Chapter 44 Dex #2
A little of the tension bled out of me. “I know it is.” And for the first time since my world had been turned upside down, I realized I trusted someone who wasn’t one of my brothers or Waylon.
I’d given Brae all the ammunition she needed to end me.
And she simply held it close like it was a treasure instead of a weapon.
“It’s why your brothers didn’t want to help me at first—because I know who you are.”
Brae didn’t miss a trick.
I grinned at her. “They’re helping now, aren’t they?”
Brae laughed softly. “They are. And I need to thank the one it cost the most.”
I loved that she got that, too. That Orion carried the heaviest weight of all of us. That reaching out for him cost more. But he was doing it anyway.
Three words danced in my brain as I stared back at Brae. Three words that had the power to change everything. But I swallowed them down. Because they scared the hell out of me, and I knew they’d send Brae running for the hills.
“Let’s try to avoid some bear traps, okay?” I said instead.
She grinned back at me. “Don’t lose a foot.”
“I’ll do my best.”
We climbed out of the SUV, and I took in my brother’s house—the one he’d built with the help of Waylon, Blaze, and the rest of their small crew. He’d slowly added on over the years, but he’d done it in a way that was seamless.
It had rough wood so dark it toed the line between brown and black. Weather had aged it in a way that gave the house character but also carried a rough warning. A porch wrapped around the entire house, and I knew it was where Orion spent most of his evenings.
The house itself was on one of the farthest edges of our property, right on the border of our ranch and the land that belonged to Aster’s grandfather. Out here, only animals and trees surrounded Orion. Just how he liked it.
“It’s beautiful,” Brae breathed as she took in the structure. “And those horses.”
“That’s Aster’s grandfather’s ranch,” I explained.
“They’re beautiful. Peaceful.”
“That’s why he likes it out here.”
“I would, too,” Brae said wistfully.
A flash of an image sparked in my mind. A house set on a meadow not far from here. Owen and Yeti running around a yard. Brae and I on a porch swing. It felt so real I could taste it. And then it was gone again. But I already knew I’d be telling the architect to add a porch swing to our designs.
I cleared my throat. “Come on.”
Brae glanced up at the sudden roughness in my voice but didn’t say a word.
Instead, she followed me up the path. I pointed out little booby traps along the way.
A trip wire that would have a sound grenade detonating.
A hole in the walkway covered by false stones.
And a bear trap covered by shrubs just beneath the porch in case someone tried to scale it.
Each revelation had Brae’s eyes growing wider. “You weren’t kidding.”
“No, I was not.”
Brae swallowed hard as we reached the porch steps. “Can I leave these on the porch, or will something explode in my face?”
“As long as you avoid the third stair, you’re good.”
“This place is a lawsuit waiting to happen,” she muttered as she deposited the tin on the top step.
Just as she did, the front door swung open and a hulking figure filled the space. Orion glowered at both of us, but Brae wasn’t deterred. She beamed up at him. “I made you thank-you cookies. You’re a little hard to bake for, but I did my best.”
Orion stayed silent but eyed the cookies, and I swore there was the slightest twitch to his lips.
“Thank you for sending me Maren. She’s amazing. She’s already filing paperwork or motions or whatever the legal jargon is. Thank you.”
The scowl was back on Orion’s face. He turned to me, signing. “I’m working on Nova’s map.”
“How’s it going?” I asked, then turned to Brae. “He’s working on the case map for Nova.”
Orion’s hands began to move again, and I spoke his signs aloud so Brae could understand. “I’ve mapped out as many possible routes as I can think of. Does Brae remember hearing anything? A vehicle, a horse?”
Brae worried the corner of her lip as she clasped her hands in front of her, shaking her head. “I don’t think so. But that day…it’s fuzzy now. Like I’ve thought about it so much, I’ve worn out the memory.”
Orion frowned, his gaze dropping to the floorboards in front of him. I could almost see his thoughts whirling as if running through endless possibilities in his mind. He looked up again, his hands moving.
“What about vehicles in the parking lot when you arrived?” I translated.
“There were three. A beige SUV with Nevada plates. A green Subaru. And a silver pickup. I don’t remember plates on the other two, so they were probably California, but I can’t be sure.
I’ve played those moments over and over in my head, but that’s all I can remember.
” Frustration laced Brae’s tone as if she were kicking herself for what she couldn’t see.
Orion’s hands moved again, and I gave voice to his words. “Anything out of place on the trail? Anything at all?”
Brae bit her lip harder and shook her head. “It’s fuzzy. I don’t—I can’t see it all.”
I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to my side. “Hey, it’s not your fault. It’s trauma. More may come with time.” My lips brushed over her temple.
Orion tracked my movements with his gaze, locking on the signs of affection, and I swore there was a hint of longing in his eyes. But whatever the flicker of emotion was, he covered it quickly. “She should talk to Aster.”
“Not a bad idea,” I said.
“What?” Brae asked, looking up at me.
“Aster. She might have an idea for how to recover more accurate memories.”
Brae straightened against me. “Anything. I’ll do anything.”
And that scared me most of all. Because if Brae got reckless, whoever this monster was could take advantage. And they could do anything.