Page 31 of Begin Again

She hesitates, then sighs. “It’s just a damn shame what happened to him.”

The way she says it sends a shiver down my spine.

“What do you mean?” Orion asks, his voice low.

Cassie shifts her bag again, glancing at the ground. “I mean the way he died. It just doesn’t sit right with me.” When neither of us says anything she continues. “He left work early that day, he said he wasn’t feeling well. The speculation is that he started driving home, but somewhere along the way, he pulled over and got sick on the side of the road. They’re saying he lost his balance, hit his head on a hard surface but didn’t say if it was a rock, a tree, or his truck.”

I stare at her, my breath catching. “Who found him?”

“Morgan.”

That cold feeling spreads through me. How horrible. I know she said he was like a father to her after her father passed. He’s the reason why she is where she is today.

Cassie presses her lips together. “But only because Aubrey called her.”

Orion stiffens. “Aubrey?”

Cassie nods grimly. “That’s his wife, Theo’s aunt. She said she tried calling him when he didn’t come home for dinner, but he never answered. So she called Morgan, thinking maybe they were working late together. But Morgan said he left hours earlier and should’ve been home already. That’s when she panicked. She left the office, sirens on, and found him unconscious next to his car.”

My pulse pounds in my ears. “Unconscious? I didn’t hear that part. He was still alive?”

Cassie nods, but her expression darkens. “Barely. He was in a coma. He never woke up.”

Silence stretches between us, heavy and suffocating.

Finally, Orion speaks, his voice even. “That doesn’t sound like an accident.”

Cassie doesn’t answer right away. Then, finally, she exhales. “No. It doesn’t.”

And as much as I don’t want to admit it, I can’t shake the feeling that Bennett—the man lurking around town with his sharp eyes and easy lies—might know more about it than we realize.

10

Theo

Aknock at the door pulls me from the couch, where I’ve been since I got home from work. I’m not expecting anyone, and it’s late enough that whoever it is better have a damn good reason for showing up unannounced.

Swinging the door open I’m met with the sight of Bennett. He’s standing there without a care in the world like he isn’t interrupting my nightly doom scrolling. In one hand he has a pizza box, the other a six-pack of beer. He lifts the pizza box slightly, with a small, almost hesitant smile forming on his face. “I’m hoping you haven’t eaten yet.”

The smell of cheese, grease, and perfectly crisped crust drifts toward me, triggering a pang of hunger I hadn’t even noticed before. Still, suspicion lingers. “And what, you’re my personal delivery guy now?”

“Can we call it an olive branch?” His tone is casual, but there’s a guardedness to it.

Arms crossing over my chest, I lean against the doorframe, letting the silence stretch just long enough to make a point. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch. Just beer and pizza. Thought we could talk. Maybe get to know one another.”

The easy answer throws me off more than anything else. Guys like Bennett don’t just show up without an agenda. Then again, guys like Bennett don’t exist in my world—not until recently, anyway.

Another waft of pizza hits me, and my stomach betrays me with a quiet growl. With a sigh, I step back and gesture for him to come in. “I hope you at least had the sense to get it from Tony’s.”

“Obviously.” He nudges the door shut behind him, dropping the pizza on the coffee table before setting the beer beside it. “What kind of asshole would I be if I showed up with anything else?”

A reluctant snort escapes as I grab plates from the kitchen. By the time I return, a cold can is already flying toward me. Monkeynaut. The label stares back at me, unfamiliar.

“Monkeynaut?” The name alone is enough to make me skeptical.

“Best damn beer from where I grew up.” A cap pops, and Bennett takes a swig like he’s just cracked open a piece of home.

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