Don't cry.

My fingers bit into his arms as I held him for the last few seconds.

Ridge stopped the truck, and Broadrick grabbed his army bags-one in each hand. "I'll let you know once I get there."

I nodded, too scared that if I opened my mouth, I'd lose my handle on the tears. My ribs hurt with each breath. As if my skin had shrunk and now was too tight against my bones.

Broadrick tossed his heavy bags into the back of Ridge's truck like they weighed nothing, even though I almost broke a toe when I tripped on one earlier. I waited as Ridge backed out of my driveway and then waved the entire time until they hit the stop sign at the end of the street. They headed toward the small Pelican Bay airstrip.

My first tear fell as Ridge turned the corner, and I lost sight of his truck. NB sat at my feet, staring in the departing vehicle's direction. He'd miss Broadrick, too.

Heavy tears hit me as I turned to open the door. NB rushed inside, and I sucked back my first sob as I dropped myself on the couch and let myself cry. Really cry. Great, big heavy sobs. My chest heaved and sadness flooded my system. I'd let him go. Watched him walk away. I had no idea if or when he'd be home again.

Broadrick had been right. Breaking up with me the last time he had to do this was the right call. It was horrible-the worst thing he'd ever done to me-but he did it for me. I saw that now. This was a simple and short mission that didn't sound dangerous. How would I handle it if they sent him into actual combat? Something dangerous. With a long time commitment.

I still hated the fact he'd broken my heart last year. It wasn't his place to decide those things on his own, but the pain of our breakup didn't compare to my anguish now. I'd been sad but fueled by anger. Now I felt nothing but desolation. What would I do if he didn't return? I wouldn't live through the heartache that loss would inflict.

Minutes that felt like hours later, my stomach hurt, my energy drained, and my tears finally dried. NB rested on my lap, and I gave him a few ear scratches as he nuzzled against my arm.

"Okay, NB. We can do this," I said to encourage the dog, even though it might be a lie.

Letting him go hurt, but Broadrick wouldn't want me to sit around and cry over him. I had to be the kick-ass PI he saw me as and rally my shit. I had to be strong for him. He'd see. I'd show Broadrick that I was a powerful woman, someone who matched his awesomeness. I'd keep it together and thrive while he was gone so he didn't return to an absolute mess.

"Let's cook something," I said to NB and pushed him off my lap. There had to be cookies or something in the cupboards. A sweet treat would make me feel better.

Wait. I stopped halfway to the kitchen.

Why bake it myself would I could buy some of the best cupcakes in the state just a few streets away? And get an update on my friends.

An even better idea hit me as I crossed into the kitchen. I tapped on the counter as the plan came together, and I worked through the details.

I'd done this whole living alone and being exceptional on my own before Broadrick came back into my life, and I'd continue doing it while he was gone. It was go time. Cookies had to wait.

"Gather your shit, NB. We're going to the office."

First, I'd put in a hard day of PI work, and then I'd reward myself with the cookies. No... this was a cupcake situation. Definitely a cupcake reward.

I hooked NB on to his leash, grabbed my black leather jacket from the kitchen chair, and carried NB to the car so his paws didn't get wet in the still dewy grass. Tomorrow I was sleeping in. With Broadrick not around to wake me up at ungodly hours, I'd be able to resume my preferred sleeping schedule. Night owl.

"See, NB," I said, starting the car. "It's not all bad."

It was mostly bad. Like ninety-nine percent bad, but the sleeping in thing wouldn't suck.

NB barely had enough time to start his next car window masterpiece before I had us parked at the office. The band's large white van-which totally screamed kidnapper-was parked between two spaces right in the front row.

"Inconsiderate," I said and grabbed NB from the passenger side. Although, I suppose they were a band. Maybe they were practicing for stardom and being an inconvenience.

One of the band members-I'd already forgotten his name, but he had short brown hair-held the door open for two of his bandmates. They struggled to carry out a large single speaker. Where the hell did they have that thing in their practice room? That's why everything they did sounded like it was happening two feet from me. I wished I'd known. One late-night visit and I'd have solved all my noise problems with a few snips and a bucket of water.

I waited for them to pass me by and lift the speaker into the back of the van. "Big gig?"

The one holding the door shook his head. "The construction work is too loud."

His taller bandmate nodded. "Plus, this building is unsafe."

"Yeah," the third one worked in, "did you hear about the office with the missing ceiling?"

I bit my lips. "I might have heard a rumor about that."

Who else did they think it was? It's not like the empty rooms were bustling with active clients renting them. We were the only people I'd seen in the building.

They had another piece of equipment waiting by the door, and I paused outside with NB, letting him pee on stuff while I waited.

To pass the time, I grabbed my phone and sent a quick text to Broadrick. He'd only been gone about thirty minutes, but I had told him I'd send minute-by-minute updates. He'd want to know about the relocation of my favorite neighbors.

VONNIE: The band is moving out of the office building.

He answered before I had the phone put away.

BROADRICK: Fingers crossed the new renters will be quiet. I will miss their take on heavy-metal country music.

I laughed as it took all three guys to bring out a double speaker and fit it through the doorway.

VONNIE: Liar.

BROADRICK: Helicopter is taking off soon.

VONNIE: <3

The band members made their way into the building, but NB and I stayed outside. He sniffed the bushes, and I put my ear to the sky to listen for Broadrick's take off.

Two minutes passed before the whirling sound of the helicopter's blades cut through the air. I was too far away and at a disadvantage to see it rise into the sky, but I caught it once it passed above the tree line.

The machine rose steadily and then turned, heading out to fly over the ocean as they made their way from town. I raised my hand to give the guys a little wave and watched until they faded from sight and sound.

We were going to be okay. All of us.

I tugged on NB's leash to get him going and let us into the building. A crash scattered the silence and blew dust into the air. The door to my office was open as the three band members stood around the open doorway with their mouths open.

"Did you see that?" one of them asked.

I pushed through to get a look. "What?"

Except I didn't need anyone to answer. On top of my desk, where I'd have been sitting if I'd come into the building a few minutes earlier, lay a broken piece of drywall. From the looks of it, the piece had fallen from the ceiling and crashed into my work area. My skull would have broken the fall.

A construction guy fixed his construction hat and shook his head at the mess as the dust cleared. "I told him those screws were too short. This is why we install drop ceilings." He yanked a chucky cell phone from his back pocket and called someone.

"What if that landed on our amp?" the tallest band member said.

The other two nodded in horror.

What if that had been my head? I backed out of the building, making the conscious decision not to tell Broadrick that minor detail in my updates. He didn't want to hear about every single little thing I did, only the important stuff.

With my near-death experience behind me, it seemed like a good idea to get a breakfast cupcake and then set up at the bakery to work for the day. My place would be too quiet. While I normally enjoyed working in quiet so my brain had time to think, right then I wanted to be around people.

A familiar color car stopped at the sign at the end of the block by my office parking lot. Allen, my sister's boyfriend, and my most recent top suspect in the murder of Coach Torres, fixed his ball cap over his eyes in the driver's seat. Behind him, and just barely visible to me, sat a woman.

From her dark brown hair, she was not my sister. Who was this hussy?

What the hell?

Sure, Vivi broke up with Allen over the whole "being a murderer thing," but that didn't give him the right to date someone new right away. Had he been cheating on Vivi? No one messed with my sister.

Well, no one but me.

If he'd cheated on Vivi, I'd send him to jail.

If the janitor didn't kill Coach Torres, Allen definitely did. I had to follow my suspicion, and he was being super suspicious.

"Let's go, NB. We have a murder to solve."

We couldn't let Allen get away from us. At my words, NB ran toward my car with me right behind him.