Deadly Silence (Blood Brothers #1)(14)

“Probably,” Denver said.

Heath kicked dirt off one boot. “But we need the setup to find this bastard, and if we do it right, we’ll be gone before Sheriff Cobb finds us again.”

“When have we ever done anything just right?” Ryker muttered, rubbing his left eye.

Denver snorted. “I like it here.”

Heath, as usual, interpreted Denver’s sentence. “I agree that I’m tired of living out of motels and eating fast food. Even if we stay here just long enough to draw the killer in, it’d be nice to cook a meal once in a while. Even relax a bit after we catch the guy?”

“We relax, we get caught,” Ryker countered. The only reason he’d agreed to a permanent building was because they’d had no luck finding the killer so far.

“Maybe we should’ve kept the identities we used that time in Florida,” Heath said.

Denver shook his head. “No.”

Ryker nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. It was good we faked those deaths. Nobody will ever come looking for them.” He glanced at the computer screen. “Lost Bastards Investigative Services doesn’t have our names attached to it.”

Denver pulled the screen back around.

“Do we have any new cases?” Ryker asked quietly.

“No,” Denver said. “Nothin’ new on ours, either.”

Ryker nodded. He’d been abandoned as a baby at a church in New Orleans and then spent time in several orphanages, ending up in Lost Springs, North Carolina. He knew he had family out there, and someday he’d find them. Maybe. “No luck on finding the lawyer who did my adoption?”

“No.” Denver started typing again. “No news on your lawyer, Heath’s mom, or my so-called uncle who just wanted the money from the state for taking me in. We’re all still f*cking lost, men.”

“Sometimes we depress the shit out of me,” Heath said. “So let me get this straight. Sheriff Cobb is still after our asses, we’re setting ourselves up to be attacked by a serial killer who is killing family members of law-enforcement-type people, and now we have a mystery hacker who knows who we are.”

“Yep,” Denver said.

“We’re f*cked.” Heath shoved to his feet, his concerned gaze on Ryker. “At least we have each other, right? I mean, you’re back amongst us and plan to stick around and be sober for a bit?” No judgment, only acceptance, was in his tone.

“I’m fine now,” Ryker said. “Drank the demons away this time.”

Denver grimaced and kept typing. “Your lady?”

Ryker rubbed the center of his chest. He wanted her to remain his lady. If being casual was what it would take, he could do that…except for whoever had hit her. A threat to her couldn’t exist or he couldn’t concentrate. “Didn’t go great. Do you have time to do some digging? Check into her financials, her schedule at work, anything you can find.”

Denver’s dark eyebrows rose. He cut a look at Heath and then back. “Full background?”

Ryker swallowed but kept his face stoic. “Yeah, everything. Especially anything that sets up red flags about her safety.”

Heath paused by the doorway. “You’re investigating the woman you’re dating. While I appreciate the new approach for you, this can’t be a good idea.”

“New approach?” Ryker snapped.

Denver snorted.

Heath paused. “Yeah. You meet somebody, have short-term sex, and move on. You avoid letting anybody but us in…because if not, you’d have a whole houseful of people you’d be protecting all the time. You can’t do halfway with people. I get it. I really do. But right now we have no time for any distractions, and investigating a casual, ah, friend can’t be a good idea.”

Was Heath a shrink all of a sudden? “It isn’t a good idea,” Ryker returned, knowing his brother was right. “But I can’t sleep until I make sure she’s safe. Then I’ll go back to distant and cold.”

“Right.” Heath eyed him as if studying a specimen on a slide. “It’s okay if you want more with her, you know,” he said quietly.

Ryker scoffed. “I don’t bring home broken-winged creatures, Heath. You do.” Which was one of the things he’d always admired in his brother. “Besides, Zara isn’t broken. She just might be in danger. I have to know.”

“All right,” Heath said, dropping it.

“Thanks,” Ryker said, knowing Heath had let up because Ryker needed him to. “Denver?”

Denver drew out a legal pad and started to jot down notes. “Another lover?”

“No. I asked her, and she said she wasn’t seeing anybody else.” Ryker stood.

Heath winced. “Women lie, brother. If your instincts are telling you something is up, then you’re probably right.”

Zara wasn’t a woman who lied, but if anybody could lie to him, it might be her. While he could usually tell if somebody was lying, when his feelings were involved, he lost the edge. “I’m sure she’s not seeing anyone, but if you find anything in her financials, let me know.”

“You asked for it,” Denver said, his gaze concerned.

“Fine. I’ll go contact the FBI and see if the luscious Special Agent Jackson is desperate enough to work with us yet.” Heath shook his head and then left the room, muttering about stubborn bastards all the way through the building.