Page 6 of Cold Case Murder Mystery

Zeke paced the kitchen in front of that beautiful window view. A beautiful view in it of himself. Like a predator, sleek and smooth and...

Dangerous, if you recall. But aside from breaking her heart there at the end, he’d always been kind and gentle and—

Don’t start that again. She looked down at her hands.

“But if someone knows what’s in that cave, they might have cause to follow you. Have cause to see ifyouput whattheyknow together.”

“Those are allifs.”

“Don’t be naïve, Brooke.”

A sharp order that landed with the pain it had four years ago. For a second, she could only stare at him and wonder if she’d wandered into some kind of time slip because it had landed with so much of that old pain she thought she’d gotten over.

But she didn’t have time to deal with that as she heard a door slam open and a woman’s voice call out his name.

He muttered an oath under his breath. “Prepare yourself for the onslaught.”

It might have been funny, the look on Brooke’s face as Carlyle whirled through his house, if he didn’t think Carlyle had the ability to see right through him when it came to Brooke Campbell.

Too many old ghosts still haunted him when it came to her, and it was not a comfortable realization to find that he liked the look of her at his kitchen table. He had notonceallowed himself to think of her when he’d bought this ranch, started on renovations.

And now she was justhere,like that’s exactly who he’d been thinking about, and he knew he’d never be able to erasethat.

His sister stormed into the kitchen—not because something was wrong, no doubt, but because she was just a storm herself.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded.

“Hi to you too,” Carlyle replied, already studying Brooke. “You’re that forensic person, right?”

Brooke smiled, but Zeke recognized it as the prim, professional one she trotted out when she was uncomfortable.

He didn’t like the knowledge he remembered all her different smiles either.

“Brooke Campbell.” She held out a hand for Carlyle to shake.

Carlyle slid a glance at him then shook Brooke’s hand. “You knew each other back when he was being Mister Super Secret Spy?”

“Yes.”

This was followed by a beat of silence where Carlyle studied Brooke and then him.

“And about as talkative on the matter as you are,” Carlyle grumbled.

Even now, with North Star disbanded, it was second nature for him to just not talk about it. North Star had been asecretgroup, and maybe it wasn’t so much now, but he still didn’t just hand out details.

He’d spent years disbanding a dangerous and vicious gang, another year unraveling other terrifying missions. He’d leapt into danger time and time again, and his sister didn’t need the details on that.

Ever.

“Because there’s nothing to talk about,” Zeke said gruffly. “Brooke, this is my sister. Carlyle.”

He couldn’t really remember if he’d ever mentioned Car to Brooke back then. North Star had meant keeping family ties close to the vest. It had meant not letting on that you had a real life outside those secret walls. But Zeke had too many memories of telling Brooke way more than he should have.

Brooke smiled politely at Carlyle. “It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard... things about you.”

Carlyle laughed, loud and brash. “I just bet. Well, I need to talk to Zeke for a sec.” She studied the woman then turned her gaze on Zeke. “Come to dinner tonight.”

He scowled. “I don’t want to go to a Hudson dinner.” Carlyle and their oldest brother Walker had entangled themselves in the Hudson family, the Hudson Ranch. Walker marrying and procreating with Mary Hudson—Daniels now. Carlyle hooking up with Cash Hudson.

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