on board. I go through my routine, checking the fuel gauges and battery levels. While I prep the boat to cast off, I try not to think about Brad. It can’t be a coincidence that he just happened to show up when I did. No way.
“All ready down below,” Miguel says as he steps into the cockpit. He drops down into the co-pilot’s chair beside mine.
I back the boat slowly out of its slip. “Thanks.”
“Ian.” He hesitates as he chooses his words carefully. “Look, I hate to ask, but I have to. Are you and Turner—”
“No!” I shudder. “God, no. Of course not.”
“I didn’t think so, but—”
“Absolutely not. I’d rather die than let him touch me. Please, just forget you saw him.”
Miguel leans back in his seat and crosses his arms over his chest, regarding me with concern. “You know I can’t do that.”
“You’re here as my friend, not as my bodyguard,” I remind him.
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I automatically stop looking out for you. If Tyler knew Brad was here, he’d go ballistic, and you know it.”
“And that’s why you’re not going to tell him. He has enough on his plate to worry about. Brad’s gone, and that’s the end of it.”
“Is it?” Miguel doesn’t look convinced.
Hoping to change the subject, I turn my attention to the controls and navigate us into the channel that leads to open water. Once we’re past the no-wake zone, I open up the throttle and move us away from the harbor and into deeper water.
We spend the rest of the morning motoring up the shoreline, passing the heavily-populated public beaches, restaurants, and parks. It seems everyone is out today enjoying the summer weather—joggers, cyclers, and families.
Miguel seems to have snapped out of his mood and has returned to being his usual cheery self.
When my phone vibrates in my pocket, I pull it out and quickly skim a new text message.
Brad: Meet me @ ur boat tmrw at 1 pm. ALONE. If u don’t show, I promise u will regret it
I shove my phone back into my pocket.
Miguel watches me out of the corner of his eye. “Who was that?”
“My sister.” The lie burns like acid on my tongue. I bring the boat to a stop and drop anchor. “I’m going down to the fridge. You want anything?”
Chapter 8
Tyler Jamison
I spend the morning interviewing possible witnesses in the Addison Jenkins case. I manage to find a bartender who remembers seeing her the night she was killed. He said she came in with a group of girls, but he didn’t see her leave, so he has no idea if she left alone or with someone. It’s possible she might have hooked up with someone that night. Still, it’s not much help.
I continue down the street, visiting one establishment after another, but no one else remembers seeing her. I haven’t made much progress on this case yet, and that’s frustrating. I keep remembering the look on Addison’s parents’ faces when I appeared at their front door. Needless to say, the news of their daughter’s death was a crushing blow.
I love my job—providing closure for families who’ve lost loved ones and identifying the guilty—but sometimes I wish I could do something to prevent deaths, instead of investigating them.
There’s still been no word from Turner, but I’m not fooling myself that he’ll just go away quietly. What’s been eating at me for days now is what the fallout will be when news of the fight makes it back to the precinct. Me—a Chicago homicide detective—caught brawling in the bathroom at a gay club during my off-duty hours. I’ll be outed for sure.
It’s not that I’m against coming out publicly—although, to be honest, I’m still coming to terms with the idea. I know it’s going to happen eventually. It’s just that I have no idea how my colleagues will take the news. Some of them will be fine with it, I’m sure, perhaps even openly supportive. Others won’t be so accepting. I’m prepared to find hate mail shoved under my office door. I can handle whatever they throw at me. My real concern is for Jud.
Yes, he’s my boss, and as such, his opinion matters a hell of a lot to me. But he’s much more than that. He was my father’s best friend. They went through the police academy together, and they joined the department at the same time. They were partners for years.
Jud was there for me after my father was killed. He was there for