Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Christian’s mouth was a hard line. “Murder weapon?”
“Small caliber. They’ll know more after testing, but it wasn’t something heavy. Point-blank, no hesitation.”
Amka gripped the edge of the table. “So someone got in the truck with him.”
“Looks that way.”
Christian slowly worked through the evidence. “And Amka’s house?”
“They found no evidence of an altercation of any type inside the house,” Damian said. “The forensics cleared it. If Jarod was ever in there, it was just him and whatever personal effects were left behind. Nothing ties the murder to your house, Amka.”
She breathed out, but it didn’t help. “So he died in his truck, in my driveway.” The strongest urge overtook her, and for once, she didn’t fight it. She stood, moved in front of Christian, and dropped onto his lap, needing safety. The feeling of protection.
Surprise flashed across his rugged face for the briefest of seconds. He frowned but cradled her, shifting her into a more comfortable position.
She could see Damian grin from the corner of her eye. Sure, Christian might need some taking care of, but not like she’d thought. Everybody needed tending. He seemed to look out for everyone around him, and she hadn’t seen that. Now she did. Giving in to all of her feelings, she leaned up and kissed him beneath the ear.
He stiffened.
She grinned. Couldn’t help it. Maybe he would fight her on getting serious. Or dating. Or whatever the kids were calling it these days.
He tugged back her head to look into her eyes. “Does anybody know you created a will?”
What an odd question. “I don’t know. It wasn’t a huge secret.” Although she hadn’t wanted Jarod to know. “Why?”
Christian studied her face for a moment. “The storage building. What was the arrangement with it before you drafted a will?”
She scrunched up her face. “Oh. Huh. Wyland and I had an informal agreement that if one of us sold or died or something, that the other would get the building. Real estate hasn’t been worth much here until just recently. I’m sure he has a will now, too. Maybe?”
Christian stood suddenly, placing her back in his very warm chair. “Stay here with Damian. I’m going to talk to Wyland.” He strode across the room and opened the door just as Brock and the two Alaska state troopers walked in.
“We need to talk,” Brock said.
“Later.” Christian moved past him and out into the spring day.
Jeb removed his trooper hat and shook his head. “He gets odder every day.” He turned and zeroed in on Amka. “We’re here to investigate the second bombing of one of your properties, Ms. Amaruq.”
Just wonderful.
Chapter 37
Christian drove the truck out of town. He was so off right now. Not the usual calm man they all knew. He couldn’t keep a thought. Was this what it was like to really care about a woman? Somebody wanted her dead, and that just pissed him off.
He hadn’t been able to find Sheldon Friday. Somehow the jackass had managed to take off between his leaving the tavern and Christian heading into the grocery store. It had taken Christian five minutes just to find Wyland in the back doing inventory, and another to figure out Sheldon had left.
Just how badly did Sheldon want that insurance money?
Beside him, Amka had the window cracked, her elbow resting on the ledge, dark hair caught by the wind. She hadn’t said much since they left town, just a quiet thanks when he handed her the to-go coffee Daisy had shoved into his hand.
Christian kept one hand on the wheel and the other resting loosely on his thigh. He’d borrowed Brock’s truck again, the beast rumbling reliably along the river road. Yeah, he should get his own rig once things calmed down. He wanted to go to Anchorage and choose, then he could drive it home.
Maybe Amka would come with him.
No. He had to stop thinking like that. Yeah, he wanted her. Probably loved her. And she was a sweetheart to sleep under the stars with him. But no woman would want that life for years. For decades. She deserved so much better.
She was quiet next to him. The kind of quiet he liked. Damn it.
The sky had finally opened into something close to blue, and the trees lining the bank shimmered in the sunlight, the new leaves catching every ounce of it. Spring had taken hold with green pushing up through the last brittle remnants of snow. It smelled like thawed earth and cold water and something alive.
He adjusted his grip on the steering wheel. “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.” He sounded like a dumbass.
Amka turned her head, one brow lifting just enough to be amused. “Which would be?”
He blew out a long breath. “You’re staying at my place, and I want that. But I also don’t want you thinking it means something I can’t give. I’m not good at whatever this is.”