excitement when she stood there, the first time she showed it to me. “Tempe Beach Park is just below us, and in front is Hayden Park. Being the tallest building in Tempe has its perks.”
All of that was useless information to the man next to me, but the words served as a flimsy barrier against the memories crowding close. Maybe coming
here wasn’t such a good idea. I fell quiet, unable to say anything more.
“Seems like you two were polar opposites,” Kayden said, offering me
another distancing layer. “This is all granite, stainless steel, and clean lines.”
Intrigued by his astute observation and in no rush to end this small moment
out of time, I stretched my legs out, crossing them at the ankles, as I leaned into
my hands braced on the bed. A casual position when I felt anything but. “She tried to talk me into moving down here with her, but I was more comfortable at
the cabin. Something that endlessly frustrated Kelsey, because she was bound and determined to make sure I had some social interaction. To achieve that goal,
she would drag me down here whenever she could.”
“Considering its location, it must cost a pretty penny.”
I shrugged. “More than I’d be comfortable paying, but on her budget, it
worked. When she sat down to explain why it would be beneficial to consider moving in with her, she had a list of pros ready to go. After I finally convinced
her, I wasn’t budging from the cabin, she threw her hands up and decreed that I
would stay with her before and after my out-of-town trips, so she’d know I was
still alive.”
I winced, and then continued in a softer voice, “It’s not that far from the airport and close to her offices. Besides she works—” I stopped, then corrected
myself, “worked long hours. There’s a restaurant downstairs, along with a slew
of others along Mill. A necessity since she preferred eating out than in. Then there’s the fact that the security here is better than normal.”
“Thanks to Terrance,” he said.
My grief lifted a little. “Yeah.”
Quiet settled between us as I stared out the window.
Being here brought so many good memories of Kelsey closer, made the
aching pain a little easier to bear. Yet, it wouldn’t take much, just one wayward
thought, to go down the wrong path where all the sorrow waited to suck me under. The only thing keeping me from taking that wrong turn, was my
involvement in this case. Despite the inherent danger involved, I was grateful to
Delacourt for including me. Work might not be the solution, but it sure as hell helped.
First up, I needed to check out Kelsey’s room for myself. Not that Kayden didn’t know what he was doing, but he wouldn’t know what to look for. Hell, maybe I wouldn’t either, but there was a slim chance I’d get lucky and recognize
something out of place when I saw it.
I pushed to my feet and reached for my gun. The comforting weight of the
weapon served as a reminder. Kelsey brought my Sig to the cabin. I thought about the gun safe in the walk-in closet on the other side of the attached bathroom. Most times when I headed out of town, I left behind my more
valuable pieces. I needed to ensure this was the only piece missing. I left the gun
on the bed with Kayden. “I’ll be right back.”
“That’s a great view.” There was something dark and lazy in his voice.
I looked back to find he wasn’t looking at the balcony as he half-reclined on
my bed. Unexpected, slumberous heat woke with a languid stretch at the picture
he presented. Grateful for his distraction, intentional or not, I murmured, “Isn’t it though?”
His low chuckle followed as I walked through the bathroom and flipped the
closet light on. My gaze went to the five-foot, solid steel behemoth serving as a gun safe taking up space under a nearby shelf. No scratches marred the surface,
nothing to indicate a forced entry. Not that I expected anything since Kelsey had
