself back. Thankfully, so did Dare.
“Any good cop is,” Dare said with a flash of a grin before he glared again. “Meet you at the station.”
“You can always ride with us,” Renkle sneered.
Jesus Christ, they were stuck in a bad detective movie. “Let’s just get this over with. You need to figure out what happened to Dennis, and standing here like this isn’t helping.” He’d almost said “whipping out your dicks,” but he’d refrained. Knowing Renkle, he’d find a way to put Loch behind bars for the offhand comment.
Shannon nudged Renkle back to the car, and Dare sighed beside Loch. “Knew it wasn’t over.”
“Nope. Not even close.”
By the time Loch got home from the station, he was exhausted and hungry since he hadn’t been able to get food like he’d planned. The questioning had actually gone super easily and, honestly, probably could have happened right there on the street in front of the gym since they’d only asked about Dennis’s work schedule. The detectives had questioned Loch about where he was the night of the murder, and while Loch had said that he was at the bar with witnesses, he hadn’t mentioned Ainsley and their time together after. If they asked his whereabouts for a specific time, then he’d tell them. But, as of now, he didn’t know when Dennis had been killed, and he hadn’t wanted to air any dirty laundry he didn’t need to. Not telling the cops his entire life story might not be the best decision, but hell, he’d known too many people in his line of work who had said too much and had to deal with more issues because of it, even though they were innocent. He had a feeling the cops had no idea who killed Dennis and were only just starting their investigation. They needed to figure out Dennis first before they could figure out who killed him.
Either way, it gave Loch a headache, and he had a feeling the harder questions were coming.
Or maybe he was just overthinking because he tended to see the worst in people. Renkle notwithstanding, Loch didn’t think anyone actually believed Loch was guilty.
Misty was at his parents’ for the day since his mother had wanted a princess afternoon or something like that, so he had a few more hours to himself where he could get something to eat and maybe take a nap.
His phone buzzed, and he frowned at the readout. He hadn’t heard from Ainsley all day, and the silence between them was only getting more awkward with each passing minute.
Ainsley: I heard you were taken into the station! Are you okay?
Jesus. Word traveled fast in Whiskey. Or rather, word traveled fast when it came to his family. Then again, he’d have talked to her himself if they weren’t avoiding each other because of what happened the other night.
Loch: They had a few questions about Dennis. I’m fine. You don’t need to be worried.
Ainsley: Of course I’m worried, Loch.
Ainsley: I’m so sorry about Dennis.
Loch sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t know what to feel when it came to Ainsley. Things were so messed up, and Loch hated that he couldn’t rely on the one person he’d always been able to lean on because he’d fucked up like he did. This was his fault, and he had no idea how to fix it.
Loch: Me too.
Ainsley: Let me know if you need anything.
He was about to answer that he was fine when she messaged again.
Ainsley: And we need to talk. You know we do.
He didn’t answer that, just put his phone back into his pocket, his head aching. Yeah, they needed to talk, but he wasn’t sure what they could say to each other to fix what had happened. If he were honest with himself, this had been a long time coming, and yet it still surprised the hell out of him. He had no idea what to say to her, what would help things, or what would make everything better.
He’d ruined what they had, and he was afraid there was no coming back from that.
And since he’d already made himself sick over that and the situation with Dennis that day, he knew he just needed some time to think and get his thoughts in order because if he spoke to Ainsley right then, he’d fuck it all up even more.
Loch sighed and went to check the mail he’d put on the kitchen island when he walked in. In the middle was a large manila envelope that looked out of place. He set it aside for the moment but frowned when he noticed an estate lawyer’s name on the return address.
“Huh.” He set it down on the counter again, got himself a beer, and took a sip as he tried to think of what an estate lawyer would be sending him. Loch’s first thought was something about Dennis, but that was insane, so it had to be about something else.
He just had no idea what it could be.
He opened another letter addressed to him first, one without a return address and figured it was junk mail, but he still needed to open it before he shredded it.
Instead, there was a single typed note in it. His hands fisted near his sides as he tried to figure out what the hell it could mean.
“It will be mine. Watch your back. Your friend already lost his life by being where he shouldn’t have been. I want those papers. Too bad he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. You know who I am. You know me. You know what I want. What I need. Don’t waste too much time, or your little friend might not be the only person who loses what’s important.”
“What the fuck?”
He looked down at the letter, unease spreading through him. He sighed, set down his beer, and opened the other large envelope. When he scanned the cover letter, he stiffened, ice sliding through his veins, and his gut churning once more.
He looked at the name listed, then read through the file, wondering how the hell he’d ended up in this other dimension. Because there was no way this was happening, not when he was dealing with Dennis, Ainsley, Misty, and so many other things in his life.
No fucking way.
Jason Kincaid was dead.
Jason fucking Kincaid.
His mentor, friend, and the one who’d helped him get his head on straight when he hadn’t known what to do with his life. He’d been the company’s owner, the one who’d trained them all and kept everyone safe. He’d been the one to help Loch figure out what the hell to do once he decided not to work with the company anymore and needed to stay home to be a dad.
Jason had helped him with so fucking much.
And now, the man was dead.
But, apparently, Loch hadn’t known him as well as he thought because Jason had left the company to Loch. To do with as you please.
In other words, to dismantle it because there was no way Loch was going to be the boss. Not with that group, and not with the hell he’d been through before he settled down with his daughter and his life in Whiskey.
“Jesus Christ.”
Loch nearly crumpled the important document in his hand before setting it down and taking a seat at the island, wondering what the hell to do next. It seemed like he was in a nightmare of responsibility and bad decisions that he couldn’t wake up from, and he had a feeling life wasn’t through fucking with him yet. He’d left the company for Misty’s sake, but he knew he would have soon anyway. Jason had been a good man, but some of the guys Loch had worked with weren’t. They’d taken jobs outside of Jason’s orders, had made calls Loch had never agreed with, and had done some shady things that made Loch hate the man he’d once been.
Jason had connections, high-up contacts with money, power, and lines that led directly to the tops of some governments around the world. People with the kind of power that made waves, and even more importantly, to people who dealt in shady dealings and moved money. Lots of money. In the upper millions—sometimes, the billions. So much money, in fact, that Loch could barely comprehend it. But Jason’s connections had been good enough for the team to get into places where others couldn’t and allowed them to protect the people that others thought invincible. But it was because of Jason’s teams and intel that those people were virtually invincible. Those who didn’t understand the true nature of keeping people safe and those who were on the edge of what was right would definitely want Jason’s position for that kind of money. Maybe more so for that kind of power.
Loch had been a protector. Had been in security for those who needed it. But those who worked with him hadn’t always seen that as an asset.
So, Loch had left.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he cursed, sitting up so he could dig for it again. He was surprised he hadn’t broken the damn thing by sitting on it.
Ainsley: Stop ignoring me, Loch. Please.
He closed his eyes, wishing he had the words to say. How did he tell the woman that meant everything to him that he wasn’t the right choice for her? How did he tell her that he wanted her but didn’t want to fuck up their relationship more? How did he tell her that she was his everything and yet he could be nothing for her?
Loch: We’ll talk. Soon. Had a bad day. Don’t want to be shitty when Misty gets here. Talk soon.
Ainsley: Yes. We will. And I’m sorry you had a bad day.
Loch: Me too.
He put his phone away again, and when she didn’t text back, he let out a sigh of relief. He had no idea what he was going to say to her, but he knew it had to be something and it had to be soon. He was hurting her with his silence, with the distance. So, as soon as he could, he’d tell her what he could. About everything.
As long as he figured out with that was first.