Matt ignored his sarcasm. "May I come in?"

Wordlessly, he stepped away from the door. Matt entered the kitchen. He moved his gaze over the

room, then brought it back to Hunter. "Where were you night before last? Between nine and ten-thirty?"

The night Trudy Pruitt was murdered.

Hunter folded his arms across his chest. "I was here. Working."

"Alone?"

"With Sarah."

"Sarah?"

Hunter nodded in the direction of the dog. "And her pups."

A look of annoyance passed over his brother's face. "You seem to spend an awful lot of time here,

alone."

"I like it that way."

"You hear about Trudy Pruitt?"

"Yeah."

"You know the woman?"

"Nope. Not personally."

"Not personally. What does that mean?"

"I'd heard of her. I knew who she was. Who her kids were."

Hunter waited. This was where Matt would call Hunter a liar, challenge his story, throw up the message on the recorder. If he had checked Pruitt's answering machine.

And if he did, this was where Hunter would lawyer-up.

"Mind if I have a look around?"

Hunter laughed, the sound humorless. His brother and his crew of small-town constables had just flunked

crime scene investigation 101. "Yeah, I mind. You want a look around, you get a search warrant."

"Expect it."

"Want to tell me why you're so interested in me?"

"You'll know soon enough."

"Right. You don't have dick. Go fish someplace else."

Matt shook his head. "For a lawyer, you're not very smart."

"And for a cop, you're not very observant."

"I don't have time for this." Matt made a sound of disgust and turned toward the door. "I'll see you when

I've got that warrant."

"You'd love to pin this on me, wouldn't you, Matt? For a lot of different reasons, all of which have nothing to do with guilt or innocence."

His brother stopped. But didn't turn. "Name one."

"Avery."

The barb hit his mark, Hunter saw. His brother stiffened. Swung to face him. "Stay away from her. She's

too good for you."

"At least we agree on something. A miracle."

"You're such an asshole. I can't believe you're my brother."

"Your twin," Hunter corrected. "Your other half."

Matt laughed, the sound tight. "We're nothing alike. I believe in family and community, hard work,

loyalty."

"Just that I'm alive pisses you off, doesn't it?"

"Stay away from Avery."

"Why should I? She doesn't belong to you anymore. You let her go."

Matt flexed his fingers, longing, Hunter knew, to take a swing at him. How many times as kids had they argued, then come to blows, determined to beat the other senseless.

Even so, they had been a team then. Now, they were adversaries.

"What do you have to offer her?" Matt challenged. "Nothing. You're a broken-down drunk who-"

"A former drunk. There's a difference, brother." He took a step toward the other man. "Don't you see it?

She and I are the same. We never fit in here. We never will."

Matt trembled with fury. This time it was he who took a step forward. "All these years, is this what it's been about, Hunter? Avery? Jealousy? Over what I am and what I had?"

"Had. You said it, Matt. No longer. You chose Cypress Springs over her."

"Shut up! Shut the fuck up!"

Hunter closed the remaining distance between them. They stood nose to nose, his twin's fury, his lust for blood palpable. Hunter recognized it because the same emotion charged through him.

"Make me," Hunter said.

"You'd love that. You'd scream police brutality. Get my badge."

"I'm not built that way. Take a punch. It's on me."

His brother didn't move. Hunter knew exactly where to push, how. They'd grown up together, knew

each other's strengths-and weaknesses. Ever so softly, he clucked.

"Afraid?" he taunted. "Chicken? Remember when we were kids? You wouldn't fight unless you knew you could win. Guess the big tough sheriff's not so tou-"

Matt's fist caught the side of Hunter's nose. Blood spurted. Pain ricocheted through his head,

momentarily blinding him.

With a sound of fury, Hunter charged his brother. He caught him square in the chest, sending them both flying backward. Matt slammed into the refrigerator. From inside came the sound of items toppling.

"You son of a bitch!" Matt shoved him backward. "You have nothing to offer her! You threw away

everything you ever had. Your family and community. Your career. Reputation. You're pathetic!"

"I'm pathetic? That's the difference between us, bro. The way I look at it, you threw away the only thing that really mattered."

Hunter twisted sideways, destabilizing the other man. They went down, taking the assortment of plates

and glasses that had been drying on the rack by the sink with them. They crashed to the floor, the

crockery raining down on them.

Hunter reared back, smashed his fist into his brother's face. Sarah barked, the sound high, frenzied. Matt grunted in pain; retaliated, catching Hunter in the side of his head.

Sarah's bark changed, deepened. She growled low in her throat.

The sound, what it meant, penetrated; Hunter glanced toward the circling dog. "Sarah!" he ordered.

"Heel!"

Matt used the distraction to his advantage, forcing Hunter onto his back. Glass crunched beneath his bare

shoulders. A hiss of pain ripped past his lips as the shards pierced his skin. Sarah made her move.