Page 73 of Skeletons in the Closet

We got out, and I pulled the coat on. Tallus met me around the front of the Wrangler and linked his arm with mine. “Are we good?”

I grunted in affirmation.

Tallus cleared his throat and cocked a brow. “Are we good?” he repeated.

“Yes,” I mumbled.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

But it wasnotokay. Touching Tallus scrambled my brain, and I needed to think.

We wandered to the outskirts of the growing crowd. Olivia was moving amongst the people, passing out stubby candles and books of matches to anyone who had come without. I scanned faces, looking for anyone familiar or suspicious. Tallus accepted two candles on our behalf when Olivia got to us.

I kept my chin lowered, the fedora casting a dark shadow over my face. People always noticed a man my size, but I didn’t want them to register my features and remember me.

Sean stood apart from the elderly couple who I thought must be his parents. The kids didn’t gravitate to their father and instead huddled close to the only two adults paying them attention. Sean continuously checked his phone. Once or twice, he tapped out messages, gaze lifting occasionally to look around. There was no sign of the elusive bastard unless he was lingering out of sight.

I scanned the perimeter of the gathering. Pedestrians not involved in the vigil looked on from a distance, but none wore a paunchy belly or a bald head. None of them rang alarm bells.

Before long, Olivia hushed the crowd and commenced. “Thank you for coming this evening. We’re here to celebrate the life of one of my dearest friends. Beth Evelyn Rowell. Beth and I met many years ago in college, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. We got married around the same time, were pregnant together, and we raised our kids together.” Olivia sniffled. “I can’t believe she’s gone…”

Tallus slinked closer, his arm wrapping around my waist as he glued his body to my side. His cologne infiltrated my nose. Angling his head to bring his lips closer to my ear, he whispered, “There’s a guy watching from over where we parked. Long dark coat with a popped collar. Hat. I can’t see his face. He’s been standing there the whole time. Do you see him?”

I subtly followed Tallus’s gaze. The man he was referring to was over a hundred yards away, huddled against the side of the building where the shadows were deeper and darker. I couldn’t make out details. Not his height, weight, or ethnicity. He was obscured on purpose and definitely watching the gathering.

I grunted.

“Give me your keys.” Tallus patted my chest in a far too familiar way. “I’m returning to the Jeep and acting like I forgot something. I’ll see if I can get a better look at him.”

“No.”

Tallus huffed. “Give me the freaking keys, Guns.”

“No,” I growled. “We don’t know what this is about. We don’t know who he is or what he wants. For all we know—”

“I appreciate your macho stance but knock it off. I’m not a damsel in distress.” Tallus displayed his hand. The look on his face brooked no argument. “Keys.”

I gave him the stupid keys, a rumble growing inside my chest.

“And stop growling. You’re not a bear. Keep an eye on everyone here.” He was about to walk away and pivoted back. “See? This is why you need a partner. We can cover more area.”

I narrowed my eyes, and he chuckled.

“But seriously. Do you have ibuprofen or acetaminophen in the Jeep?”

I frowned. “No. Why?”

“No reason. I have a shadow of a headache coming on.” He waved a hand around his head. “It’s nothing. Too much caffeine today. I should have known better than to drink that latte.” He grinned and winked.

Tallus wandered off, hips swinging, feigning interest in his phone as he returned to the Jeep. I stared at the figure by the building with a bad feeling in my gut. My muscles tensed, and I was ready to spring into action if the man so much as moved toward Tallus or looked at him the wrong way.

The man clocked Tallus’s approach when he was less than thirty yards from the Jeep. Acting nonchalant, Tallus put his phone to his ear. Although I couldn’t hear, I knew he was pretending to talk to someone. Casual as always. No fear.

The man in the shadows focused on Tallus, and my skin tingled. I shifted my weight. The guy stood within ten yards ofthe Jeep. Too close for comfort. If he was a threat, if he moved, I would never make it in time to intervene.

“Motherfucker,” I muttered, moving to the edge of the gathering, forgoing my job of keeping an eye on the crowd. Alert for signs of trouble, I clenched my fists, coiling my muscles so they were ready to spring.

When Tallus opened the passenger door of the Wrangler, the man’s attention shifted to somewhere in the distance. Confused, I followed his gaze and saw Sean hustling away from the vigil, jamming his cell phone into a pocket. He seemed in a hurry and vanished around the next corner before I could properly piece together what was happening.

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