by Quinn Avery
He drew back. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.”
Lungs seizing with a sharp breath, her eyelids flipped open. She hooked her arm around his neck and brought his lips back down to meet hers. The kiss was far more intense, heightened by months of longing and uncertainty. Bexley melted against the warmth of his body, allowing his strong arms to hold her upright. His lips were as strong as the fist anchored in her hair, as if he was determined to finally show her his true feelings.
I must be certifiable for not doing this sooner, Bexley found herself thinking. The sensations that overwhelmed her from head to toe were too divine for her to ever want it to stop.
With the sound of a fake cough, however, they quickly jumped apart.
“Whoa!” Cineste exclaimed, openly gaping. Snuggled against Alex’s side, she wore a pink floral dress that fit her like a glove, and her hair fell over her shoulders in perfectly curled soft waves. For a moment, Bexley wondered if the sight of her beautiful sister made Brewer regret choosing to be with someone who considered vanity to be a luxury.
Cineste’s eyes remained wide. “Bex! Who the hell’s the hottie?”
Bexley’s hands trembled a little as they smoothed over her hair. “He’s Hawk—I mean he’s not a hawk-hawk, his name is Hawk—I mean Hawkins.” Warmth rushed through her cheeks as she blinked helplessly back at her sister.
Chuckling, Brewer extended his hand. “You can call me Brewer.”
“Cineste,” she answered, still looking baffled when she took his hand. “This is Alex.”
As the two men shook hands among shared smiles, Bexley threw her sister a guilty look. “I’ve been meaning to tell you that Grayson and I went our separate ways. There just never seemed to be a good time to bring it up in conversation.”
“I’ve known for awhile,” Cineste said with a casual shrug. “I decided something was up and figured you wouldn’t tell me, so I asked Kiersten.”
The heaviness of guilt festering in Bexley’s chest all at once lifted with her sister’s acceptance. “Maybe if we hurry inside, we can do a round of shots before the captain arrives.” She gave Brewer a lopsided smile. “You’ll thank me later.”
“She’s right,” Alex agreed, holding open the heavy door to the establishment. “You’ll need it.”
Bexley and her sister passed through the doorway as the two men chatted with ease behind them. The loud clamor of conversation and forks clinking against plates in the bright, clean atmosphere of the restaurant instantly drowned out the details of their conversation.
After Bexley checked in with the hostess, letting her know they’d be at the bar while waiting for their father, Cineste gripped her elbow. “This is the old classmate who was busted for selling cocaine?”
“Just how much did Kiersten tell you?” Bexley grumbled. She wasn’t accustomed to her personal affairs being passed around her inner circle.
“Not nearly enough. Your busy schedule needs to allot for more sister time.”
They claimed side-by-side stools at the modern slab of walnut that stretched across the bar, and their men stood right behind them. Bexley was instantly flustered when Brewer’s fingertips settled on her waist. “I’m guessing a shot of whiskey is out of the question,” he teased, brushing his lips over her earlobe as he spoke.
Her body ignited. “Tequila!” she choked out, motioning to the male bartender. “We’re gonna need four double-shots of tequila!”
Cineste giggled at her side. “You don't mess around, sis.”
“I thought I was the one who liked living on the wild side,” Brewer teased.
The bartender poured the shots in front of them before handing out lime wedges and a salt shaker. Bexley threw two twenties on the table, and handed the glasses out to everyone.
“Here’s to new adventures,” Brewer declared, holding his glass over Bexley’s shoulder. The foursome clinked their lowball glasses together and then licked the salt from their hands before slugging the strong liquid back and sucking on the limes.
“Woo!” Bexley shouted, setting her glass down. “If that won’t prepare you for an evening with our old man, nothing will!”
“Am I that intolerable?” their father called out behind them.
Bexley froze in place.
“Dad!” Cineste spun around and jumped off her stool. “Bex is just nervous about you meeting her new boyfriend.”
Bexley was ready to strangle her sister by the time she turned to them. But she stopped short and her stomach hardened with the sight of a pretty blonde at their father’s side. The petite woman wore a short, bright red dress with a plunging neckline. Both the dress and the woman’s beige heels showed evidence of being well-worn—possibly from a second-hand store. Her honeyed locks hung limp down to her chin in a cheap bob, and her makeup was heavily applied in a cartoonish manner. She couldn’t have been a day older than Bexley.
A sudden burst of anger shot through Bexley. She suspected the woman was directly related to his announcement of “something important,” and she wasn’t having it. Their father was determined to destroy what was left of their family.
“Wife number four, so soon?” she quipped. “And they say millennials and boomers don’t get along.”
The captain’s face darkened to the shade of a beet. “Bite your tongue, young lady,” he snarled, wrapping his arm around the woman’s shoulders. “Sadie is not my wife.”
Bexley clicked her tongue. “In that case, I hope he paid you for the night upfront, Sadie,” she told the woman, “You’re gonna want to split once you get to know the real Captain Ferguson.”
Behind her, Brewer gripped her arm. “Bex,” he warned under his breath.
“That is enough!” Bexley’s father roared. “Sadie is your sister!”
A hush fell over the bar patrons as they shot curious gazes at the dysfunctional family.
Cineste slapped her hands over her mouth.
Bexley staggered backwards, colliding with Brewer. She was vaguely aware of his arms encircling her, providing a superficial surge of comfort.
Bexley and Cineste had another sister. Did their mother know?
Bexley’s eyes flickered between the woman and their father. “How old?” she heard herself ask.
The captain’s angry expression evened out. “She was born five months after you.”
Vomit burned Bexley’s throat.
He had an affair, and started another family.
“I’m not proud of what I did to your mother,” he continued, “but I don’t regret bringing Sadie into the world. I’ve kept this secret from you girls for too long. You deserve to have your sister in your lives.”
“You bastard!” Cineste cried. “Mom raised us by herself all those years while you were deployed on the other side, and you weren’t there for her when she got sick! She deserved so much better!”
Alex stepped in beside her, taking her by the shoulders and whispering something in her ear.
Vision blurred, Bexley stumbled past her father and the woman. Her sister. It was too much. She needed fresh air before she suffocated on her father’s revelation.
The racket of her father and Cineste arguing faded away as she passed the hostess and continued outside. She crossed the deserted road and kicked her shoes off in the sand. A beat later, she sensed Brewer coming up behind her.
“Do you want me to take you home?” he asked.
“I can’t deal with this,” Bexley told him, spinning around to face him. Her breaths fell in hot, tight huffs across her lips. “I can’t deal with him. I can’t deal with her.”
“You don’t have to deal with them if you don't want to.” With an understanding look, he squeezed her shoulders. “Just breathe.”
She inhaled a deep breath, savoring the saltiness of the air. Her shoulders hunched forward on an exhale. The beach was her favorite place, and the sound of the crashing waves behind them already did wonders to calm her fury.
Brewer slipped a hand inside hers, and gently tugged
. “Let’s take a walk.”
After several minutes of walking silently hand-in-hand, the drama from the restaurant began to fade. She stopped Brewer alongside the shore, standing on her toes for another kiss. It was shorter and not as passionate as their last, but it eased her nerves.
“Thank you,” she said, resting her forehead against his chin when they were finished.
His thick fingers kneaded the back of her neck. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really.”
He guided her back several yards, pulling her down to sit at his side in the dry sand. He retrieved a lighter and pack of smokes from inside his jacket. “Isabella cheated on me once,” he told her while lighting a cigarette. “Overheard her on the phone telling him not to call anymore because it was over. Thought it was the worst feeling I’d ever had, knowing she’d been with another man. Happened a few months before she found out she was pregnant.” Smoke streamed from his nostrils as he stared at the horizon. “Felt guilty for wondering if the baby was really mine, but couldn’t help it. I think any man in my situation would’ve had the same fear.”
Bexley sensed unfathomable pain in his confession, and wondered if he’d ever recover from the loss of his unborn child, even if he were to one day start a new family. Stomach clenching, she turned to him. “There’s something I have to tell you.” She stopped to lick her lips, choosing her next words with care. “Grayson stopped by my office today.”
Brewer’s eyes returned to the horizon. “Oh yeah?” He flicked the ash of his cigarette while grinding his jaw. “Did you send your ex my regards?”
Though she was slightly flattered by the tinge of jealousy in his tone, her muscles became rigid as she recalled the painful reunion before she clocked out for the day. As promised, Kiersten had told Grayson of Bexley’s budding relationship with Brewer, and gently suggested it was time to let Bexley go. Grayson had merely tossed an envelope on the desk, and didn’t even make eye contact. Then he was gone again. Any hope of saving their decade-old friendship had fizzled with the cold visit.
“He gave me a copy of a ten-page confession written by Lieutenant Baker,” Bexley explained. “They discovered it while searching his house after he died. I read it, and came across something significant…something you deserve to know.” She took one of Brewer’s hands and gave a gentle squeeze. “It had to do with Isabella.”
His nostrils flared, and his entire body vibrated. “That cold son-of-a-bitch looked me in the eye, told me someone had attacked my fiancée and killed my son. He’s the one who killed her, isn’t he?”
Slowly nodding, she entwined their fingers. “He didn’t do it intentionally—at least not right away. He’d gone to your place that morning, right after you left, and flashed his badge to get inside. He threatened to have her parents deported if she didn’t convince you to become his mule. She refused to comply…said she’d turn him into the cops if he went after you or her family. That’s when he decided to hurt her.” She swallowed the lump rising in her throat. “He figured if he hurt her enough, you’d have no other choice than to take Redding up on his offer.”
Brewer snapped his hand out from hers and silently inhaled the cigarette, eyes unblinking as he stared straight ahead, shoulders taut. Bexley felt as if she had witnessed him break, and it stabbed her right through the heart.
She was suddenly embarrassed by her reaction to meeting Sadie. In light of what Brewer had gone through, discovering the captain had an affair, and produced another child didn’t seem quite as dire.
“I know it’s a lot to absorb,” she told him in a shaking voice. “I’m so sorry they hurt you like that, Brewer. You didn’t deserve it. Neither did Isabella. Nor your baby.” There wasn’t anything more she could say, and there certainly wasn’t anything she could do to make things right for him. She moved to stand. “I’ll give you time to process this alone.”
“No.” His warm fingers clamped around her wrist, and his eyes moved away from the dark water to meet her gaze. She couldn’t decide if he was crying, or she merely saw a reflection of light flash in his dark eyes. Either way, she sensed he needed her comfort. “I want you here.”
With a nod, she settled in beside him, leaning her head against his shoulder.
As they silently watched the waves roll in, Bexley admitted to herself that her life in general could be so much worse. Despite being shot at several times and questioning her sleuthing skills, she’d inherited a successful business, and brought down a couple of bad guys disguised as community leaders. Her family situation had always been a bit rocky, but she’d grown close to Cineste and Alex. Maybe she could find a way to let this new half-sister into her life too. She’d accumulated a handful of friends she could count on to have her back—Red included—and now a kind man with a big heart wanted her to stick around.
She slipped her hand into the crook of Brewer’s arm. There was only one way to go and that was forward. She couldn’t wait to see what happened next.
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Thank you for giving Bexley a chance! If you enjoyed her adventure, please take a minute to spread the word by leaving a review on Goodreads or BookBub and the website from which it was purchased.
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Book 4 in the Bexley Squires Mystery series is now available! Keep reading for a preview!
Don’t miss Bexley’s next adventure in The Skeleton Key’s Secrets, now available!
A devastating death, a victimized mob princess, and an avalanche of lies. As the new owner of Stronghold Investigations, Bexley Squires struggles to solve her biggest mystery yet—one that hits far too close to home.
Amidst revisiting a painful past and planning for a potentially more painful future with Brewer Hawkins, Bexley’s given unfortunate news that changes everything. While attempting to make sense of an unfathomable scenario, she’s offered a substantial reward to solve a case that involves the upmost secrecy.
By the time she discovers an inanimate object is the key—pun intended—to something more substantial than a simple theft, it’ll be too late. She’ll find herself knee-deep in another family’s war while trying to make peace with her own.
PROLOGUE
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Papaya Springs, California
December 27th
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Retired U.S. Navy Captain Dominic Ferguson observed his daughters interacting with their boyfriends from across the steak house’s wide table, feeling a misplaced sense of pride. He acknowledged that he had very little to do with the girls’ upbringing, and he wasn’t going to take the credit from his late wife. Eloise had been a saint for putting up with his behaviors, essentially single-parenting their daughters until cancer took her from them. Still, he wondered if he’d had a hand in the girls’ choice of romantic interests as both men were former military and imperfect in their actions, just like himself.
Both Cineste and Bexley had been through their share of unpleasantness as well. But ever since his oldest had moved back to the area, they’d each become focused on their futures. Cineste, his youngest, had enrolled back into college after dropping out during a party stage, and was planning to become a social worker. Bexley had put her education in journalism to good use, working on becoming the area’s go-to private detective after inheriting an established agency from her employer. In Dominic’s eyes, neither profession was exactly noble, but they were still leaps and bounds ahead of their recently discovered half-sister.
The weight of his past mistakes caused Dominic to slump against the padded chair. A queue of endless women had produced at least one illegitimate child—that he’d been informed of anyway—and both Bexley and Cineste had refused to accept the existence of another sibling. In fact, when he first introduced Sadie to the girls, Bexley had taken off and refused to meet with him again until recently. Although Cineste had somehow convinced Bexley to come to their family Christmas dinner, his oldest had been cold throughout the entire meal, and refused to make eye contact.
The ex
tramarital affairs were only the tip of the iceberg when it came to his list of regrets. Fortunately, he’d done everything within his power to keep his other secrets hidden from his daughters. From what he could tell, they were oblivious.
He was beyond ready to turn what was left of his life around. Once he’d retired, he’d decided it was time to focus his energy on the things that mattered. His three girls were now his number one priority. And that meant making sure they were living their best lives. Since he hadn’t properly cared for any of them in their formative years, he was going to make damn sure they were set with good men who could provide for them and his future grandchildren.
Cineste wasn’t afraid of being affectionate in front of her father. More often than not, she was cozied up to her boyfriend, practically sitting in the young man’s lap, and would kiss him every couple of minutes. Alex, on the other hand, seemed mindful of Dominic’s presence, and kept his hands to himself. Although Alex hadn’t made it through SEAL training, he’d recently enrolled in construction management classes with a community college, and held down a good job with a well-respected contractor.
Dominic warily eyed the heavily tattooed, former Coast Guardsman sitting beside Bexley. After thirty-six years in the military, Dominic had never given into the craze that’d become increasingly popular in the Navy. Although Brewer had also been polite and respectful throughout the evening, Dominic suspected anyone who had spent that much time and money in a tattoo parlor was out to prove something to the world. He found it curious that Bexley treated Brewer as if he was an old friend, while Dominic caught Brewer giving his eldest the kind of looks a man gives a woman when he’s ready to settle down and give her babies.
Leaning forward, Dominic steepled his fingers underneath his chin. “Tell me again, Brewer…what is it you do for a living?”
