Chapter One

      Chase Hollister heard his cell phone ring and used his forearm to pull the pillow that he slept half-on and half-under closer around his ears. It rang four times and clicked over to voice mail. Thirty seconds later, it started ringing again.

      “Damn,” he muttered, tossing off the pillow. He glanced at the number, saw that it was his brother and reached for the phone.

      He pushed a button. “I have not had any sleep for twenty-eight hours,” Chase said. “This better be good.”

      “Brick is dead,” Bray said.

      Chase sat up in bed. He hadn’t heard the man’s name in over eight years. Hadn’t spoken it himself for much longer. “How?”

      “Car accident. His sister was with him. They had a double funeral two days ago.”

      Chase had met his stepfather’s older sister once, maybe twice. He recalled that even as a teenager, he’d known there was something odd about her. That family had a bad gene pool.

      “Anybody else get hurt?” Chase asked.

      “Nope. One car. Only Brick and Adelle in it. They were on their way to Brick’s doctor’s appointment.”

      He lay back down. He didn’t care about the details. “I’m going back to bed.”

      “I got a call from Mom’s attorney,” Bray said. “The house is ours.”

      In one smooth movement, Chase swung his body out of bed. His bare feet hit the soft rug first, then the polished hardwood. He walked down the short hallway and into his kitchen. The blinds were up and he was naked. He didn’t care. He needed coffee.