Page 4 of Second Chance Savior

“I know. Exactly what tells me that this isn’t the usual.”

“Do you remember how I told you I used to spend the summers near Hartley when I was growing up?” I said. “My parents shipped me and my brother off to the Rockies.”

“Sure. I remember.”

Trace knew more about my background than most of the other people in my life these days. He knew about my trust fund, who my father really was. But there was still plenty I’d never shared with him.

“The family we stayed with was the McKinleys. Now their oldest daughter, Charlotte, is the Colorado lieutenant governor.”

“I’ve heard the name. She was elected about a year ago, right? Touted as an up-and-coming force in her party. I don’t pay much attention to politics, but I caught that much from the headlines.”

“Genevieve thinks Charlotte could have ties to Stillwater.”

Trace whistled. “And this Charlotte McKinley is a friend of yours?”

That was a difficult question to answer, wasn’t it? I sat on the edge of a picnic table. “Used to be. I’ve spent the last few days learning everything I could about her tenure as lieutenant governor so far. Her allies and enemies. Her favorite issues and causes. Shifts in her bank account balance. Anything that could reveal whether she’s getting paid off by Stillwater.”

“And?”

“Nothing. Except for the fact that she dated Jud Hale until recently.” Jud Hale was a former state legislator and the owner of a significant portion of the land in Hart County.Hale was on our list of suspects for being the Stillwater mole. “That was what put her on Genevieve’s radar in the first place.”

My friend studied me. “Then what’s bothering you about this? The personal connection?”

I glanced into the far corner of the backyard, not sure how to answer that. But I didn’t have to.

“She means something more to you,” Trace supplied. “Is Charlotte McKinley an ex of yours?”

“She’s Ross’s ex-girlfriend. My brother’s ex-fiancée, in fact.”

“But…”

I nodded. “But.” Period. Full stop.

“Damn.”

My friend could read me well. He could fill in the blanks. Which was the real reason I’d come here today. I’d known Trace would get it, even if I didn’t say the words aloud.

Trace and I had met at Langley. When Trace had gone rogue from the Agency and nearly died as a result, I’d tried to find him. He hadn’t wanted to be found. But way down deep, I had realized my friend was suffering. And I’d let him go through that alone.

In the end, he had been the one to contact me and renew our friendship. I’d shown up in Hartley not long after that, eager to help my friend in whatever way I could. But the thought still nagged me that I could’ve done more.Shouldhave done more.

And that line of thought just brought me back to Charlie. To all the mistakes I’d made.

I knew I came across as an arrogant asshole. I wasn’t typically the most inward-looking guy. This was the reason. I wasn’t crazy about what I saw.

“So you felt something for your brother’s girl,” Trace said. “Was it more than just a feeling?”

I smirked. “I never acted on it. She never knew.”

“Does Ross know?”

“No. For the record, my feelings predated their relationship. Charlie and I were friends. Until we weren’t.”

Trace didn’t push me on the reasons why, which I appreciated. “So the lieutenant governor has some inconvenient exes. Including your brother and Jud Hale. But never you.”

“That sums it up,” I said testily. Her past relationship with Ross had been bad enough. But a douchebag like Hale? I didn’t have my head wrapped around that yet, either.

“You think you can’t be impartial when it comes to her?” Trace asked. “Are you worried you’ll miss some connection between her and Stillwater?”

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