Chapter 19 Dex
DEX
Brae was trying to make light of the situation now—all she’d given me in that mere handful of seconds, everything she’d offered with her fire and fury.
“You’re trying to drag down a good man who offered to help me when your selfish, lazy ass couldn’t be bothered?”
Her words echoed in my head. No, they branded themselves there.
“Don’t you dare try to pull him down in the mud just because that’s where you live.”
And Miller did live there. In the mud—in worse than that. But Brae wouldn’t let him get that mud on me. More than that, she fought for me. Stood up for me when only my brothers and Waylon, in his own way, had ever done that before.
“Hellion,” I rasped.
Brae flicked her wavy, blond hair over one shoulder, but I didn’t miss the slight tremble in her hand. It belied what still lived underneath: the trauma she’d just lived through. But you’d never know it by her voice. “He needed to be put in his place.”
I opened my mouth to thank her, to say something—anything—that would show her just how much what she’d done meant to me, but an alarm cut through the air.
Brae fumbled with the cell phone in her hand. “I’m gonna be late getting Owen. I’m never late. I need to find my bag and my—”
I moved in, resting my hands on her shoulders. “Breathe, Hellion. I’ll get you to pickup. Just breathe.”
It was the least I could do. And the last thing I’d be able to do right now was leave her. The tremble I felt beneath my hands only solidified that fact. Everything stirring deep should’ve had me running for the hills, but it didn’t. And that was the most dangerous thing of all.
“You’ve got this,” I said, my voice dipping low. “One thing at a time. Where’s Owen?”
“Camp,” Brae rasped.
“The adventure camp run through the county?” Maverick asked.
She nodded, pink hitting her cheeks, clearly embarrassed at having all of us witnessing her meltdown. But Maverick—in true Mav form—appeared unaffected by it all. And I could’ve hugged him for that. He simply pulled out his phone and pressed it to his ear. “Kol.”
A pause, and then Maverick’s face screwed up.
“No, I didn’t get another flat tire four-wheeling.”
Another silence.
“Will you shut up for two seconds? Dex’s friend, Brae, has a kid in the same camp as Skylar. Name’s Owen. Will you guys chill with him until she gets there? She’s running a few minutes late.”
Quiet again, this time for longer, but I could hear the buzz of a stream of words on the other line.
Finally, Maverick cut him off. “I’ll explain later. Thanks, man.” And then he hung up without a goodbye, his gaze finding Brae. “Our brother has a little girl in the camp. They’ll hang with your dude until you get there.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, her gaze dipping. I hated losing that golden amber, even for a second.
Wylder shifted. “I know you have the weekend off, but if you need more time, just let me know. We can cover you.”
Brae struggled to swallow as she forced herself to look up at Wylder. “I already cost you hours of business.”
One corner of Wylder’s mouth kicked up. “We’ll open back up in a few, and we’ll be flooded because people will want to know why the cops were here. We’ll make double what we normally do.”
A pit settled in my stomach at the thought of Brae being at the center of the town gossip. God, I knew what that was like, and it was the last thing I wanted for her.
Aidan shot Brae a grin as he strode up. “I’m gonna tell them the FBI called in a tip that we had a sleeper spy in our midst, and I bravely took him down in a citizen’s arrest.” He glanced at me. “You can back me on that, right? Tell me the FBI lingo.”
My lips twitched, grateful for the humor I could always count on him to bring. “I got you.”
Cora moved in, rolling her eyes at Aidan and then sending Brae a conspiratorial smile. “I’m going to tell everyone Aidan accidentally slept with a mobster’s wife, and they took out a hit on him. More believable.”
“I’m going pure aliens,” Maverick said, his eyes finding mine. “The truth is out there.”
The tiniest laugh bubbled out of Brae. It wasn’t a sound I expected to hear given the circumstances, but my hellion was full of surprises. “Thank you. All of you.”
Fiona handed Brae a tote bag with a tiny Bigfoot stitched in the corner. “Go get your boy and text me if you need anything, honey.”
Aidan’s blue-green eyes twinkled. “I’d be happy to stay over tonight if you want some company and—”
Wylder slapped him upside the head. “Get back to work.”
I glared at the too-flirty-for-his-own-good waiter. If anyone was staying over, it would be me.
Fucking hell. That was the last thing I needed to be considering. The last thing I normally would be considering.
Aidan rubbed the back of his head. “You know, if I get brain damage because of your constant abuse, I’m suing.”
“Don’t be an idiot, and we won’t have a problem,” Wylder shot back.
“Keys,” I demanded, my voice gruffer than I meant for it to be.
Brae’s head tipped back as if in search of the voice. Her golden eyes held questions I didn’t have answers for.
I extended a hand, palm up. “Keys.”
Because while I may not have answers, I could take her to pick up her kid. Make sure they got home safely.
“Why?” she asked.
“Because you’re not driving.”
Her jaw went a little slack. “Excuse me?”
“Hellion,” I said, my voice dropping low. “You’re shaky. I don’t want you behind the wheel. Don’t want you driving Owen home. You’ll be distracted. He’ll be talking your ear off about boobie cookies and—”
“Boobie cookies?” Maverick cut in. “How do I get some of those?”
I shot him a look that promised vast retribution if he didn’t shut the hell up. “You don’t get them. They’re mine.”
Mav held up both hands. “Touchy, touchy about the boobie cookies. Noted.”
My scowl only deepened.
Brae just shook her head as she slid a hand into her bag and pulled out her keys, dropping them into my palm. “You can drive.”
A small thrill of victory slid through me. “Thank you.”
I didn’t wait for her to change her mind. I ushered Brae out the back amid a chorus of goodbyes and into the small parking lot behind the Boot. As she pointed us toward her small maroon SUV, my scowl reemerged.
Really taking in the vehicle—if you could call it that—for the first time, it looked like it was held together by duct tape and a prayer. Okay, maybe it wasn’t that bad. But it was clearly aged in spots, and the tires were pathetic.
“Are you still traumatized from the bird-poop incident?” Brae asked.
My head jerked up. “What?”
“Still traumatized that I stole your parking spot and you got pooped on?”
I shook my head. “It was seriously scarring. Living next to you should mean I get hazard pay. But no.”
Brae’s mouth curved like she found my annoyance adorable. “Then why are you scowling at my car? Got an issue with the color maroon now?”
“I’m scowling at your goddamned tires. They’re practically bald. You need to get new ones before winter.”
She frowned, studying the SUV. “I just got this. Used, but all the checks came through.”
“You ask when they last replaced the tires?” I pressed.
She tugged her lip between her teeth, pressing down. Like I’d just dropped the final straw that would break her.
Shit.
My hand found the small of Brae’s back on instinct, like that would somehow make it all okay. “We’ll deal with it. Just get in.”
We’ll.
I didn’t think I’d ever used the word we with a woman. Yet it had slipped right out with Brae.
It seemed to take her by surprise just as much as it did me. She rolled her shoulders back as if heading into battle. “I’ll get new ones before the winter. These are good for now.”
I eyed her as I opened the passenger door and ushered her in, but I didn’t say a word. Because I got it. She’d ask for all the help in the world when it came to Nova but never for herself.
As we made our way to the parks-and-rec area where the camp was being held, I could feel and see Brae’s nerves: the drumming of her fingers against her thigh, the way her gaze jumped from place to place, never landing on any one thing for more than a second or two.
I couldn’t stop myself from touching her, trying to ground her. My palm curved around her forearm—nothing forceful, just gentle reassurance. “It’s okay to let someone help you every once in a while.”
Brae’s golden eyes cut to me, going glassy in the afternoon sunlight. “Everyone I’ve ever leaned on has vanished.”
My hand on her forearm tightened for the briefest moment. My emotions, the ones I normally kept so carefully under wraps, broke through. “Hate that for you.”
She blinked away some tears as she watched her son climbing on the jungle gym outside the rec center. “Me, too.”
I would’ve done anything to change that for her. To tell her parents they were narrow-minded assholes with a side of idiot. Tell her ex that he’d ruined his damn life by missing out on the magic that was Brae and Owen. Go on that cursed hike so her best friend never would’ve vanished into thin air.
But I couldn’t do any of that. I could try to be her friend.
Friend.
What a joke. Friendship didn’t exactly seem like an accurate term for Brae. I’d try to live out that lie anyway.
Brae shoved out of the SUV, forcing a smile as I hurried to follow. Owen’s laugh pierced the air as Skylar chased him around the castle-like play equipment.
Kol stood watching them like a sentry as a few other parents, kids, and camp staff milled about. They were all in small groups, laughing and chatting. But not my brother. He stood with his arms crossed, a hard look on his face.
“Kol,” I called out.
He turned, but nothing changed on his expression: hard, wary, and maybe a little bit worried.
Brae forced her smile wider, but it trembled at the edges. “Thank you for hanging with Owen.”
Kol’s gaze dipped to her hands and then her knees. “What happened?”
I gave him a small shake of my head. “I’ll explain later.”
The tension in Kol’s face intensified.
“Mom!” Owen shouted, racing toward Brae. “Did you know Mr. Kol has the coolest job ever?”
Her smile became a little more genuine. “Cooler than a coder?” she asked as Owen came to a screeching halt in front of her.
“What about the FBI?” I cut in, a little offended that I’d already been dethroned.
Indecision warred on Owen’s face. “Okay, they’re all tied. But he looks for poachers and people doing bad stuff in the forest. He gets to go hiking, like all the time. And knows how to find people anywhere. Sky told me.”
My niece popped up then, and Brae’s smile widened. I couldn’t help but grin. Sky was freaking adorable in a fluffy, pink skirt paired with combat boots. She had a T-shirt with a picture of a raccoon that read Cute but feral and rainbow necklaces I knew she’d made herself.
She grinned up at Brae, revealing a missing tooth. “Never play hide-and-seek with my dad. He wins every time.”
Brae laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind. I’m Brae, by the way. Thanks for hanging out with Owen.”
Sky just beamed. “I’m Skylar. And that’s my dad.”
Kol simply grunted.
I rolled my eyes. Always big on polite chitchat, my brother.
“Skylar, I absolutely love your outfit. You have fabulous style,” Brae told her.
She twirled to show it off properly. “Thank you. I love your shoes.”
Brae’s focus dipped to her high-tops. “Thanks. Owen decorated them for me. He makes me a pair every year.”
“That’s so cool. Daddy, we should do that. I can draw hearts and Nerf guns all over them for you. And use my glitter markers.”
Kol gave his daughter a pained smile. “Nothing I love more than glitter hearts.”
“Samesies,” Sky agreed earnestly as Brae fought a laugh.
“Mom, what happened to your hands?” Owen asked, frowning at her.
I didn’t miss Brae’s wince, but she covered it quickly. “You remember when I tripped over Yeti and gave myself a black eye?”
Owen giggled. “But you told everyone you got into a fight with a ninja and kicked their butt.”
She grinned at her son. “It was a much better story.”
“Only when you showed off your moves while telling it,” Owen added.
“True,” she agreed. “Well, I dropped a glass at work, and I got all cut. But I think we need a better story. Maybe I dove through a window to escape a pack of wild wildebeests.”
It was Skylar’s turn to giggle. “Or to hide from invading aliens.”
I ruffled Sky’s hair. “You sound like Mav.”
“Uncle Mav has the best stories,” she pointed out.
“Just as long as you remember that none of them are true,” Kol muttered. His gaze flicked to Brae, landing on her hands again. “Are you okay? You get those looked at?”
Annoyance and pissed off were basically Kol’s love languages, so I knew he was softening toward Brae, even if she didn’t know it.
“Dex treated them with Maverick’s help. I’m all good,” she assured him.
Kol’s mouth thinned, but he gave her a quick nod.
That was the most we could hope to get from my surly older brother, so I turned to Owen. “Ready to hit the road?”
Owen grinned so wide I thought it would split his face in two. “You’re driving us?”
“I am. And I say we need milkshakes along the way. What do you think?”
“Yeeeeeeesssss!” Owen cheered, doing a little dance.
Skylar’s pigtails whipped around. “Can we get some, Daddy? Pleeeeeease?”
Kol glowered at me. “If she won’t go to sleep tonight because she’s all hopped up on sugar, I’m calling you to babysit.”