Bell rolled her eyes. “Let’s just say he’s lucky to still be alive.”

I burrowed deeper into Brody’s side as I licked the last bit of chocolate from my fingers. The amount of love and affection in the group was clear. Throughout the evening, I’d figured out that most of them had known each other their entire lives. They had a million inside jokes and fond memories.

I felt a pull in me as I watched them. A longing for something I’d never managed to have. True friendships. Ones where you knew everything about the other and could finish each other’s sentences. But if I wanted that, I had to reach out. Let myself be known. Maybe tonight was the first step.

“So, when’s the studio going to be finished?” Griffin asked as he pulled Caelyn into his lap.

Hunter set his beer on the arm of his chair. “Just a couple of weeks now. We’re at the finish-work stage.”

“Are you excited?” Caelyn asked Brody.

I could feel a flash of tension in his body before he answered. “It’ll be nice to have a dedicated workspace again.”

Ford glanced across the fire as if to check that the younger ones were occupied. Will, the oldest of the three, was shaking his head at his younger sister, Ava, as she tried to shove a marshmallow in his face. Ford looked back to the adults. “Did you hear that Parker brought Sam in for questioning for the murder?”

My body locked as I remembered the feel of Sam cornering me against the building. Not being able to move or breathe or get away. Brody pulled me tighter against him, pressing his lips to the side of my head. “You’re okay,” he whispered. “I’ve got you.” I eased into his hold, letting his warmth clear away the coldness of the memories.

Hunter’s hold on his beer tightened, his knuckles bleaching white in the firelight. “Everyone knows he and Billy have a history. I wouldn’t have thought him capable of this.” He glanced briefly at me. “But I was wrong about who I thought Sam was.”

The murder scene flashed in my mind. The gruesome picture the murderer would’ve had to create. A memory of Sam’s sneer filled my brain, the dark glint in his eyes. He might very well be capable of it.

“Has Parker announced anything?” Brody asked, his hand rubbing up and down my arm.

Bell shook her head. “No. We’ve just heard gossip at the bar. It makes sense, though. Working here, Sam might’ve heard about what happened to you in New York, Brody.”