Sleep had eluded Tabitha. And if that wasn’t bad enough, because of her tossing and turning, Garret hadn’t got much shut-eye either.

Quietly, she rolled to her side. Based on Garret’s deep breathing, she hoped he’d been able to fall back asleep. Her thigh throbbed with every beat of her heart. It hurt so bad during the night, it gave her a whopping headache. The dark night sky slowly turned a light blue, even though sunrise was a good hour or so away.

Tenderly, she put a little weight on her sore leg.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Garret asked, pulling back the sheets.

She tried not to smile as her mid-section warmed as she stared at his bare chest and long legs. He wore only a pair of loose boxers and how she wanted to get in them.

“To the bathroom.” She glanced down at her tank top and her own boy shorts that she’d brought from her house when Garret had so kindly carried her across the yards. She could have taken pajamas that covered more, especially since she hadn’t been up for anything sexual because of her injury.

If she were being totally honest, it wasn’t just her leg that had kept her from sleeping well, but the man she lay next to all night. Inhaling his fresh musky scent that reminded her of sitting in a hot spring, smelling the rich outdoorsy aroma. His muscular frame holding her protectively, making her feel safe.

Cared for.

Even desired when his lips brushed against her temple right before he got out of bed to get her a glass of water or some Tylenol at two in the morning. He’d been so attentive, and never once tried to push her, where other men would have. It nearly brought tears to her eyes. For weeks before her brother died, she and Garret had begun to grow close, sharing long walks. They talked mostly about books, movies, and his buddies’ kids.

“Let me help you.” He stood, stretching his arms over his head and twisting his body.

It was impossible not to look him up and down, admiring his perfectly defined physique. Every muscle flexed and popped like a well-oiled machine.

“You’re staring,” he mused.

“Anyone ever tell you that you should be the cover of the firemen and puppies calendar?”

He shook his head as he curled his arm around her waist. “When I was little, kids used to tell me I belonged on a bag of vegetables.”

She covered her mouth with her free hand as she hobbled toward the bathroom. “You were not called the Jolly Green Giant, were you?”

“Yep. Kind of hated that.”

She gipped his biceps, turning to face him at the doorway to the bathroom. “Kids can be cruel. When I was in middle school, everyone used to ask me to crinkle my nose and make something disappear, usually the pimples on my face.”

“That’s really mean. I mean, seriously, Tabitha, the witch. So cruel.”

“Yep. Kind of hated that.” She chuckled, so happy he focused on the lesser of cruelties.

“I imagine you did.” His thumb gently glided across her cheek. “But you’d be beautiful to me even if you had a green nose with warts.”

“That would match your green body.”

Suddenly, his phone made a buzzing sound. She jerked, hitting her forehead against his nose.

“Fuck,” he muttered.

“I didn’t hit you that hard,” she mused.

“It’s not that.” He held her by the biceps. “You okay on your own? I’ve got to answer that. It’s a work S.O.S.”

“Sure.” She braced herself using the towel rack before closing the door. Running a hand through her hair, she tried to tame the bedhead. She turned on the faucet, splashing her face with cold water. Life had taken some strange twists. For years, she’d been afraid she’d lose her brother to a drug overdose.

There had been a time when it felt like she’d already lost her brother, so when he’d shown up on her doorstep, claiming sobriety, she practically slammed the door in his face. But over time, letting him into her life slowly, Steve had shown he’d truly changed.

Knock. Knock.

“Tabitha?”

“I’ll be right out.”

“I’d make it quick. We’ve got a problem.”

She wiped her face dry before hobbling to the door. “What now?”

He looped his arm around her waist. “You’re going to want to be sitting down for this.”

“I really don’t like the sound of that.” She sat on the edge of the bed, swallowing the lump that seemed to never go away these days.

“Kelly Rines, the roommate of Sandra Creeco, was pulled from Indian River late last night.”

“Jesus Christ. How many people have to die over…over…” she held her hands wide. “Over what?” She blinked a few times, tears filling her eyes. “It all goes back to Moore being accused of securities fraud, which had been dropped shortly after Ashley died in his house.”

“You’ve never shown anyone the stuff on your brother’s computer?”

She shook her head. “Just you and now your friends. But come on, all this killing over securities fraud?”

“You’d be surprised by the lengths some people will go to cover up even the smallest of crimes.” He hiked up his jeans and pulled a shirt over his head. “Whoever is behind this, is afraid of what you might know and what is on that computer, and I don’t think we’re safe here anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re too close to your house. They could already be watching. Maybe they know you’re in here with me, maybe they don’t. But I can’t take that chance.”

“Now who’s being a conspiracy theorist?”

“I said I wouldn’t lie to you and that I’d keep you in the loop.”

“Now you’re scaring me.”

“The ADA, Jeff Bellen, who is married to Moore’s daughter Lisa has named you as a person of interest in the death of Kelly Rines.”

“What?” She jumped from the bed, falling forward into his arms. “Goddamn it, that hurt.”

“I’m sure it did.”

“So what do I do?”

He helped her back to the bed. “Right now. We get dressed and head over to the marina where my crew chief, Hunter, has offered us his boat to stay on. Also, Rusty lives just down the street and Ace and his wife own the marina.”

“That’s convenient.” She waved her hands in frustration. “I need to get more things from my house.”

He tossed her cell phone on the bed next to her. “Remember the apps you downloaded for the security cameras?”

She glanced down, seeing the alerts that had popped up on her locked screen. “Shit.”

“I’d like you to let me look at them.”

“No problem.” She touched her forefinger to the home key, unlocking the phone. “You think someone broke in?”

“I don’t think that anymore. I know it.” He held up her phone, showing a person, dressed in black, with a dark baseball cap covering their head, kicking in her door.

“Fuck. So now I’m running from the bad guys and the cops?”

“No. When they call you to either interview you, or question you, you’ll go in with a friend of Claire’s—”

“Who’s Claire?”

“My crew chief’s wife. Her friend is a lawyer. Until then, we’re going to stay under the radar. Ace’s buddy, Tex, is going to come up from Texas to look at the computer.”

“This is fucking crazy.” She tossed her hands wide. But what was she going to do? She certainly wasn’t going to be a sitting duck. “I’m sorry I dragged you—”

“Nope.” He waved his finger. “You did no such thing, and now you’re just plain stuck with the giant.” He wiggled his nose.

God. He had such a way of diffusing any situation, always making her smile.

Yeah. She had it bad for the hot fireman.