With Visions of Red: Book 2 (The Broken Bonds 2)

I bring his hand up and place a kiss to his bandaged knuckles, then his palm.

He looks at me then. “God, I was so worried. You’re all I’ve thought about. I wouldn’t have let them keep me if I believed for a second…” he trails off, releasing a heavy breath. “I only stayed because that fucker detective swore you were safe. He said you were with a relative, that you knew I was brought in, so I thought this is where you wanted me.”

Damn that phone surveillance. Damn Carson. “I had no idea, Colton. If I had known, I would’ve come sooner.”

He gives me a lopsided smile, which pulls hard at my heart. “You called my brother.”

“I had to. You’ve been in the interrogation box for hours…I didn’t know what you might’ve said. You need a lawyer. Why didn’t you call him?” Or me, I want to ask. But I think I understand why he didn’t. The shame still lingering in his eyes voices his reasoning.

His features pull together. “I didn’t because…you don’t know my brother.”

I let that vague statement hang between us, not yet ready to tackle that very gray area of his brother’s involvement in all this. “Get your stuff. Let’s go.”

He tugs me close and whispers, “Do your job, goddess. I’ll be there when you’re done.” Placing a soft kiss to my forehead, he brings me in closer. “I’m still waiting for you.” Then he releases my hand and walks toward the exit.

His message is clear. It resonates down deep in my soul. Do your job. Find the person who’s spinning a web around the both of us. I don’t have all the facts, but I’ve just given Quinn enough to tip the first domino.

On my way to my office, I pass Carson’s and stop. Something Colton said just a moment ago hits me. I didn’t have my department phone with me last night. And I know for sure that—even though I was tired and scared—I didn’t once give away my location.

A pang hits my stomach, and I wrap an arm around my mid-section as bile rises to the back of my throat. I turn to stare into his office, but his blinds are still closed from when I shut them.

I’m still processing the past two weeks, trying to put Carson at the scenes, going over the messages, the evidence, when I barge into his office and slam the door behind me.

“Jesus—” He looks up from his computer. “Do you ever think about knocking?”

“Run, Sadie, run?” I spit at him.

I give him credit, he plays it cool. His face screws up into a genuinely confused expression. He stands, palms braced on his desk. “What?”

“Don’t. Just don’t, Carson.” I move into the middle of the office, my eyes taking note of the sharp décor. The neat way he organizes his desk. The OCD-like quality of his pens all lined up alongside the files. Then my gaze settles back on him. “When did you sneak my burner phone to get my number? In the car? At the club? Or at the crime scene yesterday?”

Straightening to his full height, he slips his hands into his pockets and walks around the desk. I back up a step, and he stops, looking affronted. “Sadie, honestly, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Does this have to do with the texts?” When I just continue to watch him, he says, “You’re really upset. Maybe you should sit—”

“I’m fine. Just tell me how you knew where I was last night. You told Colton that I was with a relative. No one knew that, Carson. I never once mentioned it—”

“Hell, Sadie. You’ll pull anything to get me thrown off this case, won’t you?” He shoots forward and has me backed against the wall in a second. “I was offering your damn boyfriend some peace of mind. Figured if he wasn’t worrying about you, I might get him to talk. I thought—” he pushes even closer, towering over me “—that I was doing you a favor. If I’d known it’d get my ass reamed today, I’d have just let the guy sweat all night.”

Sucking in a breath, I keep my head tilted back, my eyes on him. “You still didn’t answer my question.”

Sinking his teeth into his bottom lip, he grins. “You really making me as a suspect?” He laughs, and I grit my teeth.

“How did you know where I was?”

His smile falters. “Fucking hell, you’re going to get my ass in trouble, you know that?” He expels a long breath. “There’s a tracking device on your car. Okay? The task force knew where you were last night. And it wasn’t too hard to figure out who you were visiting there yesterday, seeing that Emily Bonds is registered at Resting Pines under her real name.”

Shit. I bury my face in my palms, take deep breaths.

“Hey,” Carson says, wrapping his hand around one of my wrists. “It’s okay. You’re under a lot of stress. I mean, this case is getting to everyone. But the damn killer is singling you out personally. No offense taken, all right?”

I release a clipped laugh. “I’m losing my mind.” I look at Carson then. Really look at him. Smug, boyish charm and all. “You’re too arrogant to be a real suspect, Carson. Too simple, too. Accusing you was probably an insult to the killer.”

His hold around my wrist tightens as he forcibly lowers my hand between us. “Not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not, Sadie.”

“Well,” I say, yanking my arm free of him. “You were almost human there for a second, but I guess you can take it however you want.”

“Maybe I will.” His gaze dips lower, traveling over my chest.

“God. Grow up, Carson.” I press my palms against his chest to push him back, but he stays firmly in place. Then his hand is at my waist, slipping inside my jacket.