“Why not?” She tips her head to the side. “She’s basically royalty.”

“She’s not royalty. She’s a person who left her life behind for a reason, and if she’s not telling you that story herself, it’s hearsay.”

“I talked to enough people today who were close to her to know it’s not hearsay.” I glare at her, and she holds my gaze for a moment, then looks away. “I have work to do, so if that’s all, I need to get back to it.”

“You run that story, me and my boys will never take another one of your calls, Max, and I mean that.”

“The good news, Calvin—I’m retiring this year. I won’t ever need to call you again.”

My jaw clenches, and my hands ball into fists. Fuck. I want to throw something, but instead of doing that and possibly losing my badge, I turn and storm across the room and out the building.

Once I’m in my truck, I turn on the engine and wonder what the fuck it is I’m going to do. Anna left her life behind for a reason. What that reason is, I have not a fucking clue. All I know is I need to warn her about what’s about to go down, then figure out how I’m going to deal with the fallout. She might not care that Max knows her story, but I have a feeling she’s going to care that I do. From the moment I first approached her, she’s been skittish and has used every excuse to avoid me, and this might give her a reason to cut me out completely.

I back out of my parking spot and head toward town. I have an hour before I’m supposed to be at her place. It’s enough time to go get Bane and pick up dinner, but not enough to go to the station and use my computer to find out whatever information I can about her life before she came here. I thought shit was complicated before. Now I know I was wrong. That said, I’m not willing to just walk away. The pull I feel to her is too strong, and I learned early on in life to follow my gut. My gut is telling me that I need to explore things with her.

When I reach my house, I go inside and sigh when Bane greets me at the door. One of the couch cushions is in the middle of the entryway, and white fuzz hangs from his jaw.

“Seriously?” I ask, and he lies down, dropping his head to his paws in an attempt to look innocent. “I thought we were past this stage.” I start to scoop up the fuzz that’s littering the floor, then pick up the cushion to see if it’s salvageable. It’s not; the hole is huge. I carry it through the house to the kitchen and shove it into the garbage. After I get everything cleaned up, I look at my dog, who doesn’t look like a puppy anymore but obviously still is. “Come on—you’re coming with me.”

I pat my thigh and head back out the front door with him excitedly bouncing at my side. I let him into the cab, then go around and get in behind the wheel. I call in an order for a half-plain, half-everything pizza on the way, then stop and grab a case of beer from the gas station before I go pick up the pizza. I reach Anna’s place twenty minutes later at five after six and notice Edie sitting outside on her porch swing when I get out. Taking the pizza and beer with me, I call Bane to follow.

“I thought for sure I’d be seeing this exact thing a week ago. You work slow, Calvin,” Edie teases as I walk up the driveway.

“Had a case come up, or I would have been here a week ago,” I inform her.

“Good to know you’re late because of work and not because you’re an idiot who’s stuck in the past.” She smiles, then stands. “Gonna take my old bones inside. Have a good evening, and be good to my girl.” She walks to her door and goes inside without another word, and I shake my head.

When I reach Anna’s landing, I knock and look down at Bane, who’s sniffing and whining to get in. “Down,” I order, and he falls to his bottom as the door opens.

“Hey.” Anna eyes me nervously, then laughs when Bane jumps up, placing his paws on her chest.

“Bane, heel,” I growl, and he licks the side of her face before landing on all fours.

“I see training is going well,” she says cheekily, smiling at Bane as he wanders into her place with his nose to the ground.

“You’re lucky my hands are full, Anna. If they weren’t, I’d kiss that smart mouth,” I say, and her eyes flare while her cheeks turn pink. I step inside when she steps back, and I notice again what I saw yesterday. Her place is small: just big enough for her bed and a little table in the kitchen area that’s pressed to the wall, with two chairs on either side. There’s a lone painting of the ocean on the wall, and a couple of gray-blue throw pillows on the bed. Everything else is white. I know Edie used to rent the space out during peak seasons, which made her enough money to keep her fed and warm through winter. I imagine it doesn’t look any different now than it did then. There are no personal touches in the room, nothing that shows that a woman as vibrant as Anna lives here.

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