Chapter 41 Braedyn
brAEDYN
I pulled the oversized sweatshirt over my head, burrowing into the softness. It didn’t matter that I’d turned the water to scalding hot. Or that, even though it was dark outside, the sunbaked earth was still hovering at about seventy degrees. I couldn’t get warm.
A shiver raced through me. “Get it together,” I whispered.
Skylar was fine. Home with her dad. Perfectly safe. Owen was, too. Dex had found a temporary fix for his glasses with superglue and a tool he used in building his computers. We were okay. For now.
But even as that thought entered my head, Vincent’s face flashed in my mind.
His threats echoed in my ears. And that fear—fear I’d tamped down to focus on finding Skylar—started to swirl all over again.
It was only compounded by the reminder that while we’d found Skylar safe and sound, Nova was still missing. And we were no closer to finding her.
Stepping out of my room, I padded down the hallway in my slippers toward the sounds of battle.
“No way, bruh. I’m gonna smash you,” Owen cheered.
“Prepare to eat ice sword,” Dex shot back.
A soft smile tipped my lips as I turned the corner to find them sitting on pillows in front of the TV.
Dex had brought over his gaming system, and they were now both eight, apparently.
Their bodies leaned one way and then another as they trash-talked.
They threw everything into their attacks and defenses, their arms flailing as they punched buttons on their controllers.
The game took place in some sort of fantasy land. Dex’s character looked like a troll while Owen’s…I couldn’t identify. But the creature had wings and a thorny sword.
Suddenly, Owen’s character leapt into the air, executing a spin kick and then stabbing Dex’s troll through the heart.
“Yes!” Owen cheered as he jumped up, much the way his character had, minus the kick. “Victory is mine!” He raced around the room.
Yeti barked and darted after him, loving this sort of game.
Dex groaned, flopping back onto the floor, hands clutching his chest. “Downed by the winged beast in the prime of my troll life.”
Owen laughed, reaching out a hand to pull Dex to his feet. “I’d say there’s always next time, but I’m never gonna let you win.”
Dex moved fast, tugging Owen into a playful headlock and giving him a noogie. “What was that about never letting me win?”
Owen cackled with laughter as he struggled to get free. “I’ll never surrender.”
I watched from the entryway as they teased and tumbled, and realized Owen had never had this.
The kind of male camaraderie with play-fighting and battling on the fields of imagination.
I tried to meet Owen in his interests: Nerf battles, the occasional video game.
But this was different. Another frequency. One I hadn’t been able to give him.
Dex lifted Owen into the air and threw him onto the couch in an exaggerated body slam. The move was so slow, I knew there was great care in it. But Owen howled with laughter, playing the part of demolished wrestler.
“Victory is mine!” Dex cheered, taking Owen’s earlier words.
“Watch your back, troll man. I’m coming for you,” Owen vowed.
Dex laughed, his gaze finally catching on me. “The princess has emerged. Or should I say the hellion?”
One corner of my mouth kicked up. “The hellion has come to take this bat boy to bed.”
“Aw, man,” Owen complained.
“Hey,” Dex said, drilling a finger into his side. “The sooner you sleep, the sooner we get a rematch.”
Owen considered that for a moment and then nodded, standing from the couch. “Gonna brush my teeth.”
I gaped at Dex, my jaw fully hanging open as Owen headed for the bathroom. “Did you seriously just get my kid to start his bedtime routine with only one protest?”
Dex’s lips twitched. “I’m getting that this isn’t usually the case.”
I let out an annoyed huff. “I get at least half a dozen battles. Sometimes, the full dozen. ‘I need a snack. One more story. I’m thirsty. I think I need to pee again. Does Yeti need to go out? She looks like she does.’”
A low chuckle left Dex’s mouth, and he crossed to me. He dragged a finger across my bottom lip, along my jaw, then down my neck to my pulse point. “All you need is the video game rematch method.”
My breath hitched as he stroked my pulse point. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Dex kept stroking my neck, circling the point that gave me away. “You’ve got shadows in your eyes, Hellion. The gold isn’t burning as bright.”
I swallowed, knowing he felt the movement. I needed to tell him about Vincent, about the threats, about everything. I just couldn’t find the words.
“I know today had to bring up Nova,” Dex said softly.
He wasn’t wrong there. It was that, too. It was everything. It felt like the whole world was bearing down on me.
Pain streaked across his face, and something else…fear maybe? “I have something else we can try.”
“What?” I straightened instantly, but Dex didn’t lose his contact with my throat.
“I have a friend who has a podcast. It covers cold cases. She’s in the middle of one right now, but she’ll do a high-level overview of other cases each week. Open up a tip line in case someone has information but has been too scared to come forward.”
“Yes.” He hadn’t even asked a question, but I was answering anyway. “The more eyes and ears, the better.” I’d tried reaching out to a few podcasts over the past year, but none of them had bitten on covering Nova’s case.
Dex’s mouth thinned. “It could piss the unsub off. I talked to a profiler friend of mine, and Anson said it could make them so mad they’ll lash out and make a mistake.”
My heart beat a little faster. He meant I could be at risk. That whoever was messing with me could take it further. “I have to try,” I whispered.
“Okay,” Dex rasped, his thumb stroking my pulse point again. “I’ll call.”
* * *
I pulled my knees up to my chest, hugging them tightly as Dex set his laptop on the coffee table in front of the couch. “I can’t believe she wanted to talk now. Isn’t that a little fast?”
Nerves churned in my belly. I hated going back there. Hated revisiting everything. But Nova was worth it. Every time.
“Ridley said it was actually perfect timing. She’s waiting for an open records request to come through,” Dex explained.
I froze. “Wait. Ridley? As in Ridley Sawyer? As in the Sounds Like Serial podcast?” I squeaked.
Dex’s brows rose. “You’ve heard of it?”
“Anyone who’s ever listened to a single true crime podcast has probably heard of it. They’ve got millions of downloads and nearly as many followers.”
Dex’s lips twitched. “A little bit of a fangirl?”
My cheeks heated. “I followed a case she did a few years ago. Missing teenager in Minnesota.”
Dex sobered. “I remember that one.”
It hadn’t had a happy ending, but Ridley had brought the family closure.
“How do you know her?” I asked.
Dex’s mouth twisted into a grin. “I heard the podcast. Could tell she was doing it to help people, not to make a buck. So I offered my services.”
My jaw dropped. “You hack for her.”
“I can neither confirm nor deny.”
I shook my head. “Hacker with a heart of gold.”
“Don’t ruin my rep,” Dex muttered.
An alert sounded, and then a woman filled the screen. She was stunning, her blond hair piled high in a messy bun that somehow managed to look artful and chic. She wore a yoga top with crisscrossed straps that revealed tanned skin and toned arms.
Her eyes lit, and a huge smile split her face. “Dex.”
“Hey, Rids. It’s good to see you,” Dex greeted. The familiarity had a niggle of something eating at me.
“You, too. It’s been way too long. You need to come over to Shady Cove now that you’re back in NorCal.”
“Are you even home?” Dex challenged.
Ridley’s berry lips twitched. “Not at the moment, but I will be soon.”
“Damn soon,” a deep voice said as a man with dark hair and scruff dipped into the screen. He slid a mug with a tea tag hanging out in front of Ridley and kissed the top of her head.
Ridley looked up at him, and her whole face transformed as if he were her sun, moon, and stars all at once. “Thanks, Law Man.” She tugged him to her for a quick kiss.
The hard lines of his face softened the barest amount. “Give ’em hell, Chaos.”
And then he was gone, sliding out of what I could tell was some sort of van.
Ridley turned to me, her cheeks flushed. “Sorry about that. And for not introducing myself. I’m Ridley.”
“Hi,” I squeaked. “I’m Brae.”
Dex chuckled low, and I elbowed him hard in the stomach.
“It’s nice to meet you, Brae.” Ridley’s expression sobered.
“I’m so sorry to hear about your friend.
I’ll do whatever I can to help. I’ll record a breakdown of the case after I’ve finished going through all the materials Dex sent over, but I always think it helps to hear from the missing’s loved ones. It makes people want to help.”
My mouth went dry, but I managed a nod. “That makes sense.”
Dex took my hand, his fingers sliding through mine. Ridley didn’t miss the movement. A soft smile curved her mouth, but she didn’t say anything.
“If there’s anything more you need, just let us know,” Dex offered.
“Will do.” Ridley reached for her mouse, moving it around and seeming to do things to her computer. “Brae, will you say something so I can test levels?”
I cleared my throat. “Testing, one, two, three. Isn’t that what they do in the movies?”
Ridley laughed, and the sound was breezy. Effortless. As if she made it all the time—even though she’d been through hell. She’d lost her twin sister the night before their college graduation. I knew that much just from following the show.
“You’re official now. And perfectly in range,” Ridley said. “You ready?”
She met my gaze through the camera and held it. She didn’t look away, even when I didn’t speak at first. She kept holding that focus as if to tell me she was here with me, no matter what.
“I’m ready,” I croaked.
Dex squeezed my hand, telling me he was there, too.
“All right. Let’s do this.” Ridley moved her mouse again, clicking something on the screen. “Brae, you’ve been friends with Nova almost all your life.”
I nodded, then immediately realized no one would see it. “Yes.” I swallowed. “Since preschool. But our bond was really cemented in the third grade. A boy was picking on both of us, and we teamed up for revenge.”
Ridley grinned. “Sounds like my kind of friend.”
“She’s the best friend you could ask for. Nova is like walking sunshine. But the kind set aflame because she’s so fierce. She’s the friend who always has your back. Your first call when something goes right or wrong. Your biggest cheerleader and always a safe place to land.”
Ridley’s gaze went a little misty. “Sounds more like you’re sisters.”
Warmth spread through me, knowing Ridley got it. “We are.” An image of Vincent popped into my head, his face twisted in anger at what I’d shared about his lack of presence in his son’s life. But I wouldn’t be silenced. He didn’t get to steal Nova’s gifts just because it made him look bad.
I sucked in a breath, knowing I had to tell Dex about the encounter after this, knowing I needed to make plans. But first, I needed to show up for Nova the way she’d shown up for me countless times.
“Our bond is one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever been given. When I got pregnant at nineteen and didn’t have anyone to help me, Nova stepped in. She helped me start over. She helped raise my beautiful son. She’s our family, and we’ll do anything to bring her home.”
“She sounds like an amazing woman,” Ridley whispered.
“She is,” I croaked.
Ridley asked more gently guiding questions: about Nova, about the time she’d been gone, the disappearance itself. And then she ended with one final question. “If you could say one thing to Nova right now, what would it be?”
“I love you,” I rasped. “I love you, and I miss you, and I’ve never stopped looking. Not for a single day. You aren’t forgotten.”
“No, she isn’t,” Ridley said firmly. “And the Sounds Like Serial family is going to make sure her name and face are spread wide. We’re going to try to help you find some answers.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Ridley nodded, moving to click more things on the screen. “You were great. I know it takes a lot out of you, so make Dex feed you a snack and then try to sleep as much as possible tonight.”
“I’ve got ice cream in the freezer,” Dex assured her.
“That’s perfect.” Ridley smiled and then turned back to me. “Have Dex give you my number. Text or call anytime. I’m always here, even if you just need to talk to someone who’s been there.”
“That’s really kind. Thank you.”
“I wish I could do more. If no progress has been made by the time I wrap up this case, I can head to you guys next. Do a deep dive on Nova’s disappearance.”
God, she was so kind. Because I knew what she really wanted to do was go home after her current case.
I gripped Dex’s hand harder. “That means more than I can say.”
“Happy to help.” Ridley glanced over her shoulder. “I’d better go before Law Man gets hangry. No one wants that.”
A soft chuckle left my lips. “Have a good night.”
“You, too.” Her gaze flicked to Dex. “Take care of yourself, and don’t get arrested.”
Dex laughed. “I’ll do my best.”
With a wave, Dex clicked out of the video chat and closed his screen. Then he turned to face me. “How do you feel?”
“A little wrung out. But good, too. Like I’m actually doing something. She has a different demographic than the other media I’ve gotten coverage from. Maybe it’ll shake something loose.”
“It might,” Dex agreed. His lips fluttered slightly as if he were fighting a grin.
“What?”
His beautiful mouth found a full smile. “You were jealous. When she got on the call. Weren’t you?”
I let out a huff. “She’s gorgeous. And she’s all it’s been way too long. I was a little annoyed. That’s all.”
Dex’s laugh was full-out this time. “Jealous…twice.”
“Whatever,” I grumbled, even though he had a point.
Dex leaned in and brushed his mouth over mine. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”
I shoved him. “You’re annoying.”
As I pulled my arm back, Dex’s face went thunderous. It took my brain a second to register the expression and then I was so damn confused as to why it was there. But Dex caught my forearm, stilling my movements as his gaze zeroed in on my wrist.
“Why. The. Hell. Are. There. Fingerprint. Bruises. On. Your. Wrist?”