Hot Pursuit E-Book

Jennifer Bernard

• Herausgeber: Jennifer Bernard
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

Standalone novel in the Jupiter Point series ... meet the smoking hot Knight brothers!

Deputy Will Knight and reporter Merry Warren couldn’t be more different—she’s the queen of questions, he’s the king of no comment. The inquisitive beauty drives Will crazy with her feisty attitude and sassy mouth…the one with the lips just made for kissing. Not that he’s noticed. Much. He’s too busy working an arson case that may be tied to something much bigger.

Merry doesn’t need the sexy distraction that is Will Knight. She’s currently working undercover on the most important story of her career. And now her new boss wants her to tackle a local cold case—the unsolved murder of Will’s father. He’s going to love that.

An alpha male with a protective streak a mile wide, and a fiercely independent reporter with a talent for trouble. The sexual tension is three years in the making, and before Will knows it, he’s in hot pursuit of Merry…and they’re both headed straight to danger.

Leseprobe

HOT PURSUIT

JENNIFER BERNARD

CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Coming In Hot

Also by Jennifer Bernard

About the Author

PROLOGUE

The Knight brothers always did things their own way. Honoring their father's passing with a pre-dawn plunge into the creek behind their property made complete sense to them.

It was the only time the old man had ever seemed happy—fishing in the stream with his army buddies when they came through Jupiter Point. Robert Knight had been a respected figure in town and a strict disciplinarian with his family. Sitting around a stuffy room with a bunch of other people who love-hated the man held no appeal. His children would honor him in their own damn way.

Will Knight, as the oldest of the four brothers, went first. From their favorite spot on the flat rocks above the gully, he dove through the ghostly morning mist into the rippling water. Ice closed over his head, a violent shock to his system.

Just like murder was.

He broke the surface, gasping. Murder. Dad had been murdered. And no one knew who had done it. But someone must know. That was the thought that kept him up at night. Someone knew.

"Still alive down there?" Tobias called to him, softer than he normally would because of the early morning hush of the surrounding woods.

"Give me a minute, don't know yet." Half panting, half laughing, he kicked his feet against the current to stay in place. "Come on, you wusses. Am I the only one man enough to take the plunge?"

"Nothing manly about hypothermia," Ben said. He was crouched on the rock, ready to tip over into a dive. "Something important might get frostbite."

Aiden, the youngest brother, still only eight, laughed like a drunken hyena. His spiky blond hair and wide eyes made Will's heart ache. What was going to happen to Aiden?

Their father had been found dead six weeks ago. Will had stepped out of his Constitutional Law class to receive the news in a phone call from Tobias, the second oldest brother. After delivering that bombshell, Tobias had added, "Mom's a mess. How soon can you get here?"

Will had immediately flown home from his law school in Arizona. The police had quickly determined Dad's death to be murder. Shortly after that, Mom had left, saying she needed some time to deal with the situation. Their sixteen-year old sister Cassie had insisted on going with her.

A mess. The whole situation was a mess. A godawful, gut-wrenching mess.

Tobias cannonballed into the creek. Tobias was a big guy, the strongest of them all, and he made a gigantic splash that nearly swamped Will. When he surfaced, water streamed off his dark hair as he gave a wild "whoop."

He paddled over to Will, who was busy spitting water out of his mouth. "I got news," he said.

"What, that you're a jackass?" Will swiped a bit of river debris off his neck. "I've known that for twenty years."

"You say jackass, I say badass." Tobias smirked as he treaded water.

On a normal day, Will might continue the back and forth. It was what they did, as Knight brothers. But today wasn't normal, no matter how much they tried to pretend. Everything was changing. Will felt it in the current swirling at his feet, the mist hovering in the air. "Okay, badass, what's your news?"

"I'm joining up. Saw the recruiter yesterday. Army, like Dad. I figure, I don't know. It's the best place for me right now."

Will's stomach dropped. He didn't want Tobias to leave, but his brother was right. He'd always been the wildest, the angriest of them all. He was a force to be reckoned with, the one most likely to clash with Dad. If Tobias didn't get a handle on his volcanic emotions, he might head down a bad path, and fast.

"Good move," he finally said.

"What is?" Ben's head popped up near them, sleek as a honey badger's. While Will and Tobias had been talking, he'd slipped into the water. Probably while making some kind of funny face to amuse Aiden. He was eighteen, soon to graduate high school, a mixture of bravado and vulnerability.

"Tobias has boot camp in his future. Better practice your 'Sir, yes sir', bro."

Ben blinked water out of his eyes. "Shut the fuck up."

Will frowned at him, surprised by his rattled tone. "What's wrong?"

"This friend of Dad's called me up, he runs an Air Force ROTC program at State. He thinks I should join. I could be a pilot."

Ben had been obsessed with flying since he was a kid. Will couldn't imagine anything more perfect for him than the Air Force.

"But I told him I wasn't sure. I should stick around here. What if Mom doesn't come back, what about the investigation, what about⁠—"

"No," Will interrupted firmly. "Do it. Go. It's what Dad would want. Mom too, if she could get her head clear."

His two brothers stared at him.

"I got this. I'm not going back to law school. I need to be here. For whatever happens. For everything you said. The police investigation, Cassie, Mom⁠—"

From the bank of the creek, Aiden whistled and waved at them. When they looked in his direction, he performed a goofy little dance before launching himself off the rock. He was still airborne when Will finished his sentence. "For Aiden."

Their youngest brother hit the water with a splash like an exclamation point. Or like a clash of cymbals, separating before and after.

It would be eleven years before all four Knight brothers found themselves in the same place at the same time again. Jupiter Point. Home. Where all the same questions still burned.

1

The Jupiter Point sheriff's press conference was just getting underway when Merry Warren claimed her spot at the front of the small pack of reporters. As a workaholic and multi-tasking maniac, she'd been working on three other things during the drive from town. Between a phone interview, prepping questions for the sheriff, and breakfast in the form of coffee-from-a-cupholder, it was a miracle she'd made it in time.

She pulled out her little reporter's notebook. At the lectern set up outside the public safety compound, Sheriff Perez was reading a statement about a recent arson spree in the campgrounds and wilderness areas near Jupiter Point.

"Did I miss anything?" she whispered to a camera operator from one of the local cable channels.

"I'm missing my pillow, that's all I know." He yawned hugely, as if he couldn't possibly be more bored.

For Merry, any chance of boredom vanished when her gaze landed on the man standing just behind the sheriff.

Deputy Will Knight.

The tall deputy's hands were clasped behind his back, his stance relaxed, but every line of his broad-shouldered, long-legged body warned, "don't mess with me."

Under his deputy's baseball cap, his cool gray eyes met hers. He showed no reaction to the sight of her, not even the irritation she normally got from him. Which was totally mutual. Deputy Slow-Mo, as she'd nicknamed him, was the most frustrating law enforcement officer she'd worked with in her three years in Jupiter Point. He ought to have "no comment" tattooed on his forehead. Even getting that "no comment" took forever; sometimes she thought he dragged the process out just to mess with her.

She screwed up her nose at him. Childish, she knew. But Will Knight had a way of bringing out the brat in her. He stared impassively back. He could have been one of the royal guards at Buckingham Palace for all the reaction he showed.

Sheriff Perez was finally reaching the end of his prepared statement. Since she already had a hard copy of it, she didn't bother taking notes.

Instead, she indulged herself with one more moment of tweaking Will Knight. She made another ridiculous face at him, twisting her features and lifting her upper lip in a snarl.

Was that a smile denting one corner of his firmly etched mouth? His eyes flicked away from her, as if he was trying to keep from laughing. Yes! Mr. Cool and Confident wasn't quite as oblivious as it seemed at first.

"Ms. Warren, did you have a question?" The sheriff's abrupt shift from reading his statement to addressing her directly made her jump.

"Oh. Yes, sir. I absolutely do have a question." She scrambled for her mental list of questions. One of her best assets as a reporter was her crystal-clear memory. She still wrote everything down, just to be safe, but she rarely forgot anything. "I'm sure readers of the Mercury News-Gazette will want to know if there's any risk of this arsonist striking inside the town itself."

"That hasn't been his pattern so far."

"'His'? Are you saying the arsonist is male?"

Sheriff Perez shuffled the papers on his podium. "We can't say that definitively, but most arsonists are male. We're working with a very specific profile on this one."

"Does it seem strange that, with such a specific profile, you don't have any suspects yet?"

Perez shot her a weary look. No other reporter ever asked as many follow-up questions as she did. "We're getting there, Ms. Warren. I have my best deputy on the case." He tilted his head toward Will. "He has a ninety-eight percent arrest rate. I'm sure we'll have a suspect soon."

He looked hopefully at the other reporters in the gaggle, but no one else stepped in with a question. So Merry waved her hand again.

"Is there a chance this is more than an arson spree and that's why you haven't been able to track down a suspect?"

"How about I let the deputy in charge take this one?" Sheriff Perez beckoned Will to the podium.

Will stepped to the microphone with as much wariness as if it were a snake. The TV reporter behind her gave a low, "mmm," as he arranged his long body behind the podium. Merry knew just how she felt. Will Knight was one long, tall drink of water.

Possibly spiked with valium for that extra dose of Slow-Mo.

"Can you repeat the fantasy…uh," he coughed, "I mean, question?"

Merry lifted her chin. She'd been following this particular story for a while and had a theory. No good-looking sheriff's deputy was going to mock it out of her. "My question is, since the profile doesn't seem to be resulting in a plethora of likely suspects, is there a chance you're working from an incorrect theory on the case? That it's not a typical arson spree but something different?"

"Such as? I'm all ears. Nothing we like better than having the press take care of business for us."

"Well, I'm wondering if you've considered the possibility that the fires might be related to the recent uptick in opioid arrests near Jupiter Point?"

"Absolutely." Will nodded soberly. "We've also looked into potential ties to the increase in unicorn spottings in the Sierras."

A titter ran through the crowd. Sheriff Perez, just beyond Will's shoulder, beamed. Merry's face heated.

Oh, that Will Knight, he was going to pay for this. It was one thing to deny, another to mock. And Will, with his dry, deadpan, slowpoke manner, knew how to slip the knife in.

No problem. Merry came from the mean streets of Brooklyn and could take care of herself. "Very thorough, thank you. Meanwhile, do you have anything to say to the tax-paying families in Jupiter Point who are wondering why a serial arsonist has been at large for more than six months?"

Will's calm gray gaze sparked with annoyance. A-ha. There was the irritation Will Knight usually showed around her. She'd take irritated over impassive any day.

"The families of Jupiter Point know we're working to keep them safe. And the Mercury News-Gazette can do its part by urging everyone to keep their eyes open for anything suspicious, especially if they’re out hiking, fishing, or camping. Now if that's it for questions, we'll wrap things up here and get back to work."

Merry raised her hand again. "One more. Who's going to be in charge while Sheriff Perez is on his honeymoon? Congratulations, by the way, Sheriff."

Sheriff Perez shook his head with a laugh and leaned back toward the mic. "How'd that news get out?"

"You know I never reveal my sources." She gave him an impish smile. "But we're all really happy for you." She clapped for him, the other media members joining in. As a reporter, it paid to be on good terms with the law enforcement community. That meant that her life would become a lot more difficult if Will Knight filled in for the sheriff. He was the only one she hadn't managed to charm. He was un-charm-able, that was why. Rigid, stick-up-his-ass, arrogant⁠—

"Deputy Knight will be in charge," the sheriff announced. "I'll be gone for two weeks, starting next month, and you'll get to make his life miserable for a while."

Will smiled—arrogantly.

Oh joy.

As Merry stalked toward her car after the briefing broke up, she heard footfalls behind her. Those long strides told her it was Will even before she spun around to face him.

"Are you following me? Because I just remembered another question," she said as he came to a halt before her. "Why are you such a jackass?"

"The unicorn crack went too far, huh?" He tipped back his baseball cap with a half-smile. "Sorry about that."

She gaped at him. When did Will Knight ever apologize? She didn't want him to. They were adversaries. That electric current that always hummed between them proved it. "Take that back."

He looked confused. "Which part?"

"The nice part. It doesn't fit. Unless…" She frowned at him. "You want something, don't you?"

"Maybe. How about a coffee?"

She jingled her car keys between her fingers. Her nerves were jumping. It felt as if he was standing unusually close to her, though she could see perfectly well that he wasn't. "Why?"

"For caffeinating. Every reporter I know drinks coffee. Don't tell me you're the one exception."

He rested his hands on his hips. Damn, he wore that uniform better than any man had a right to. She was already late for about five other things, but if he was going to give her a hot story tip… "I don't really have time for coffee. I have to race back to town for an interview and I have a deadline."

"I'll make it quick. It doesn't have to be coffee. It just has to be private."

This was getting more and more interesting. "Fine." She gestured toward her trusty Corolla. "How about my car? It's very private. No bugs. I mean, there might be actual bugs. But nothing that can record."

She opened the passenger door and ushered him in. He was so tall, he had to grip the metal frame and duck down to fold his body inside the car. He closed the door behind him. As she rounded to the driver's side, she realized her heart had picked up its pace and was practically pitter-patting. She spent a lot of time in her car, driving from one interview or story to another. It was almost like inviting Will into her home.

Which she would never do.

She and Will didn't get along. They never had, not since she'd first taken the job at the Gazette and started pestering him for information. Every time they saw each other, whether in a professional context or out and about in Jupiter Point, they got into it. They were complete opposites. He moved slowly, she practically ran everywhere she went. He was from Jupiter Point, she was a transplanted city girl. He was a law-and-order type, she made a career out of questioning authority.

Also, he was bossy and arrogant.

"I see you put my seat back," she said as she slid into the drivers' seat.

"So my legs would fit." They still didn't, exactly. His knees were spread apart so they wouldn't slam into the glove compartment.

"There's no need to get comfortable. I don't have much time."

"Yeah, I don't think 'comfortable' is on the agenda," he said dryly. He reached behind his back and dislodged a chew toy in the shape of Shrek. He looked at it quizzically. "Friend of yours?"

"Stress ball. Helps me relax."

"You? Tense? Never would have guessed it."

She sighed and drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, which had a shaggy purple cover that made her smile. "I don't have time for chitchat, Knight. Why are you here? What do you want?"

He squeezed Shrek, creating a breathy squeak. "Your, uh, speculation about the rise of opioids and the campground fires. I wanted to give you a heads up about that."

She turned toward him eagerly. "I knew it. I knew there had to be a connection. My gut never lies."

"You need to drop it," he said flatly. "It's not something you can pursue right now. If you let it go for now, I promise you'll be the department's first call once they can say something."

The hairs on the back of her neck lifted the way they always did when she was getting close to a real story. "So there is something to it, but you want me to ignore it? That's going to be hard to do. My brand-new boss will be very interested in a story like this."

"Right, I heard you got a new editor over there. What's he like?"

She grimaced, then quickly tried to pretend it was a smile. It didn't work; Will saw everything with those gray eyes of his. She'd noticed that fact before.

"He's…uh…young and very dynamic." That was code for aggressive and obnoxious. Will lifted one eyebrow, looking genuinely interested. She found herself continuing. "He says he wants more drama and conflict in our stories. He uses the word 'big' a lot." She waved her arms the way Douglas Wentworth had in the staff meeting. "'Big headlines. Big emotion. Feuds, battles, tears, fears.' That's a direct quote."

Will chuckled. "Did he get on the wrong plane? This is a small town, not Los Angeles."

"Hey, small towns have drama too. Just ask Mrs.—"

"Murphy," Will finished the sentence along with her. They both laughed at the mention of Jupiter Point's biggest rumor-monger. Merry knew for a fact that Will used Mrs. Murphy as a source just as much as she did.

Then she remembered that she and Will were adversaries, not friends, and turned her laugh into a cough. "Anyway, this story sounds important."

"Can you stall him? You'll get your big story at the right time. Just give us a little space on this one."

She eyed him, assessing how serious he was. Could she negotiate? Get more out of him in exchange for backing off this story temporarily? "I don't know, Will. Opioid addiction is a big story all over the country, you know that. Our readers are concerned. I'm not sure I can justify ignoring it completely. Do you have anything else you can give me in its place?"

She batted her eyes at him innocently. Pointless—he knew exactly what she was up to and he was no doubt immune to her wiles anyway.

"Such as?"

"You tell me. You must have something interesting going on out here."

"We like it boring. That means we're doing our jobs." He rested his big hands on his thighs. They looked so powerful, muscles bulging against the gray fabric of his uniform. She tore her eyes away.

"Well, my job is to get as many eyeballs as possible to look at the Gazette. I'm open to suggestions. Pin the Tail on the Deputy? Spin the Mugshot?"

He snorted as a brief smile passed across his face. Will Knight wasn't a big smiler, in her experience. He took his job seriously, though sometimes a dry sense of humor snuck out from behind his stoic manner. "Tell you what. How about a behind-the-scenes exclusive at Knight and Day Flight Tours? It's opening soon. Whole town's talking about it. You can be the only reporter to go inside. We can even take you up in a plane."

She was plenty familiar with the new flightseeing business, which was set to open in the next few weeks. Every single woman in Jupiter Point was speculating about the two sexy Knight brothers who had recently moved back to town and bought the abandoned airstrip with its ramshackle buildings.

"You said 'we.' Are you part of the crew?"

"Investor and moral support. Two of my brothers are the main guys. But they'll do what I ask."

He spoke in such a tone of quiet authority that she had no doubt of it. "Are you the oldest?"

With a lift of one eyebrow, he nodded. A moment of awareness zinged between them. They didn't usually talk about anything personal. Best to keep that safe professional distance.

There had been one time—and only one—that they'd breached that distance. That was when she'd woken up on his couch a few months ago. The whole episode was blurry, thank goodness. It involved a robber, a tranq gun, and an epic hangover. They still hadn't talked about that incident. She didn't want to, because from the little bits and pieces she remembered, she might have gotten a little too personal that night.

She cleared her throat. "I can probably work with that. An exclusive tour, interviews with both your brothers—is it just the three of you?"

"No, we have another brother but he's in his first year of college."

"Hm." With a quick sidelong glance, she estimated his age at a bit over thirty. She looked him over again just to confirm—and to appreciate his rangy, muscled physique. She swallowed a sigh. "Your parents must have known how to keep the love alive."

His expression shut down as quickly as if he'd drawn a window shade. "So are you interested in the story? I'll set it up if you are."

She thought about it. She didn't care all that much about Knight and Day Flight Tours—it sounded like a fluff piece to her. But Jupiter Point was big on supporting local businesses, so readers would love it. And if Will Knight was going to be covering for Sheriff Perez, it would be smart to accommodate him.

"Yes, I'm interested. I'm sure our readers, especially the ladies, will want to know all about the new flightseeing service. Rumor has it your brothers are single. And I never doubt Mrs. Murphy about that sort of thing."

He opened the door of her Corolla, causing a scrunched-up bag of Doritos to tumble to the ground. He bent to pick it up. Merry had never gone for "men in uniform." She'd always preferred the nerdy type; glasses were like catnip to her. Nevertheless, she watched Will's muscles flex under his regulation tan uniform shirt with reluctant appreciation. Maybe the uniform wasn't designed to show off the officers' innate sexiness, but in his case, it sure did.

With the piece of trash in hand, he extracted himself from her car. "Are you saving this for some reason or can I toss it?"

The disapproval in his voice made her bristle. "Don't judge me. I eat on the run a lot. My car is my home away from home."

She glanced around at the interior, which was a comfortable jumble of old coffee cups, laptop bag, tubes of lip balm (some missing their caps), spare items of clothing that might come in handy, a yoga mat in case she got inspired, phone chargers, water bottles, Clif bars, protein bars, granola bars, chocolate bars, camera case, accordion file folders, extra shoes, and the cosmetics case that held everything she needed for an impromptu interview.

"If your actual home is anything like your home away from home, I ought to call the fire marshal." Will squinted at the stockpile of snack bars on the backseat. "Do you ever eat anything you can't hold in your hand while you're driving?"

She lifted her chin. "I'm a multitasker. Eating while driving saves a lot of time."

He shook his head and stuck out his other hand, the one that didn't have any trash. "Anything else you want to throw away while I'm at it?"

"Hey, Boy Scout. You don't have to take out my garbage."

That ever-so-slight smile, more of a tease than an actual smile, touched his mouth again. "Turns out I do. I won't rest easy knowing you might have trash flying around your head if you take a turn too fast."

She looked at him blankly. He spoke as if he cared. But why should he? "Why is it any of your business?"

"Public safety. Could be a road hazard."

"Excuse me?" She wagged a finger at him. "I've never even had an accident. Admit it, you're just a control freak who can't stand a little mess."

And just like that, his calm control slipped and she caught a glimpse of another Will Knight. One with a lot more passion than he usually revealed. "Good Lord, Merry. Do you have to make everything difficult? I know it's your job during a press conference, but I'm offering to collect your trash from your car. Why do you have a problem with that?"

The way he said her first name—it gave her chills. He usually called her "Ms. Warren," in a sort of overly formal, almost ironic tone. Calling her "Merry" had a whole different effect on her system. It sent butterflies tumbling through her belly and made her pulse ramp up.

For a surprised moment, they stared at each other. Slowly, his expression returned to what she was used to: somewhere between calm and mildly irritated.

"Fine. If it's that important to you, I'll take you up on that very civic-minded offer." She bent over and rummaged around the floorboards for the plastic grocery bag in which she'd stashing her old coffee cups. It was so full that one seam had ripped and old coffee had dripped down the outside of the bag.

Normally, she'd be embarrassed, but he'd asked for it. With a sweet smile, she handed over the dripping mess. He took it, looking like he now regretted ever bringing it up. "I'll have my brothers give you a call."

"Great. Thanks."

He closed the passenger door with his hip, since both of his hands were filled with debris from her car. With one last nod, he turned back toward the sheriff's compound. Because she couldn't help herself, she watched his truly fine ass as he cruised across the lawn with those long strides.

Will Knight was one attractive law enforcement officer. That didn't change the fact that they were total opposites, though. Now she had one more example. He was a neat freak. And she was too busy to worry about tidiness.

Although she had to admit, as she drove down the highway back toward Jupiter Point, it was easier to drive when she wasn't kicking old coffee cups away from the accelerator. Not that she'd ever tell Will that.

2

Will dumped Merry's trash in the bin inside the reception area. The office assistant, Cindy, gave him a curious side-eye look, but he fended off her curiosity with his famous blank stare. The one that came easily with everyone except Merry.

Then he went to the men's room to wash his hands, mentally grumbling the entire time. Control freak, my ass. Every time he tried to do something nice for Merry Warren, she pushed him away as if he'd threatened to off her pet gerbil or something. What was wrong with that girl?

And why did he react to her, every single time? No matter how hard he worked to hold on to his cool, one look from her sparkling brown eyes and he lost his bearings. Was there any other explanation for why he'd offered up an interview with his brothers? Or why he'd collected her damn trash?

Without even trying, she made him do things he didn't do for anyone else. It had to stop. It was freaking embarrassing. And it could cause all kinds of trouble if he wasn't careful.

He poked his head into his boss's office. Sheriff Perez was pretty new on the job, having been elected only a year ago. His brothers had urged him to run for the position, but he'd rather eat dirt than have to deal with networking and politicking and schmoozing.

"That went pretty well," he told the sheriff. "Merry agreed to give you a little time. But knowing her, she'll be back at it before too long. She's persistent."

Perez looked up from his computer. He was a handsome guy who wanted to run for higher office someday. He lived on coffee and wintergreen Altoids, which he claimed to be addicted to. "Hard to believe the press picked up on this. This ain't exactly New York Times territory out here."

Will didn't like the condescending tone in Perez's voice. Just because he wanted to move up didn't mean he should look down on Jupiter Point. "Merry Warren's sharp. Good reporter."

"Well, she'll be your problem soon. I'll be on a beach with my lady, sleeping off the champagne toasts and getting ready for round eighty-nine."

"Yes, sir." He rapped on the doorjamb and turned to go.

"How's the kid doing?" Perez asked, almost as an afterthought.

Will's heart swelled with pride, as it always did whenever he thought about Aiden. "Doing great. Loves his classes, hit it off with his roommate. Couldn't be better."

"Bueno, bueno. He needs anything, you let me know. My cousin went to Evergreen."

And that was exactly why Perez was so successful. Good memory for personal details and quick to extend a generous hand.

"Thanks, that's a nice thought."

"And how about you? The nest is empty, yeah? Time to take advantage. Spread those wings."

"Right. I'll do that." Will rapidly backed up before Perez roped him into a setup or a blind date or Lord knew what.

"My fiancée knows someone she wants you to meet. Hair stylist at her salon. Says she's a doll and perfect for you."

"Really, Sheriff, I can handle⁠—"

"Oh, is it set-up-Will-Knight time?" Cindy appeared at his elbow. "I've been waiting for this moment. I have a long list I've been compiling. Do you know how many women come in here who ask if you're single? I kept their names for you in a file."

"That's incredibly well-organized of you, but I'm not⁠—"

"I divided the list into witnesses, suspects, victims, and people unrelated to any criminal investigations. I thought it would be good to give you options." Cindy was twenty-two, Vietnamese, and all attitude. As efficient as she was snarky, she wore cat-eye horn-rimmed glasses with rhinestones and funky vintage dresses.

"I can handle my own personal business, thank you both very much." He fled down the hallway, pursued by Cindy's voice.

"By the way, Merry Warren is on the list too," she called after him.

He spun around. "Excuse me?"

"I put her there myself, in the category of conflict of interest. So you don't forget." She gave him a saucy finger-wag and whisked herself into Perez's office.

Will swung around the corner to the open-plan area where each deputy had a desk. He nodded to the only other deputy at his desk, Keith Jernigan. Jernigan was the main guy coordinating the opioids investigation, while Will had pulled campground arson duty. They were working the case from two opposite ends, but everyone was starting to suspect a connection.

The working theory held that fentanyl was being smuggled from China in small shipping containers, then transferred to motorhomes for distribution. In case of problems, the motorhomes were torched to destroy the evidence. It had seemed crazy at first—Jupiter Point didn't have a deep harbor and was used strictly by fishing boats and pleasure crafts. But the fentanyl was so powerful, even a small amount could generate a huge profit. A small-scale operation like this might fly under the radar.

The idea of synthetic, highly addictive drugs filtering into the Jupiter Point area made Will furious. Jupiter Point was a small town, but it had a lot of beauty and community spirit. He refused to see it destroyed by drugs.

He settled in at his desk and propped his legs on the surface. The coffee he'd poured for himself earlier was still sitting next to his computer. He stuck his finger in it, not surprised to find it ice cold. He rarely got to drink his coffee hot. Something always interrupted him.

Before he forgot his promise to Merry, he dialed Tobias's cell phone.

"Hey bro. Got a sec? I hooked you up with some free publicity," he said when Tobias answered.

"We don't need any." His brother had a voice as deep as a river running through a canyon. "We could hold a bake sale with all the stuff people keep bringing over. Is that some kind of welcome wagon thing?"

Will didn't dare tell him it was more of a matchmaking thing than a welcome wagon. "Sure. You have a problem with free pastries?"

"At this rate, I won't be able to get a plane off the ground," Tobias grumbled.

Will grinned. God, it was good to have his brothers back. Too bad Aiden was now in college, so they'd all only be together during holidays and the summer. But Will wasn't complaining. It just felt too damn good to have Tobias and Ben at the other end of his phone instead of in various hot zones around the world.

"Just take down this number and call her. It's Merry Warren, she works at the Mercury News- Gazette and I owe her a favor."

"Is she going to bring us cupcakes like the others?"

Will snorted at the very thought. If Merry brought cupcakes, they would probably come from Ralph’s supermarket and be laced with truth-telling serum. "Don't count on that. But you can definitely expect some attitude."

"I like attitude. Is she hot?"

"She's hands off. This is a professional thing. Do I need to call this off, asshole?"

"Touchy. Jesus. Warning received. I'll give her a call. All professional-like. Maybe I'll put on a tie first. Catch you later, big brother."

Will hung up and swung around to his computer. He pulled up the list of witnesses from the campground fires. He needed to re-interview them based on the new working theory of the case. But before he did that…

After a quick glance at Jernigan to make sure he wasn't watching, Will clicked on the Flirt icon on his phone. He shouldn't do this at work. If anyone—especially Cindy—caught him, he'd never hear the end of it.

But he couldn't help it. One message from AnonyMs could make his whole day go better.

His pulse jumped at the sight of the red notification symbol. The Flirt app slogan was, "If you're looking for love, look somewhere else." The whole point was that it wasn't a dating site. It was designed to connect users with someone of like mind, someone to chat with, to share jokes with, someone who expected nothing emotional, physical, sexual or even social. Perfect for someone like him, who didn't want any entanglements.

He opened the message. AnonyMs had sent it this morning around six.

Crazy dream last night! It was like a disaster movie. I was running from a giant tsunami wave and people were running all around me screaming and cars were flying through the air. Then I reached up and grabbed the tire of one of the cars and it turned out YOU were driving it! I knew it was you even though I couldn't see your face, and I don't even know what your face looks like IRL. But I just knew. You shouted at me to hang on and then you drove through the air until we reached a little meadow filled with yellow wildflowers. You hovered over the meadow so I could drop down into the grass. I yelled, "Come for a hike with me!" But the car turned into a spaceship and zoomed away. Isn't that a wild dream? Interpretation, please! I have mine.

She ended with a wink emoji.

He read the message again, paying attention to every detail. AnonyMs always had vivid dreams with lots of detail. As a kid, she'd gotten into the habit of writing them down, and said someday she wanted to write a book that wove them all together. In his imagination, she was a shy, dreamy, artistic girl. The type of girl he never met in person because he mostly dealt with criminals or the victims of criminals.

He thought for a while, then typed out his answer. Easy. Your curiosity about me is like a tidal wave. He threw in an emoji with its tongue sticking out. You're afraid you'll never know who I really am. Either that, or you recently watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Don't know the significance of the yellow wildflowers, since your favorite color is orange. And hiking? Why? You hate to hike.

He pressed the "send" button. Amazing that he knew those details about her, but he didn't know her name or anything else. All he knew was that she lived somewhere in central California and she was under forty.

And that he really looked forward to those messages from her.

He heard rapid footsteps behind him. Lightning fast, he closed out the app and shifted his focus to his computer screen.

Cindy appeared with the morning's mail, which she set on his desk. "I hope I didn't interrupt something. You had a funny expression on your face. A…what's that word…doting expression."

"Doting?" He snorted. "I wasn't doting. I was researching. Crime-solving. That's what I do. I'm a crime-solver."

"And so you are," she said in a kindergarten-teacher voice. "You're so good at it, too. Would you like a powdered donut with your coffee?"

He narrowed his eyes at her as he picked up his phone. "Why do all the women around here have so much attitude?"

She kicked up one heel and flung her arms wide—an exaggerated show-off pose. "Because you can take it, that's why."

He grunted and dialed the first number on the list. "Get out of here. I need to get some work done."

"Right. Work." She gave him a wink then turned to go. "Tell your 'work' you have real work to do." And she skipped off before he could lecture her on appropriate sheriff's department behavior.

He shook his head, feeling like a grandpa having a "get off my lawn" moment. God, he was in a rut. He was only thirty-two, and he was turning into a fossil. Duty, responsibility, work—he barely recognized himself anymore. Where was the wild and reckless Will Knight he used to be? He never let loose anymore. The most fun he had was with an anonymous woman on a goddamn app.

Correction: he had fun with Merry Warren, too. But that didn't count. She didn't like him, despite the chemistry that lit him up when he was around her. She'd been especially distant since that time he'd rescued her. It was like they'd made a pact to never mention that night. So he hadn't, even though every moment was engraved into his memory in neon.

They just didn't get along, and never would. Merry was too independent to appreciate a rescue. Especially from a Knight.

3

Amazingly, Merry's day kept getting even busier.

She finished her article on the campground arson fires—with no mention of her suspicions. Douglas Wentworth took one look at it and proclaimed it "too boring to publish."

Thanks, Will Knight.

To avoid letting her temper get the best of her around her new boss, she hauled her laptop down to the Venus and Mars Cafe.

When she'd first arrived in Jupiter Point, the cutesy business names had seemed absurd to her. The Milky Way Ice Cream Parlor, the Goodnight Moon B & B, the Orbit Lounge and Grill…she'd rolled her eyes all the way down Constellation Way. But tourists loved it, which was the entire point. This area was known for its clear skies and outstanding stargazing. By playing up the star theme, Jupiter Point had transformed itself from a struggling fishing community to a favorite destination for honeymooners.

Merry honestly didn't care what the Venus and Mars was called, as long as it kept serving her favorite cinnamon lattes and caramel-drenched sticky buns.

After snagging a corner table, she set down her latte and drew her imaginary cone of silence around her. Big Bose headphones, check. Open laptop, check. Furious focus on the screen, check. This was her happy place—work. To her, work wasn't "work"—it was a chance to claim her place in the world. A chance to matter, a chance to shine.

She loved every part of being a reporter for the Mercury News-Gazette. She loved interviewing people, digging for information, exposing injustice. Of course, most of her assignments involved tedious city council meetings or budget hearings—but she did her best to make those stories interesting as well. Seeing her byline on the front page thrilled her every single time.

Face it, she was a nerd at heart.

A detail had been nagging at her. Recently she'd written a story about the challenges faced by single mothers. She'd interviewed a waitress who worked at a bar near the waterfront. The waitress had talked about sticking with a job longer than she wanted to because she needed the money. But eventually she'd quit because they offered her some kind of illegal opportunity. She wouldn't say what, but Merry got the definite sense it involved drugs.

To Merry, that amounted to a lead worth following up on.

Of course, she intended to honor her promise to Will about the opioids story. Pissing off the best sheriff's deputy in town would not be a good idea. But just because she'd committed to not publishing something didn't mean she couldn't explore it. That way she'd have something ready to go when he gave the all-clear.

She pulled up the notes she'd made on that interview and scanned through until she found the name of the bar. The Rootin' Rooster.

On the restaurant's website, she found more nuggets of information. Its slogan: "Where you're the cock of the walk." It offered "eats, drinks, and good company," along with a cartoonish busty woman winking. It also claimed to be the "home of the world famous Roosterburger."

Okay then. Not a place she would ever go voluntarily. Nevertheless, she clicked on the "employment opportunities" tab. Waitresses wanted. Minimum wage plus tips. Night hours required.

Normally, she wouldn't be caught dead in a place like that. But for a story, she'd take a chance. At the very least, she could pretend to interview for a job just to check the place out.

She was about to call the number when her phone beeped.

"Tobias Knight here," a deep voice rumbled. "Will gave me your number."

That was Will Knight for you. For all his annoying qualities, he always followed up. Solid as a mountain. "Right. Thanks for calling. He mentioned a tour, and said you guys could take me up in a plane."

"Did he? Well, whatever Will said. You tell us."

"Do you always do exactly what Will says? Is it the badge or the bossiness?" Apparently, all members of the Knight family brought out her sass.

"Huh. He mentioned something about attitude."

Her face heated. "Sorry. Will and I, we…have our issues."