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He thought back to the other officer he’d met before they’d left for lunch. “Cruz looks a lot like Lincoln. Are they related?”

“Lincoln’s twin brother.”

“Great,” he said with an exaggerated eye roll. “Another Officer Sawyer who’ll hate me.”

Wade carried over two plates brimming with food. “Here ya are. Need anything else?” Smirking, he eyed Zeke with interest. “And don’t worry, Cruz is the nicer one of the two. Takes a while for good ol’ Linc to open up.”

Zeke forced a tight smile but didn’t respond. This was exactly why he hadn’t wanted to sit at the bar. Now he had one more member of this close-knit community who’d been given a peek into his personal life. And if he and Grace didn’t act fast, more than just his reputation would be at stake. If the Sawyer brothers zeroed in on him as the killer, it just might cost him his freedom.

* * *

Butterflies rumbledin Grace’s stomach along with the burger she’d eaten way too much of. Lunch had been spent dodging personal questions and trying to recall as many details as possible about the players in the twisted game neither of them wanted to play. An hour and a half later, she escorted Zeke to the kennel to grab Ruby.

“I could have made my way here myself, but thanks for the company.” Zeke threw her the little half-smile she’d always loved.

Shoving her hands in the front pockets of her jeans, she gave a small shrug. “I want to talk to Tucker anyway.” The lie didn’t come easy but was necessary, so he couldn’t see how much she hated the thought of peeling herself from his side.

He opened the door for her, cocking one brow as he watched her cross the threshold.

“He was a police officer. He might have some insight in how to approach this problem. Cruz and Lincoln will be tight lipped if I ask them.”

“Hmm,” he said, as if not sure he believed her.

Heat slammed against her cheeks despite the cool wind that followed them inside. “Tucker?”

Tucker poked out his head from the storage room at the back of the building. “Go ahead and grab Ruby. I’ll be a minute.”

Zeke brushed against her shoulder and passed by to push through the half-door that led to the dogs.

She followed, now actually wanting to speak with Tucker. It hadn’t been the real reason she’d come with Zeke, but he might offer some unique insight.

Otto emerged from the back room and ran to her, tail wagging and tongue hanging from his mouth. He greeted her with a loud bark then hurried to Zeke who sprung Ruby loose from her pen.

“I’m going to take Ruby outside,” Zeke said, attaching a leash to her collar.

“Okay. I’ll be done here in a second.”

The tiny flicker of a smile poked through his beard, and she mentally slapped herself in the forehead. What the hell was that? She’d basically told him she’d find him once she spoke with Tucker. Damn her inability to stop falling into her destructive patterns.

Ignoring Zeke’s amusement as he walked outside, she found Tucker organizing supplies on the wire shelves pressed against the back wall. “Got a minute to talk?”

“Sure.” He wiped his palms together then faced her. “You all right?”

She leaned against the doorjamb, folding her arms around her middle. “Not really. Everything’s a mess. I need some advice.”

His lips thinned. “Must be serious. You never ask anyone for advice.”

She snorted, hating how true that was. She loved her work family, but she’d never allowed herself to get too close to any of them. Never asked for help or invited anyone over. Never had a girl’s night out or asked about their personal lives. The subtle pangs of loneliness she could never shake grew, vibrating through her core. Maybe it was time to make a change, but that was a topic for another time.

“It is serious. You heard about the woman who died on the camping trip. Now a gun is missing from the shooting range.”

Tucker frowned. “That’s not good. What’d Brooke say?”

“That she’d figure out what needed to be done next. I’m just waiting for her to call and yell at me and tell me to pack up my office and leave.”

“She wouldn’t do that.” Tucker shoved up the sleeves of his shirt and moved a giant bag of dog food to the corner of the room. The black ink of his tattooed arms stood in stark contrast to the white cotton shirt. “That woman’s death wasn’t your fault. But how did someone get a gun? You keep the range locked up tighter than Fort Knox.”

She rubbed her temple, a headache brewing as a result of the horrible turn her life had taken in the last couple days. “I was helping Zeke. He and I were the only ones there. We heard a noise and found a box of bullets on the floor and a gun missing.”