Page 10 of What We May Be

Would the sparks Sean had reignited ever go away either? Fire burned where Trevor laid his hands, same as warmth still heated her cheek where he’d pecked it earlier. They knew where this led, or rather didn’t. They’d tried and failed after Sean’s first disappearing act. But then Sean had returned and reignited an attraction that wasn’t so easily snuffed out. She fought through the emotional storm to focus on Trevor’s words.

“You earned this,” he said. “It’s okay—”

“What will Annie think? I just got her back.” Somehow the hard conversation had become the easier one. “What if this pushes her away again? For good?”

“How will working to put away more criminals like Hector Salazar, saving other families the pain ours has gone through, push her away?”

The bile receded a little. Trevor always knew what to say to comfort her. “I just don’t want to be disrespectful, to the department, to them”—she covered his hands—“to any of you.”

Hazel eyes bored into hers. “You’re not, Charlie. You’ll be doing good work. Abel got that when you told him the other night. Annie will too. And just like moving to DC, you’ll be doing what you need to move on.”

Hearing those words, Charlie tore her gaze from Trevor’s as she mentally weathered a barrage of bittersweet memories.

Sean’s grief-stricken face, absent too long from Hanover. Trevor’s livewire reaction to his presence as well as her own more simmering one. The ever-present connection between her and Trevor that had caught fire, Sean the spark. A bottle of scotch, a long overdue apology, and then an explosion of tangled limbs and bodies.

A cold, empty side of the bed the next morning.

A glimpse at what the three of them could have been, the future they could have had, but never would.

A final goodbye. The one they should have had ten years ago, the one a part of her still refused to acknowledge. Refused to let go of and move on, despite her own words claiming to do just that. The anger that had been supplanted by grief then keeping the pain fresh now.

The lingering temptation to try again with Trevor, just the two of them, despite the near certainty they would crash and burn like the last time. The critical piece missing. And then where would they be?

Unable to meet Trevor’s gaze, sure he’d see some of what she was thinking, she aimed her own eyes toward the bullpen as her mind continued to vault and spin over the possibilities. Until the ringing desk phone interrupted her mental gymnastics. Standing, she stepped around the desk and picked up the receiver, the display flashing an internal extension from downstairs. “Talk to me.”

“Jaylen’s gonna bring Annie back upstairs,” Abel said. “You need to get her and Trevor out the front door. Quickly.”

“What’s going on?”

“Feds are here.”

Her spine stiffened. “They’re early.”

“One of ’em is here to interview you.”

“Here? But I’m supposed to meet Agent Conder in Wilmington.”

“Seems he’s here. The other…”Abel cleared his throat. “The other is here about Professor Marshall.”

“Already?” There was no way Agent Marshall could have gotten there so fast. Which meant what? The feds had gotten wind of the case and sent someone to steal it? On what grounds? She might be considering a job with them, but for now, she was still HPD’s deputy chief, the lead detective on this case, and the professor’s death was not a federal matter. She glanced at Trevor, who was moving around the room, cleaning up, while keeping a worried eye on her.

“I’ll explain when you get here,” Abel said.

“Explain now.”

“Charlotte.” His voice was stern, clipped, brooking no argument. “Get Annie and Trevor out of here, now, then meet me in the back alley.”

Her eyes cut to the stairs where Jaylen and Annie appeared. “Give me five.”

“And, sugar,” Abel said, his voice grim, “brace.”

The line went dead, and she jerked the phone from her ear, staring at it as her stomach churned once more, this time with apprehension.

“Everything okay, sis?” Annie asked from the doorway.

Concealing her anxiety, Charlie replaced the receiver in the cradle and circled her desk. “I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to cut the party short.” She hated the disappointment that slashed across her sister’s face, but maybe she could make up for it. “How about we pick the party back up tonight? I’ll swing by Pier Point for burgers and meet you at your place?”

“Sounds good.” She turned to Jaylen. “Want to join us?”

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