Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 105868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Finally, Damian straightened.
“Did your scouts see where she went?” Ophelia asked.
“Obviously not.” Damian shifted his attention to Brock. “What’s going on with Ace? I heard he was arrested.”
“Yeah,” Brock said. “We’re waiting to see if he gets bail tonight.”
Damian lowered his chin. “Then we better figure out who’s killing people.”
May saw it then. The Osprey brothers in full force. How she wanted to belong to that group. To have a group. “It isn’t Ace.”
“We know,” Ophelia said quietly. “But if we don’t find the actual killer, Ace is going down for this. It doesn’t look good.”
Silence settled over the room again. May tried to keep her composure. There were two women dead, an Osprey in jail, and Stella moving through town in secret. The flu was hitting her community, and somewhere out there, someone was watching all of them.
She needed Ace out before the ground shifted again. She wasn’t trained for combat and she’d never worn a uniform, but her instincts had kept people alive for years, and every one of them was telling her this wasn’t the peak.
It was the beginning.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
After hours, Ace walked into May’s clinic, his entire body feeling like he’d played dodgeball for a solid week and lost. Every muscle ached. His shoulders were tight from sitting on a thin jail mattress, and his jaw sore from clenching it for hours. The air inside the clinic smelled clean and fresh, and somehow like freedom. Even if it didn’t last.
The reception area was empty. The chairs sat in their neat row against the wall, a stack of outdated magazines fanned across the end table. The overhead lights buzzed softly. He didn’t see Nancy, so he kept walking.
He wasn’t surprised to find May, Brock, and Ophelia in her office going over notes. A map covered her desk, colored pins stabbed into it. Legal pads were stacked high, pens scattered. It looked less like a doctor’s office and more like a war room. “You guys solve anything yet?” he asked.
May’s head snapped up. Relief flooded her face before she hurried toward him. “Oh, Ace. I wanted to come down, but it’s been crazy today.”
He pulled her close before she could say anything else, and for the first time since they’d slapped cuffs on him, something inside him unclenched. She fit against him like she belonged right there, solid and warm and real. Everything in his chest slowed. The noise in his head quieted.
She smelled like mint with a hint of wildness underneath it. Berries, maybe. Or just May.
He kissed the top of her head without thinking about it. His brother was watching. Didn’t matter. He might as well stake his claim now. If he went to prison, he’d have to let her go. Loosening his hold, he kept one hand at her waist. “Who’s on Amka?”
“Christian’s back,” Brock said.
“Oh. Good.” Relief filtered through Ace. He hadn’t liked the idea of Amka alone, even with Tika prowling around Christian’s place. He’d spent the drive over trying to figure out how to convince her to come stay with them. Now that there was another death, he didn’t like anyone being by themselves.
He’d already called Flossy and made sure her doors were locked. Flossy had a shotgun and knew how to use it. That made him feel marginally better.
May pulled back enough to study his face. “It’s late. Did you get dinner?”
“Yeah.” He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “The troopers brought me a burger from the Green Plate.”
“They think you’re a killer,” Ophelia said plainly.
Ace appreciated her frankness. “Yeah, but Jeb and Paige are pretty decent at their jobs, and I want to think their instincts are better than that.”
“It doesn’t look good, A.” Brock scanned the notes in front of him. His pen tapped against the desk in a steady rhythm.
Ace stepped farther into the room. “All right.” He stood straighter. “Everybody needs a break from reality, and I want you all to get some sleep. Are you all ready?”
“Yep.” Ophelia, dark hair swinging over her shoulder, headed toward the door. She leaned up and kissed Ace lightly on the chin. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll make sure of it.”
“Wait a minute.” Ace straightened. “What are you guys doing?”
Brock smiled, too calm. “What do you mean? We were watching May, and now you are.”
“I don’t need to be watched,” May said.
“You know what I meant.” Brock nudged her lightly with his hip as he walked by.
Ace grabbed his brother’s arm before he could pass. “What are you doing?”
Brock grinned. “We’ve got a few suspects and we’re just going to follow them around town.”
Warmth flushed through Ace. His family was on it, and that meant everything. “I can help.”
“No, you really can’t.” Brock planted a hand on Ace’s chest and gave him a firm push back. “Go home. You can take a shift tomorrow. We’ll let you know if anything interesting happens tonight.”