It’s Seth, wearing a smirk and dark sunglasses. Luke can tell by his giant swagger he stayed out all night at the bars.
Luke jerks his chin. “You’re late. Where’s Jace?”
“He’s late too,” Seth banters, raising his sunglasses.
Luke rolls his eyes.
Seth’s grinning like he knows how much Luke’s written this morning. Like he knows Luke’s come back to life. Barking orders, getting back into the music, taking the reins once again as frontman of the Brothers Kincaid.
Seth slings his fiddle case onto the table, his eyes metronoming between Lacey and Luke. “What’re we talkin’ about here? We draw first blood yet?”
Lacey’s eye roll matches Luke’s. “We’re throwing a birthday party for Sal.”
“A birthday party for Sal?” Seth settles beside Lacey on a stool. “What is she, five?”
Lacey gives him a nasty look.
Luke sighs. Seth’s deliberately goading Lacey. He knows as well as Luke that their house has always been the epicenter for happenings, for parties, for their country community to gather.
“We’ll have it here.” To Seth, Luke snaps, “Like we do every year, you know that, so leave Lacey alone.” He glances at Lacey. “BBQ, bonfire. You can plan the rest. I don’t care what else you do—but keep it to close friends and family only.”
“Well, duh,” Lacey says. “And here I thought I’d invite the queen of England.”
Luke arches a brow. “Did you just make a joke?”
A hint of a real smile curves Lacey’s lips. She pairs it with a coy shrug. “Beats me.”
But then Lacey stiffens in her seat. She sees them first, and she reaches out to pat Seth’s shoulder. His eyes follow hers and he rises sharply, his face darkening. “Luke.”
Wondering, Luke turns to the window. Police cruisers. Two stony-faced cops exiting. Luke’s heart flatlines in his chest.
Sal.
It’s Luke’s first thought. His only one.
Whip-quick, Luke rushes to the front door. Lacey and Seth on his heels.
He’s swinging it open before a knock can even sound.
Two police officers stand on the porch.
“Can I help you?” Luke asks gruffly.
“Luke Kincaid?”
“That’s me.”
One of the cops, sporting a beer belly and a grizzled ginger beard, eyes Lacey, not unkindly. “Are you Sal Kincaid?”
Lacey clutches at the end of her long braid, clutches Seth’s shoulder. “That’s my sister.”
“Is something wrong, Officer?” Luke grits out, wanting them to get to the goddamn point.
Luke listens in disbelief as the cops tell him that Roy’s escaped. Roy’s no longer in Florida. Roy’s believed to be on his way to Sal.
Luke’s heart seizes, an aching, familiar fear bubbling inside him.
Seth shoots Luke a look of panic.