The room went quiet as soon as she entered, and Daisy hid her cringe, forcing a smile instead. There were a lot of people, and they were all staring at her.

"Daisy!" Of course Lou was the one to speak. Just in the short time she'd known Lou, Daisy had already realized that silence was the other woman's nemesis. "I know I've already seen this place, but I'd forgotten exactly how awesome it really is. Thanks for letting us do this."

"No problem." Her voice cracked in the middle and squeaked at the end, so she cleared her throat, hoping her next attempt wouldn't make her sound like a p.u.b.escent boy. "It'll be fun to have new sparring partners." Even as she said it, though, doubt filled her as her eyes settled on a bearded giant. Despite her years of training with Chris, there was no way she could take on that one. She'd have to go with flight, rather than fight, if he got hostile.

"The big guy you're really hoping not to go up against is George Holloway." Lou's mind-reading made Daisy blush as she nodded to the oversized man. "Next to him is his girlfriend, Ellie. You probably know Ian and Rory, since they're your neighbors." Daisy did kind of know them, although they looked different close up. "And you've already met me and Callum, so I think the introductions are done, and we're ready to be turned into human weapons."

Ellie laughed at that, and a few of the others smiled. When Chris stepped forward, drawing everyone's attention, Daisy gave a silent sigh of relief.

"Sorry, Lou. No human-weapon creation today. I need to get a sense of what each person's conditioning and skill levels are, so we're going to do some circuit training. Ellie, I know you're still recovering, so just do what you can. If something hurts, stop." She nodded, her hand raising to hover above her breastbone.

As he explained each station, Daisy listened with half an ear, sneaking glances at the visitors. Ellie and George were a mismatched pair-her so slight and elegant and him such a typical mountain man. Although the two weren't touching, they stood close. One of George's hands held the pull-up bar above their heads, tilting his body forward slightly and giving the impression that he was hovering over his girlfriend.

Turning her attention to Ian and Rory, she marveled at how striking they were. Ian could've been a fitness-apparel model dropped into her home gym, and although Rory wasn't traditionally beautiful, there was something about her bearing that demanded attention. Her face serious, Rory was listening intently to Chris's instructions, but Ian caught Daisy's look and raised his eyebrows in question.

Embarra.s.sed to be caught gawking, she shook her head and focused on Chris, knowing she was red from her forehead to her upper chest. Daisy was aware she was an antisocial recluse, but she didn't have to prove it to everyone in the first ten minutes of them meeting her.

With a clap of his hands, Chris sent them to their stations. Seeing that the treadmill was free, Daisy hopped on and arrowed up the speed. Once she was running at her usual warm-up pace, she was free to look around again, although she tried to be more discreet about it this time.

Standing next to the heavy bag, Lou and Callum were chatting with Chris as they wrapped their hands. Rory and Ian had chosen the jump ropes. As Daisy watched enviously, they competed with each other to see who could do the most doubles in a row.

At the pull-up bar, Ellie was struggling to raise her chin over the top when she winced and lowered herself until she was hanging from the bar with her arms fully extended. Grabbing either side of her waist, George lifted her until her face and most of her chest was above the bar. At first, Ellie's eyes rounded in surprise, but then she started laughing.

"That's one way to do a.s.sisted pull-ups," Chris said wryly before turning back to Lou. He watched her throw a straight punch and then corrected her form.

An uncomfortable feeling built inside Daisy as she watched them-watched everyone, in fact. It wasn't envy of their comfortable twosomes, but more a longing, a wistfulness, as if she were looking at a picture of something she would never have. Her foot caught on the edge of the belt, making her trip. She caught herself before falling, but it reminded her to pay attention before she ate the floor and experienced true humiliation.

"You okay?" Chris called from across the room, where he'd moved next to Ellie, George, and the pull-up bar. She gave him a wave, wishing he hadn't called attention to her little bobble. Unable to keep her attention away from Chris for very long, she kept darting glances in his direction. Daisy frowned. There seemed to be some tension between Chris, Ellie, and George. She made a mental note to ask Chris for the story later.

Pulling her attention away from the threesome, Daisy increased the speed to her normal running pace. When she looked up from the digital display, she almost tripped again. Callum was standing right next to the treadmill.

"Hi?" Her voice was uncertain.

He nodded toward the display. "Good pace. Do you swim?"

That was random. "Um...not really. I took lessons when I was a kid, but I don't have much opportunity now."

"Huh," he grunted.

"Why?"

"Your fitness is impressive. You'd make a good candidate for the rescue dive team."

Daisy was glad her legs were running on autopilot, since she would've stopped and been dumped off the back of the treadmill otherwise. "I don't really...well, leave the house. Ever."

His next grunt was dismissive, as if she'd just told him she couldn't dive because she had a head cold. "Too bad." With a final lift of his chin, he returned to where Lou was practicing uppercuts.

"Don't listen to him, Daisy." Ian's raised voice brought her gaze to him, where he was still jumping rope with the ease of an expert. "Fire is better than the dive team. Who wants to jump into icy water?"

"Please. Fire, schmire. Who wants to run into a burning building?" Lou countered, sounding breathless. Her fist connected with the heavy bag. "Daisy would only join Fire if she were a gossipy old woman, which she's not."

"Everyone knows that firefighters are at the top of the first-responder food chain." Ian threw in a couple of crisscrosses, just, Daisy was sure, to show off. "I don't see a calendar featuring rescue divers. Help me out here, Ror."

"I don't know." Rory's expression was completely deadpan. "I was thinking about quitting the fire department and joining the dive team."

There was a moment of shocked silence. In the middle of throwing a straight punch, Lou turned toward Rory, so her fist missed the bag altogether. Thrown off balance, Lou fell, grabbing the bag on her way down. Callum lunged to catch her, but she was already sitting on the floor, laughing, by the time he reached her.

Ian stared at Rory, eyes wide, until a tiny smile tugged up one corner of her mouth. Eyes narrowing, he gave her a light push on the shoulder, just hard enough to knock her off balance so she missed her jump.

"Hey!" she complained, untangling her jump rope from her legs. "I was going for a record there."

"Just wait," he said in a mock growl. "I'll get you back for that, sometime when you're not expecting it."

Resuming her jumping, Rory rolled her eyes without missing a beat. Daisy was impressed. "I think you're overestimating your stealth."

In response, Ian waited until the rope was swinging over her head and then poked her in the side. It must have been a ticklish spot, since Rory yanked her arms down, dropping the jump rope onto her head. She glared at him while he grinned.

"I'm plenty stealthy."

A "whoa" from Lou caught Daisy's attention, and she followed the other woman's gaze to where George was doing pull-ups. Despite his loose-fitting sweatpants and T-shirt, his muscles stood out in obvious relief. Even though Daisy thought Chris was about as perfect as a guy could get, she had to admit that George's body was incredible. The sheer power of his arms as he flexed and extended them was truly awe-inspiring.

Mesmerized by the show of male strength and beauty, Daisy lost count of how many times George's chin rose above the bar before he dropped to the floor.

"That was...nice, honey." Ellie's gaze was fixed on George like he was a piece of chocolate cake, and he smiled at her.

"I'm next." Callum sounded cranky as he jumped to grab the bar.

Lou snickered. "Sorry I was ogling another guy, Cal. You know you're my favorite man candy." She paused as Callum pulled his body upward. "Oh my. Yes, you're definitely my favorite."

Chris and Ian jostled to be next at the bar when Callum finished after an unreal number of pull-ups. A well-placed elbow knocked Ian back just long enough for Chris to jump for the bar. Not to be deterred, Ian grabbed the section of bar next to Chris, and they pulled themselves up in tandem.

"I feel like we're remiss in not recording this," Ellie breathed, her eyes fixed on the show until George stepped in front of her, blocking her view. "Hey!"

Although Daisy knew Chris was in good shape, she always tried not to stare at him too long, in case it got weird. She couldn't take her eyes off him now, though. As she watched his biceps stretch his sleeves and his shirt cling to his contracting chest, her legs moved slower and slower until the treadmill belt kicked her off the back. She stumbled, regaining her balance without dropping her gaze from Chris.

Because there were two of them, the compet.i.tion was intense, and neither wanted to be the first to drop off the bar. With their teeth showing in tight grimaces and the veins bulging in their arms, they grunted with each raise. Chris got stuck two-thirds of the way up, his arms shaking with effort, but he held the position for a fraction of a second longer than Ian.

Their feet hit the floor at almost the same time, and Chris looked over at Daisy. She knew she should look away, but someone else was apparently controlling her body, since it was impossible. It took Rory's voice to break their connected gaze.

"I'm not sure what the protocol is on this," she said, idly running the rope through her hands as she watched a panting Ian shake out his arms. "Should I run to you and throw myself into your arms, overwhelmed by your display of masculine power?" Her flat delivery struck Daisy as funny, and she started to laugh. Instead of taking offense, Ian grinned.

"Yes. That is the correct protocol," he said, holding out his arms.

Blushing, Rory shook her head at him. He walked over to rejoin her, sliding an arm around her waist and saying something in her ear that made her blush even harder. That same wistful feeling she'd had earlier slid through Daisy, and she looked away from the pair. Climbing back onto the treadmill, her feet straddling the belt, she picked up her run again.

"Unless you've wrecked yourself trying to show off," Chris said to Ian, "get over here and let's see if you can throw a punch. You too, Rory."

"I was the one trying to show off?" Ian smirked at Chris, throwing a glance toward Daisy that she couldn't interpret. Despite his words, he followed Rory to the heavy bag.

Daisy increased her speed, hoping that would take her mind off the too-tempting display of masculine power still running on a loop in her mind. It was so unfair for Chris to look as good as he did and act as sweet as he could. Sadly, she knew that, no matter how fast she ran, she couldn't escape her unrequited feelings for Chris.

Chapter 7.

Daisy glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and was shocked that almost two hours had pa.s.sed. It was amazing how fast the time went when there were people training with her. The others had also taken Chris's focus off Daisy, so she could grab quick breaks when he wasn't looking, something that was impossible when it was just the two of them. She looked around the room, which had started to resemble a battlefield, thanks to the slumped and limp bodies scattered around.

"Are you guys ready to quit?"

Ellie, lying flat on her back on the sparring mats, groaned. Daisy took that as a yes. The rest of them chorused their agreement.

From her position sitting next to Max's feet, one arm wrapped around his knees, Lou extended her other hand for her water bottle. It was six inches past her reach.

"My most wonderful and loving Callum, could you kick my water bottle a little closer?"

He looked up from where he leaned heavily against the wall. "You've almost got it. Just put a little effort into it."

"I'm out of effort," she whined. "There's no effort left in me. If I lean over to get it, I'll have to let go of darling Max, and then I'll fall over and look like Ellie."

Ellie groaned.

Realizing that it might be hours if she waited for the others to regain their feet, Daisy said, "I'll just go put the sausage biscuits in the oven."

As she headed toward the door, Lou grumbled, "How are you still walking?"

Daisy laughed. "Chris's been torturing me a lot longer than you. I'm used to it."

"Hey!" Chris didn't sound too offended, though. He moved from where he was talking to Ian, who was either being held up by or holding up Rory-probably both. "I'll go with you."

When they got to the kitchen, Daisy turned on the oven and then looked up to see Chris opening the interior door. Her first thought was that he was going to leave her with six almost-strangers to entertain, and panic made her eyes go wide.

"I just need to grab something from my truck," he said. Her worry must have been obvious, since he made soothing motions with his hands. "Can you get the door behind me?"

"Sure." Before the door shut all the way behind him, she grabbed it. "Swear you're coming back?"

There was laughter in his voice when he promised, "Thirty seconds."

He was as good as his word. Daisy pretended like she hadn't been leaning against the door, counting, when he returned at the twenty-three second mark. After the outside door locked behind him, she opened the interior door to see that he had a case of sports drinks and several grocery bags of snacks piled in his arms.

"I was kidding about the BYOSD part." She tried to take some of his load, but he twisted away from her.

"I've got this. Just get the door."

She hurried to relock it, returning to the kitchen to find him unpacking the bags. "Thanks, Chris. You didn't have to do this, especially after being everyone's personal trainer."

He shrugged. "Figured more food is always a good thing. And"-he shook a package of cookies at her and grinned-"while everyone else is distracted by this stuff, I'll grab all the sausage-and-cheese biscuits."

With a laugh, she tore open the case of sports drinks and started pulling out bottles. "Ah, I see. It's all an evil plot."

He gave his best villain laugh, which sounded more like an asthmatic donkey, and she cringed.

"No, Chris. Just...no." She paused, a bottle in each hand, as she remembered something. Lowering her voice, she asked, "What's the tension between you and George and Ellie all about?"

His happy expression faded, making her regret asking. "They're p.i.s.sed at me-as they should be. I was supposed to be watching Ellie the night she got shot."

Daisy sucked in a breath. There had to be more to the story, she knew. Chris was the most conscientious person she'd ever met-not that she'd met a huge number of people, but still. Chris wouldn't have neglected his duties without a good reason. "What happened?"

Grimacing, he glanced toward the doorway, as if hoping the others would come traipsing in and save him from explaining. "There isn't a landline or cell coverage at George's house. My radio battery was dying, so I ran out to the squad to switch it out for a spare. The reception out there is c.r.a.p, but I thought I heard Rob asking for my status. I had to drive all the way to the county road before I could talk to Dispatch. On the way, I pa.s.sed Joseph Acconcio's car." He gave a humorless laugh. "I was stupidly grateful he was there, that he'd watch her while I was gone. I didn't know what he..."

He broke off with a single shake of his head. "Never mind. There's no excuse for having left Ellie alone. So that's why George wants to throw me through a wall, and Ellie doesn't trust me. I'm actually surprised they came."

"Oh." Daisy blinked. "Wow." Even as isolated as she was, she'd heard of the search and rescue leader who'd been killed by a drug dealer. She just hadn't realized it had happened at George and Ellie's house, or that Ellie had been Anderson King's other victim that night. Daisy tried to process that information while thinking of something she could tell him that would erase Chris's grim, guilty look. Before she could say anything else, though, she heard the rest of the group approaching. With a final, worried glance at Chris's averted face, she turned toward Rory and Lou, sports drinks extended. Later, once she thought of the right words, she'd rea.s.sure him that Ellie's injury wasn't his fault. In the meantime, she offered him a sports drink, which he accepted with a small but genuine smile.

Sitting back with a sigh, Ellie patted her stomach. "There's nothing like pigging out after working out. All the pleasure with none of that nasty guilt."

"I hear you," Lou agreed, grabbing another cookie. "Daisy, those biscuit things were awesome."

"Thanks." Daisy heard Chris grumble under his breath, and she held back a smile. Rather than the entire batch, Chris had managed to grab only two of the biscuits before the ravening horde had made them disappear.

"Now that our mouths aren't full..." Lou regarded her half-eaten cookie and shrugged. "Well, now that most of us are done eating, can we talk about dead people?"

"I won't be able to contribute," Chris warned. "I'll listen, but I can't give out information about an active case."

"Understood." Callum gave him a brisk nod.

"Do you mind starting from the beginning?" Daisy asked, playing with the cap on her sports-drink bottle. "Lou gave me the basics the other day, but mostly we talked about my"-she made a face-"dead body."

"What?" asked a chorus of voices, as almost everyone sitting around the dining room table stared at her.

Daisy flushed. "I saw someone putting...something into the back of a sheriff's department SUV really early one morning. It ended up being a deputy who was hired to clear junk out of the empty house. His car was too small, so he used a sheriff's department vehicle." She turned to Chris. "Will you have any trouble with the deputy for getting him in trouble with the sheriff?"

"No." Chris shook his head. "Rob said he didn't tell Macavoy who'd reported seeing him."

"Good." She'd worried about it causing an issue, especially since Chris's job could be a lot more dangerous if his backup was holding a grudge.

"Why was he moving junk at-what was it, Daisy? Three in the morning?" Lou asked.

"He'd just gotten off a swing shift."

Callum's grunt was skeptical as he looked at Chris. "How well do you know this guy?"