“We should probably get a hold of Whitsy,” Rayner said. “He’s the only person we know in this city. And he’ll want to know about his friend.”
The images came back and I shoved them away again. “Man, Thor,” I said, dropping Rayner’s nickname for the comfort of hearing it alone. “Do you think…?”
I trailed off as we looked at each other, the words unspoken in the air.
The Crooked Man.
“Not really his M.O., but who knows anymore,” Rayner muttered, looking more and more haggard. “Listen, let’s get out of here. Go get coffee – or a drink – I need to think.”
“Alright,” I said, then paused. “Hey, someone’s coming!”
We both started walking quickly, as I listened to the footsteps behind us. There was a dancer-like quality to the steps, something feminine that made my heart pulse a beat faster. She was quite a woman to be able to walk that fast in high heels.
Rayner and I had emerged out of the quad and onto a brightly lit walkway with old-fashioned gas lamps. A fountain bubbled up ahead and ornate artwork hung from the trees.
And in spite of myself, I couldn’t help but glance back.
A woman was chasing us down, her chin set and eyes flashing. Dressed in a long pink trench coat, which was falling open, I could see a petite, voluptuous figure, her curves hugged in a black dress. Thick golden waves of hair fell to her shoulders, her eyes were gray with starbursts of forest green in them and she had full, pouty lips above a dainty, pointed chin.
She was stunning.
“Whoa,” I murmured. Then I realized I’d stopped walking.
“Hey, you!” Her voice had a summery drawl to it. It made me think of California and long, lazy nights filled with fireflies. “I want to talk to you.”
“Sure,” I said, giving her a winning smile and a wink. “I’d love that.”
“Cree!” Rayner hissed. “What the hell are you doing, come on!”
I began walking backward, slowly, keeping my eye on the approaching woman. She would probably not even come up to my chin without heels.
“Sorry, gorgeous, we’re on a tight schedule,” I said, filled with genuine regret.
Damn, she was… I’d stopped walking again and I realized my pants were getting tight. Pulling on my collar, I swung around, embarrassed. I’m like teenager or somethin’, jeez. Damn springtime makin’ me a horndog.
“Quickfoot, seriously!” Rayner snapped. He was already almost at the end of the walkway. “Stop flirting and get your ass over here.”
“Do I have to?” I groaned, looking back at the woman. Now that she was getting closer, I could smell her scent. Honeysuckle and apricot.
“Please?” The woman asked. “I know you were upstairs – you two found Otis, right? Is he okay? Do you know what hospital they took him to?”
The anxious note in her voice stopped me for the third and final time. Hunching my shoulders, I turned around and then my voice died in my throat. What the hell was I supposed to say?
“Oh my God,” she said, putting a hand to her mouth. “I can’t believe…”
I could hear Rayner marching back and I flinched, saying, “Listen, I’m not supposed to–”
At that moment I realized she was staring beyond me and that Rayner had stopped dead. I was standing in the middle of them and glancing back and forth.
“Rayner?” she asked, her voice raising several octaves. “You’re in Seattle?”
“Sis?” Rayner’s face had drained of color. “Wh-what are you doing here?”
She didn’t answer, just pushed past me and took a swing at Rayner’s face.
Chapter 4
“Yo!” The guy my brother had called Cree grabbed my wrist so quickly, he was like a ninja. “None of that now. Siblings shouldn’t fight,” he chuckled as he pulled me towards him and his muscled stomach pressed against my back for a second.
“Let me go,” I snapped, whirling on him.
Cree held up his hands, looking abashed. “Sorry, sorry. Just didn’t want you punching this poor sucker – he’s been dealing with a lot of shocks this evening.”
“Well,” I spluttered, unable to finish the sentence as I got a good look at him.
Cocking his head at me, I realized heat was rising to my cheeks and I tried to take a steadying breath. But it didn’t work. He had longish, rich dark brown hair, the color of dark chocolate, starting to curl in the damp weather. Light blue eyes regarded me, filled with warmth and amusement. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he reminded me of an eager puppy, but his face was all smiles and heartbreakingly handsome. A dimple flickered in his left cheek, giving him a slightly roguish look and my heart skipped several beats in my chest.
“Well?” Cree asked. I didn’t say anything, only opened and closed my mouth. “Well, I’m Cree. Cree Campbell. One of your brother’s best friends. He’s mentioned you. Sky, right?” His eyes flicked over me, smile widening and the heat became a conflagration. “He didn’t mention how–”
“Cree!” Rayner had apparently regained the power of motion and speech. There was even a protective note in his voice – one I recognized from the time Ray had threatened Tommy Kinew, my first boyfriend, about boundaries. “Knock it off.”
Cree winked at me and I spun on my heel, determined to ignore him. “Rayner Hess, you jackass!” I burst out, glaring up at my older brother.
Rayner had a heartbreaking look on his face and there was a slight pinch in my chest. “Sky, I didn’t know you were in Seattle – I would have looked you up, I swear. But you’ve been such a nomad these last few years. I honestly thought you were in Toronto.”
“I lived in Toronto three years ago, Ray!” I yelled at him, tears pooling in my eyes.
His throat worked as he stepped closer. I could see the pain in his gray-blue eyes. It was one of the few things we shared – the gray of our mother’s eyes and her blondee hair.
“I know, I know I’ve been hard to reach,” Rayner said. “Listen, why don’t we…?” He trailed off, looking helpless and uncertain. Part of me wanted to kick him in the shins. Another part of me wanted to demand he tell me everything. And another part of me wanted to scream.
“Y’all fight over Christmas?” Cree asked, stepping up next to me and giving me a knowing look. “That’s the worst. Wes was telling me about his uncle and aunt fighting. Big old sibling battle royale. But they made up. So should you guys.”
I stared at Cree nonplussed. He was so happy. A bone-deep kind of joy only to be found in a little kid or an enlightened monk. Even though I could tell both he and my brother had just been through some kind of hell, there was a lightness to him all the same.
“Christmas, yeah, that’s part of it. Rayner bailed.” I choked on the word.
“What?” Cree asked. “You didn’t go home, Thor? Where the hell were you?”
Sniffling, I glanced between my brother and Cree. There was a guarded, uncomfortable look on my brother’s face and an openly concerned, confused look on Cree’s. Something seemed to pass between them, unsaid.
In that moment, I realized there was something about the two of them that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Something weirdly similar.
“What are you guys, CrossFit athletes now or something?” I asked scathingly. “Training for the games, Ray?”
Rayner had always been a big, fit guy, but he’d never been ripped like this. Even under his boring black shirt, I could see the broadness of him. And Cree was all but bursting out of his flannel shirt. It was so tight over his biceps, I had to wonder if that was on purpose.
As well as wondering what it would be like to feel those arms… Or that defined torso again.
Cree was grinning at me. “We are pretty buff, huh?” He flexed. “Wanna test it out?”
“Quickfoot,” Rayner growled, and Cree, to my surprise, hunched his shoulders and a faint flush appeared across his cheekbones.
“My bad, man, I’m sorry.” Then he looked at me. “I’m sorry, Sky. I’m only kidding.”
Rayner was pinching the bridge of his nose, a habit he’d picked up from our dad, and my heart squeezed. “Maybe we can, uh, I don’t know…”
“Get a cup of coffee?” Cree supplanted. “We were going to get drinks. Sky can come with us.”
There was an easy charm to Cree. In spite of all my anger twisting my insides, I could feel my breathing slowing down and I nodded. Rayner was here. Maybe he’d finally explain.
Then I looked at my brother’s face. It was a mask.
Or not.
I was leading the way to a downtown café that served both alcohol and coffee. At this hour it was probably still relatively empty – eight to nine was a bit dead in terms of nightlife – or so I hoped. Cree was walking next to me, each of his steps buoyant, as though he was ready to jump tall buildings in a single bound. Rayner trailed us a like an unhappy ghost.
As we turned the final corner to the café, I was struggling to hold back tears. They were in my throat, pushing out of my eyes and my nose was starting to run. Subtly, I reached down, trying to see if I had a tissue in my pocket when one appeared in front of my eyes.
Cree was handing me one and I gaped, then tripped.
In a movement like lightning, Cree caught me with strong hands around my elbows and pulled me upright.
“Sky! Are you okay?” Rayner’s hand brushed my shoulder and I shrugged it away. “You shouldn’t wear shoes like that if you can’t walk in them.”
“I’m fine,” I growled at him. Then I glanced over at Cree. “Um, thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He handed me the tissue with a smile.
Once inside the café, Rayner went to order while Cree and I found a table. There was one in the corner by the window, and Cree beamed at me as we sat down.
“How do you like Seattle? What do you do for work?” he asked.
“I, uh,” I thought about the futile search to find a roommate and how I didn’t get a story tonight for the Scoop. “It’s good, I guess. And I write, I’m a writer.”
“Wow,” Cree said. “Books, what?”
Suddenly I felt like I was on an extremely weird first date and I gaped at him again. What is it with this guy? How is he so damn jolly? It’s irritating.
“Who the hell are you to my brother, exactly?” I narrowed my eyes. “Wait, let me guess. You work together.”
A slightly panicked, confused, and awkward look came over Cree’s face. Rubbing his chin, he glanced over at Cree and shrugged. “Yeah, we’re hotshots, I mean a hotshot crew. On a hotshot crew together.” Shifting in his seat, he offered me a smile. “Wildland firefighters, you know. Hot.”
Huh. “What brings you two to Seattle?”
A look of relief came over his face. “Otis Huxley.” Cree’s face fell and his eyes slid away, looking dark with sadness. “He’s a friend of a friend. We were there to hear him speak and stay with him. He knows a lot about Montana and wildfires.”
Anger flared in me. Of course, it’s frickin’ work. It always is with Rayner!
“Did my dad get you an invitation?” I asked.
Then I paused. Wait, that didn’t make sense. I’d only heard about the talk and been assigned to go this morning – there’s no way my parents could have plotted this.
“Dad?” Rayner asked as he appeared at my elbow. “Dad knows Otis Huxley?” He sat down, handing out three coffees. “Why don’t I remember this?”
“I don’t know,” I said snidely, “when’s the last time you were home? Five years ago?”
Cree choked on his coffee and gave Rayner an odd look. “Do you want me to–?”
“No,” Rayner said quickly. “I’m not gonna make you sit alone.” Then a small smile played around his lips. “You can run interference.”
That was some kind of inside joke between them. Now curiosity was starting to outpace anger. Eyeing Cree, I suddenly wondered if he knew what my brother had been up to.
Silence fell.
Cree spoke up. “So, you two don’t look much alike.”
“No,” Rayner said, almost sadly.
“I look a lot like my dad. Rayner looks like his.”
Rayner flinched almost imperceptibly, but I saw it. Guilt and satisfaction filled me. It was a spiteful dig, but I wanted him to know how furious I was with him.
“Wait, whoa, what?” Cree gasped. “You guys have double dads? Right, California. Groovy.”
“No, Cree,” Rayner sounded both exasperated and amused. But there was affection there. “My mom remarried. Sky is my half-sister. But my stepdad was more of a father than my own.”
“Oh, man. Sorry. But you know I get that,” Cree said, his voice quiet.
“So, mom and dad don’t know you’re here?” I asked.
“No, why would they? I didn’t even know I was coming until a few days ago,” Rayner replied. “Were you there for a story?”
I nodded, pursing my lips and looking away.
“Hey, Ray, I can’t get a hold of Whitsy. I think he’s asleep,” Cree muttered to my brother. “I’m gonna check hotels and stuff.”
“Okay,” Rayner looked exhausted. “Um, Sky, I don’t know if I should tell you this, but Otis… He, well we, um, we found him.” Pause. “He was murdered.”
Cold air seemed to strike my chest in a slap. I’d thought he’d had a heart attack or something. I’d heard the talk was canceled and seen lights. Then I’d gone around back and seen those two leaving. I asked aloud the question I’d thought then, "You found him?"
Rayner nodded, looking pale, and my heart squeezed. “It’s a long story,” he said.
We fell quiet and more of my anger dissipated. I’d expected Rayner to be haughty and indifferent to me. Not looking like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“Rayner, okay… Why were you really here though?” I asked. “Come on, I know there’s more to the story. And I have a feeling this is connected to that.”
He gave me a small smile. “You and your theories. It’s nothing, kid, I swear.”
“Hey!” Cree exclaimed and we both jumped. His voice really carried. “Is this your place on Airbnb?” he asked, waving his phone in my face.
Without thinking, I grabbed his wrist and glanced at the screen. A lump of panic and horror was forming in my throat. “Um, yes, but…”
“This is perfect!” Cree crowed. “Rayner and you can work out your sibling issues and we have a place to stay.” Peering at the ad, he then looked at me. “You sound a bit desperate on here.”
I am, I thought, but once again, I couldn’t speak. What is happening, Universe? What the hell?
“No, we couldn’t intrude,” Rayner said, then he looked at me. “Unless, are you hard up for money, Sky? Do you need someone?”
“Well, yeah, but only for a short time–”
“About two months, it says,” Cree said.
Something flashed through my brother’s eyes. “Yeah, that works. Let’s go get the car.” He gave me a tired look. “Sky, can we please talk tomorrow? We can kick Cree out and everything.”
“You’re staying in Seattle for two months?” I squeaked out as they both stood up.
My brother’s gaze was hooded. “I don’t know yet.”
Unlocking my apartment door, I let in Rayner and Cree, my mind an absolute blank. They were lugging in their suitcases and Cree let out a whistle when I hit the lights.
“Sky Hess! Sweet digs, woman. You’re like a queen up here. Queen of the Sky. Sky-Queen?”
“How do you always have so much energy?” Rayner grumbled, moving like a robot into the apartment. Then he blinked. “This is nice. How do you afford this?”
“Harper,” I said shortly. At his blank look, I sighed. “Rayner, my best friend Harper. We went to school together. She’s in finance and an excellent saver. Got this place for a good price, negotiated it down to do renovations… You know what, it’s a long story.” He winced. “Bathroom.” I pointed. “Spare room and couch. Have at and have a good night."
“Good night, l
il’ sis,” Rayner said in a wistful voice as I stormed to my room.
“Night, Sky!” Cree called, then he laughed. “Night sky!”
Once in my room, I closed the door and leaned against it. In the dark, my mind seemed to unstick and thoughts swirled through it. I could hear Cree and Rayner moving through the apartment, getting set up, and I shook my head.
Outside my windows, the sky was starting to clear and a few stars were shining through. Moving forward, I stared out, arms folded, and shook my head. Then I paused.
There, low on the horizon, brushing the tops of the distant mountains, was a crescent moon.
Chapter 5
With a yawn, I plopped on the spare room bed. “You sure about the couch?”
“Yes,” Rayner said, glaring at me. “I don’t want you sneaking into my sister’s room or her seeing you in the middle of the night and getting any ideas.”
“Jeez, Ray, give me some credit.” I rubbed my face. I knew I should get up and brush my teeth, but I couldn’t move. The day had wiped me out.
His face relaxed somewhat. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I do trust you.”
“I mean, there’s also the fact that you should be happy if your sister ended up with one of your best friends. Then we’d be like double brothers.” I paused. “Wait, does that make Sky – you know what, I’m not going to go there.”
Rayner was pulling out his laptop and resting his back against the bed as he sat on the floor. “Cree, we’re not related, so no. Our brotherhood is a spiritual one. Dumbass.” Then he pulled out a flash drive from his pocket and I frowned.
“Where did you get that?” I could catch a faint whiff of blood on the air and shivered.
“Huxley’s office,” he replied, plugging it in and tapping his fingers on the mousepad.
“Rayner! Dude!” I said, moving forward and staring down at the top of his head. “You stole evidence? What if the cops find out?”
“They won’t. It was on the roof outside the window. They couldn’t have gotten out there.”
HOTSHOT BROTHERS: Coyote Shifters Page 53
