He didn’t even flinch when Gilbert planted a kiss on him, then slapped his cheek a little too hard. “Congratulations. Now let’s eat before we’re all shit-faced.”

52

Dinner with everyone crammed into Brick’s dining room felt festive. As if wine, good food, and music somehow managed to block out the bad that lurked just beyond their little island. Camille was deep in conversation with Kimber and their father, filling them in on Remi’s gallery exhibitions.

Even Brick seemed lighter than he had when he came home. He ate left-handed just so he could hold her hand under the table, his thumb brushing possessively over her ring finger again and again.

Brick Callan was going to ask her to marry him. And she was going to say yes.

She felt like she was ready to burst. Like it was Christmas Eve, and there was a pile of presents waiting for her under the tree. Only Brick was bigger and better than any present, and a lifetime with him would last longer than any Christmas morning.

Good things were in store for them. All of them, she thought, looking at the way Kyle watched Kimber like he was seeing her for the first time. Spencer and Audrey seemed to be sharing a secret joke at the end of the table. William was answering Hadley’s questions about what it was like to be an investigator.

The shrill ring of her mother’s phone cut through the chatter.

“This is the Chief.”

Remi felt Brick tense next to her as a text came in on his.

Tension replaced the relaxed vibe in the room.

“Pick me up on the way,” Darlene said, pushing out of her chair and squeezing her husband’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong? What’s happening?” Remi asked, reaching out to clasp Camille’s hand.

“It’s a fire,” Brick said as he rose, giving her hand one last squeeze. “The Grand Hotel.”

He followed Darlene out of the room.

“I can’t leave her unprotected,” she heard him say to her mother.

“I know. Call Brice. No reason she and White should get any sleep tonight if we’re not.”

Brick swore, and Remi heard him taking the stairs two at a time.

Darlene was on the phone again, and everyone else stepped out onto the porch. The Grand Hotel was around the bend and uphill, but there was an eerie glow in the night sky.

“This has nothing to do with Warren,” Remi reassured Camille. But her friend didn’t look so sure.

“Dad,” Brick, in uniform again, poked his head out of the door.

William stepped inside, leaving the door ajar. Remi waited a beat and followed. They had their heads together in the dining room.

“This is a big ask. She’s the most important thing in the world to me, and I don’t trust the feds. I need you to keep her safe—both of them—until I get back.”

William nodded solemnly. “I’ll do whatever it takes. You and Remi have something real and right. I won’t let anything happen to her. I promise you that.”