Whiskey Undone

by Carrie Ann Ryan

“I don’t know anything more. Honestly. Ask him for any information if you can. You know him. If it was near his place, he’s going to take it personally and bottle it all up and try to take care of everything all on his own. He’s not a cop, and neither is Dare anymore, but all my boys like to fix things.”

  Ainsley gave the woman a tight hug. “I’ll be careful, but you, as well. I know it sounds horrible, but I hope it’s a one-off thing and they figure it out soon. I don’t like the idea that there’s danger in Whiskey.”

  “I know, dear. I know. Tell Loch I love him, as I love you. And tell him to call his mother.” And with that, the other woman left the house and headed to her car. Though it was still daylight, Ainsley locked the door behind her and kept her eyes on the street through the window as Mrs. Collins drove away.

  As soon as the car was out of sight, Ainsley let out a breath and rubbed the goosebumps on her arms. Talking about murder wasn’t something she was a fan of, not when it was truly real. She loved to watch true crime shows and listened to podcasts about real-life events, but she particularly liked the solved cases where the bad guy had been caught and was put away for a very long time. She didn’t like that something had happened in her town. It might make her hypocritical, but she was always aware when she watched those shows and listened to the stories. She cared for the victim, not whoever had committed the crime. The victims and their families were the ones that mattered in the end, though not everyone felt that way.

  As the sound of Misty coming back into the living room reached her ears, she pasted another smile on her face and went to hang out with the little girl who would be her focus for the next hour or so. It wasn’t her night to cook—she and Loch had decided they’d take turns on the nights she was with Misty and he worked late but got off in time for dinner. So, that meant she didn’t have to leave from her spot on Loch’s very comfy couch unless she wanted.

  And she wasn’t going to think about the last time she’d been on the couch with him.

  At all.

  “Are you okay? You’re all red.”

  Ainsley blinked and patted her cheek. “I’m fine. Just…uh, hot.”

  “It’s cold outside, but we can go out there if you want,” Misty said, wiggling off the couch. Ainsley leaned forward and tapped Misty’s ankle.

  “I’m fine. Just a hot flash. Women get those, you know.”

  Misty’s eyes widened. “Grandma has them. So does other grandma, but I don’t think she likes them as much because she always mutters about them under her breath.” Other grandma being Marnie’s mother. That set of grandparents saw Misty at least once a month, and though the interactions were always awkward for Loch and made him grumpy as hell, the couple was good to Misty. It was horrible that Loch’s ex had walked out on not only Misty’s life but also Loch’s and Marnie’s parents, but somehow, everyone was making it work. Even if it wasn’t always easy.

  “Will I get hot flashes?” Misty asked, then turned back to the television.

  Ainsley really didn’t want to get into the whole menopause talk but, thankfully, Misty moved the conversation over to a new cartoon about a robot and his friends that was based off a movie. One that had made Ainsley cry all over Loch’s shoulder when they’d seen it in the theatre. Children’s movies were not supposed to make you sob but, apparently, that’s all they seemed to do for Ainsley these days.

  She and Misty were just finishing up one episode when the sound of the front door opening pulled both of their attention from the TV. Ainsley turned it off quickly as Misty ran to her father with as much, if not more, enthusiasm than she had when she’d first seen Ainsley earlier.

  “I take it you had a good day?” Loch asked, his voice low but his smile wide and reaching his eyes. It was only when he looked up at Ainsley that the smile faltered, and his eyes went a little duller than they had been before.

  This wasn’t a conversation she and Loch were going to have with his daughter around, and from the look on his face, it wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have anytime soon. So, instead of acting like an adult and finding a way to talk to him civilly and privately, she packed up her things and kissed the top of Misty’s head in goodbye.

  “I need to head out. Lots of work to do this weekend.” She pointedly looked at Misty rather than Loch, afraid of what she’d see on his face.

  “No dinner?” Misty asked, her lower lip in a bit of a pout before she sucked it back in. Loch hated when Misty tried that act, and Ainsley agreed. Apparently, Marnie had used it often, and that was a whole other level of things Ainsley didn’t want to think about just then.

  “Next time. Promise.” Ainsley held back the wince at the promise. If Loch pushed her out of his life, if they didn’t find a way to make their friendship continue working after what had happened, that might not be a promise she could keep.

  Ainsley finally met Loch’s gaze and lifted her chin. “Have a good night, Loch.”

  “Need me to drive you home? It’s getting dark now.”

  She ignored the way the deep growl of his voice simultaneously sent shivers down her spine and brought tears to her eyes.

  “I’m okay. I’m just going from your driveway to my garage.”

  “Text when you get home.”

  “Always do.”

  Because he worried. That was Loch. A worrier. And never one for doing things out of the blue without a plan. That was just one reason she knew that what had happened between them could never happen again.

  Just one of many reasons.

  When she got into her car, she knew Loch watched her from his window. Only she didn’t think it was because he couldn’t look away. No, it was because he took care of those in his circle. He always had, and he always would.

  She was just one of his.

  One of many.

  Never…never the only one.

  And she’d get used to that. After all, she had been fine with it for over a decade. Or she pretended to be. What was one more lifetime in her purgatory?

  Chapter 4

  Dennis Chamberlin.

  Loch knew the name before he’d been questioned, but he hadn’t known until just then what he would do if he heard it spoken aloud in this context. He knew Dennis. Had trained the other man himself. Had set his work hours, had talked to him the day Dennis died. And yet Loch hadn’t been there when the man had spoken his last word, had taken his last breath.

  Loch hadn’t been there.

  He’d been too late.

  Again. And now it looked as if the man might have been killed, and everything pointed to Loch as being the guilty party.

  He bit the inside of his cheek so he wouldn’t cry out, wouldn’t scream at the injustice of it all. Instead, he stood in his windowless office at the gym and wondered what the hell would happen next.

  Dennis had been one of Loch’s best trainers at the gym. He’d come to work on time, he’d stayed late if needed. He’d never hit on any of the guests or made them feel uncomfortable. He’d always worked with both men and women, not scoping out the younger, hotter versions of either sex like some of his trainers had tried to do in the past. He’d cared about those he worked with, and Loch had liked him.

  And now, the other man was dead, and there was nothing Loch could do about it.

  “Knock knock,” Dare said as he stuck his head into Loch’s office. “Thought I’d catch you here.”

  Loch narrowed his eyes at his brother. “I thought the door was locked.”

  “I’d make a joke about Loch and locking, but this isn’t the time for that. And, yeah, you locked the front door to the gym, but I have a key, remember? We all have keys to our places in case of emergency.” Dare moved fully into the office, closing the door behind him. Though the two of them were the only people in the building, Loch appreciated the privacy.

  “And what constitutes an emergency today?” Loch asked, folding his arms over his chest.

  Dare leaned against the door, mirroring Loch’s movement with his arms. “Oh, I don’t know, the
fact that Dennis is dead and, apparently, he either died on your property in the back or was moved there. I know the police asked you a few questions last night when you stopped by since you told me, but I can bet you they’ll ask a few more.”

  Loch knew as much. “I figured. Even if I’m not a suspect—which, who knows what the hell the local detectives will be thinking on that point, especially given the pointed questions they asked me last night—they’re going to want to talk to me some more. Hell, I want to talk to them. Dennis had no family. He came to Whiskey with a group of friends about three years ago and stayed when he fell in love with the town. I hired him soon after, and he’s been my best trainer since.”

  “That’s a long time, Loch. I’m sorry he’s gone.”

  “I’m sorry, too. And pissed the fuck off that someone would dare end his life. If it really was a murder. He’s younger than us.” Loch paused. “Was younger than us. Jesus Christ. I’ve seen people die, Dare. Same as you. Our old lives didn’t allow us to think the best of the world. Hell, same with Fox and his work, even if he tries to find the best in his writing. But this? On our doorstep? I felt like we left our old lives because we thought Whiskey was safe. It was a fucking delusion.”

  Dare shook his head. “Not a delusion. We might have thought it was safer but never safe. I almost lost Kenzie because it wasn’t safe. Fuck, Fox almost lost Melody because of the same thing. People make a place dangerous. And no matter how much you try to wall yourself off from them, they’re still around you. You work in security, Loch. You might have this gym, but your manager runs it most of the time. Your other job adding and providing security systems for those in town is what makes you the money. And that tells us both you’ve never really thought Whiskey was that safe. Nowhere is.”

  Dare was right, but Loch wasn’t a fan of being reminded that his brother was sometimes smarter than he was. He couldn’t help it, they were all competitive.

  “Just because I want to keep my family and friends safe doesn’t mean I’m prepared for shit like this.”

  Dare nodded. “I get it. I was a cop, remember? You’re the one who added all the security for my house and at the inn. Shit, I don’t know if I’d be as comfortable having Kenzie alone at the house or the inn as much as she is without your security system. And, yeah, that makes me an alpha male with too much testosterone, but whatever. After everything that happened to her before we got together and right when we started seeing each other, I get overprotective.”

  “I’m just surprised she’s not wrapped in bubble wrap and attached to your hip.”

  “Don’t think I didn’t ask.”

  “At least you asked. That’s a step up from demanding.”

  Dare’s eyes went dark, and Loch knew it wasn’t about him but Kenzie’s ex. “I’ll never demand. Not from Kenzie. Not after the shit her ex pulled. But it’s all connected, Loch. We’re keeping those we love safe, and the fact that someone came in and hurt a friend, fucking killed a friend, pisses me the fuck off. Add to that the fact that you’re actually connected to him and it seems very suspicious that things seem to be pointing to you, and I just have a feeling we haven’t seen the end of this. You know?”

  Loch nodded, his gut rolling. “I know.” He’d been feeling the same. Something was off about the whole situation, and not just that Dennis was dead. Loch had seen too much in his life, had been part of too much not to have a hinky feeling about the whole thing. He just wasn’t sure what he could do about it. Wasn’t sure what there was to do about it. Dare wasn’t a cop anymore. Loch didn’t work for his old company anymore. They had no jurisdiction, no power to do anything except wait and see.

  He just hated not having the option to do anything about it.

  “You have an alibi, though.” It wasn’t a question, but Loch had a feeling Dare was still asking. And, yeah, Loch had an alibi if the time of death were near when they found the body. They didn’t know yet, those details hadn’t been released.

  He’d been with his family.

  And after that…he’d been with Ainsley.

  But Loch wasn’t sure what the hell he was going to do if someone asked.

  “I do.” He didn’t elaborate. Didn’t need to. Dare just nodded, a question in his gaze, but he didn’t say more. They were brothers, they knew when they needed to share. But for now, they were allowed to keep their secrets. It would likely be different with Fox, but Loch understood that Fox liked to know everything so he could try and fix it.

  “Then you’re good.” Dare cursed, and Loch just stared at him. “No, you’re not good. Sorry. I can’t believe Dennis is dead. And I seriously can’t believe his name was just released to Fox.”

  Loch nodded. “I know. Word’s out, and soon it’s going to be even more of a mess as they try to figure out who’s responsible.”

  “They don’t think it was an accident? They’re sure it’s murder?”

  Loch shrugged. “They didn’t tell me much, but from what I could gather, his neck was broken, and his body was found at the bottom of the stairs behind the building.”

  Dare’s eyebrows shot up. “You heard all that? Sounds like those details should have been kept quiet.”

  “Two of the newer deputies were talking within earshot. I heard they got reprimanded by their boss once everyone realized I was near. Those details will probably be let out today anyway. Fox has a story on his hands.”

  The brothers met gazes, both frowning. “Fox hates writing the horrors without the light,” Dare said softly. “You know that.” Dare looked down again, putting his hands on his hips as he seemingly ordered his thoughts. Loch just stared at him, his mind going down its own path.

  Loch nodded. “That’s why he stayed in Whiskey instead of going somewhere else with more breaking news.” Fox had stayed in Whiskey to write what mattered to the town as well as to keep their people informed of what was going on in the world. Their younger brother had always been good at keeping the balance, but death and murder was a whole other thing. Fox could handle it, though, of that Loch was sure. His brother could deal with anything.

  “Well, he’s going to be full of news soon I think.”

  “Hopefully, they’ll catch the bastard,” Loch growled out.

  “I don’t have that many connections to the department here, but I’ll do my best to find out more. Especially if they really think you have anything to do with this.”

  “Just don’t put a target on your back because you’re poking your head where you’re not wanted,” Loch warned.

  “I could say the same,” Dare drawled. “Now, come on over to the bar. We’ll go have lunch and get out of this place since it’s closed. You going to open tomorrow?”

  “Unless there’s an issue, yeah. I could have opened today according to the department, but it didn’t feel right. You know?”

  Dare met his gaze. “I do. Let’s get some food and figure out what the hell we’re going to do next.” His brother moved from the door and went to open it. “I know I didn’t ask, and I’m not really asking at all. Come to lunch, Loch. You lost your friend. Even if he wasn’t really a friend and just someone you knew and hired. You still lost him. And we both know this isn’t the end of the story.”

  Loch sighed but moved toward the door as Dare opened it. “You’ve sure gotten deep since you got with Kenzie.”

  “True. But she lets me scratch and burp when I feel like I’m getting in touch with my emotions too much.”

  “Classy,” Loch said with a snort as they made their way outside.

  Loch’s snort was probably the first thing the detective saw as he stepped out of his car, and Loch stiffened ever so slightly when he saw the other man.

  “Well, here we go.”

  “Loch Collins?”

  Loch stopped in front of his gym, Dare by his side. His brother had his phone out and was either calling a family member, their lawyer, or getting ready to record the interaction. Knowing Dare, he’d find a way to make all of it happen.

  Plus, none o
f them liked Detective Renkle. He’d been an asshole to Dare and Kenzie and hadn’t been the nicest to Melody either. His partner, Detective Shannon had been the nice one. Thankfully, the other detective was also getting out of the car.

  “Yes, Detective Renkle. I’m Loch. We met two nights ago.”

  “And a few times before that,” Dare added before turning slightly to speak into the phone.

  Ah, the lawyer it seemed.

  “We have a few questions for you,” Renkle continued. “How about you come down to the station so we can talk.” Again, not a question.

  “Am I under arrest?” Loch asked.

  Shannon shook his head. “No.”

  “Not at this time,” Renkle added, and Loch did his best not to glare. He was a big man and looked intimidating even when he was smiling. It never helped when dealing with authorities to look like he could kick their asses. Well, it had helped when he was at his other job, but he’d usually been on the authorities’ side.

  Shannon glanced over at his partner before looking at Loch again. “But we have a few questions, and it would be easier if you were at the station.”

  Easier for whom? But Loch didn’t ask that.

  “Fine. We can do that. We were headed out to lunch. Is this going to take long?”

  “Just cooperate, and you’ll be fine,” Shannon added, but Loch wasn’t sure.

  “We’ll be there,” Dare put in. “With our lawyer.”

  “Need a lawyer?” Renkle asked. “Something you need to tell us?”

  Loch didn’t say anything, but Dare answered for him.

  “I was a cop, Renkle. I know our rights.” Dare sounded almost bored, but Loch knew it was just a façade.

  “For a cop, you sure are friendly with lawyers.” Renkle’s voice almost sent Loch over the edge, but he held himself back. Thankfully, so did Dare.

  “Any good cop is,” Dare said with a flash of a grin before he glared again. “Meet you at the station.”

  “You can always ride with us,” Renkle sneered.

  Jesus Christ, they were stuck in a bad detective movie. “Let’s just get this over with. You need to figure out what happened to Dennis, and standing here like this isn’t helping.” He’d almost said “whipping out your dicks,” but he’d refrained. Knowing Renkle, he’d find a way to put Loch behind bars for the offhand comment.