“Anything. Within reason, of course.” He nudged her with his shoulder, and she smiled. God, they’d been through so much. He’d been a part of her life for nearly as long as Josh.
“I’m going to put a call in to my friend Arlo Tonturian. He’s with the DA’s office. He was a friend of Josh’s.”
“I remember. Why are you calling him?”
“I need to find out more about Derek Allen. He’s involved in Josh’s disappearance. I’m worried Allen’s going to try and intimidate me, or hurt me.”
Winston came back and gave Tyler the stick. He tossed it into the grass. “Allen is a seriously bad dude.”
“Badder than you?”
He laughed. “Badder than me. Aubrey, this is a can of worms you do not want to open.”
“I know you’re trying to protect me, and I appreciate it. But, Tyler, I’m starting to put this together, and if you know anything else, now would be the time.”
He scratched his head, his words measured. “Can’t you just take the money and get on with your life?”
“No.” She showed him the photograph. “I received this last night. The subject line said, ‘He’s alive.’ ”
He glanced at the photo, his face tight. “But you know Hamilton is dead.”
She shook her head, as if she could shake some sense into the situation. “I know it sounds insane. There was so much blood that night. So much. It was all over the place. He couldn’t be alive. But there was no body. And the police certainly put me through hell.”
“They thought you killed him, like everyone else. You had a window of opportunity. You were damn lucky the case fell apart during trial.”
“Did you think I killed him?”
He met her eyes. “I know you, remember? I know what you’re capable of. Murdering the man you love is beyond you.”
She fisted his hands on her knees. “What if he’d done something terrible? What if I found out everything about him was a lie? Do you still think I’m not capable?”
His tone was wary. “What are you saying, Aubrey?”
She waved her hand, took a breath. “Meghan was married to a private investigator. His name is Daniel Cutter. He said Josh was working with Allen, running drugs. He thinks Josh shot Allen the night he disappeared. That Allen is now out for revenge, and could be coming after me.”
“Whoa. Seriously?”
“That’s why I want to call Arlo. I want to protect myself in case something is about to go down. Protect us. You’re my family, Tyler. My brother. I may get mad at you sometimes, but I don’t want anything bad happening to either of us.”
She felt him puff a bit with pride at the title, but the tension continued.
“Still, the DA. It’s dangerous territory. And you haven’t exactly had good luck with the police in the past. Let me finish drying out. I’ll keep you safe.”
“Saving me again, Tyler?” She said it quietly. He didn’t answer right away, just draped a heavy arm across her shoulders. Winston quit worrying his stick and joined them. She petted his silky ears.
“Do you remember that night at all?”
“Yes,” she said softly. “Unfortunately, I remember all of it. Like it was yesterday.”
“I damn near killed you. Just the idea of it, what you were going through, I wondered for a minute if I should just snap your little neck, make it look like he did it, then I’d have a self-defense claim, and you wouldn’t have to live with it.”
Jesus. Unpredictable had nothing on Tyler.
“I’m glad you didn’t.”
“Me, too. Though now, looking at all you’ve had to deal with, I sometimes wonder if I did right by you.”
She shook her head. “You did the best you could, Tyler, and I’ll never forget that. But I’m not a little girl anymore. I’m capable of taking care of myself now. And I refuse to sit back and let Derek Allen take my life from me.”
“You don’t have to face the world alone, Aubrey.”
They sat there together on the step, each remembering, not speaking, until her stomach started to growl.
“I’m going to call Arlo. It’s the smart thing to do. And then I’ll make you some lunch.”
CHAPTER 50
Aubrey
Seventeen Years Ago
Aubrey was twelve when it happened.