“He also mentioned he’s seen the senator get a little rough with his wife,” William added. “Didn’t go so far as to say he beats her. But he and some other team members have noticed it.”

Without Camille’s corroboration, they still had a whole lot of unsubstantiated rumors. It wasn’t enough, but it was something.

“Okay,” he breathed into the phone. “Okay. Let’s see where this lead goes. I’ll see about wiring some money if that’s what it’s going to take to get him to talk.”

“This girl must really mean something to you,” William observed. The smile Brick heard in his father’s voice annoyed him.

“My feelings for Remi have nothing to do with bringing a man to justice.”

“Of course not,” William replied, sounding smug. “But you have to know that paying a witness for testimony would shoot more holes in your case than a slice of swiss cheese.”

“Fine. Then I’ll make him talk.”

“Let me handle it. I’ll see what I can do.”

Brick blew out a breath. “Keep me posted,” he said.

“Will do.”

He disconnected before his father could switch back to small talk mode.

Looking around him at the storefronts, glass gleaming, products positioned just so, restaurants with their specials boards, he felt a rising sense of helplessness.

He needed to see her. Needed to touch her and remind himself that she was safe, for now. She was safe and she was here. For now.

Brick unhitched Cleetus from the post on the street and pointed him in the direction of home.

He was just jogging up the porch steps when his front door opened and a miserable-looking Kyle Olson stepped outside.

“Olson,” Brick said.

“Callan.” Kyle was dressed down in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. An odd outfit for a trial lawyer on a Wednesday. He looked like he wanted to say something. Brick hoped he wouldn’t because he still felt pissed off enough to punch someone.

“I just don’t know what she wants from me, man,” Kyle said, shoving a hand through his thick blond hair, making it stand up on end.

Brick stifled a groan.

“When we were engaged, she wanted to be a mom and stay home and raise a family. She wanted to live here on this fucking expensive-ass island. So that’s what we did. Now, it’s not good enough. I became a trial lawyer because I needed the salary to pay off student loans and make everything else on Kimber’s wishlist happen. And now it’s not good enough.”

All he wanted to do was go inside and grab his girl.

“People change,” Brick observed.

“I get that. But how about a heads-up? How about giving me a shot to play catch up?”

Brick knocked his head back against one of the porch supports. “I don’t want to get involved.”

“My wife and kids and dog are living in your house. You’re involved.”

“I don’t want to get involved, but from the outside, she’s been giving you nothing but heads-ups for the past few years,” he said stonily. “You’re the one who ignored them. You’re the one who decided to be a lawyer first and everything else second. No woman wants to come in second place with her husband. No mother wants her kids to come in second with their father.”