Page 50 of Amber Gambler

His expression cleared then, he locked his vault, and he held out his hand for mine.

Thirty minutesafter I dropped Pedro off for work and hit the racks with Kierce, I got a call that promised to upend our morning plans for securing necessities for him. “Hey, Carter.”

“We found a body last night. It’s been processed, and it’s at the morgue.”

Though she left it at that, I could guess where this was heading. “You want me to swing by.”

“She fits the profile.”

That was all she had to say to convince me, but I had one little problem. “Kierce is with me.”

Poor guy was wearing his loaner pajamas to clothes shop in, since we didn’t have any better options.

“That works.” She must have read into my unease. “Harrow’s not here.”

After his weirdness last night, I couldn’t decide if I liked not knowing his whereabouts. “Where is he?”

“Chief Leer wanted to speak with him.” She hesitated. “He wants to make sure Harrow is bouncing back. He’s aware Harrow shot and killed his uncle in the line of duty, which means Leer will be keeping an eye on his recovery. Harrow will be in mandatory counseling for the next six weeks and then he has to pass a mental evaluation to be cleared to work alone.”

“That’s right.” I hadn’t done the math. “He was due to come off training before then.”

“That’s not happening now,” she confirmed. “He’ll be stuck with me for a little while longer.”

“Do you think he’s okay?” I scraped my upper teeth over my bottom lip. “Really okay?”

“I don’t know him as well as you do—or did. I was hoping you could tell me.”

“It’s not like you to volunteer so much information without his permission.” Chills blasted down my arms. “It almost sounds like you’re concerned about his recent behavior.”

Maybe even asking me to be on the lookout for warning signs.

“He’s never going to look at me without seeing his dead uncle, Frankie. He’s going to hide as much of his pain and resentment from me as he can so he can keep doing his job tothe best of his ability.” She had a point. “He’ll be more real with you. I don’t need you to report back on your conversations or anything invasive. I just want you to let me know if you start worrying he’s having difficulty coping.”

Though it felt like a betrayal, I agreed to keep tabs on him for his sake. “I can do that.”

“Is now a good time to ask if you’ve noticed anything concerning?”

“You don’t waste time, do you?” I admired her dedication to a temporary partner. “There’s one thing.”

“Kierce.”

“Yeah.” I scanned to ensure he hadn’t sneaked up on me. “Harrow blames him for Lyle.”

“I got that vibe.” Her laugh was tight. “Harrow would have drowned him if he hadn’t been holding you.”

“You’re the second person to confide something along those lines.”

“Could Kierce take him in a fight if it comes down to it?”

“Normally, I would say yes, but Kierce hasn’t fully recovered from his injuries.” A sharp pinch in my chest caused me to lose my breath. “He shouldn’t be here yet, but he came back for me.”

“Romantic.”

“I need to finish an errand, but then we’ll head to the morgue. I’ll text you when we’re in the wagon.”

“Nice evasion.”

“Coming from you?” I returned the jab. “I’ll take it as a compliment.”

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