Chapter 45 Braedyn
brAEDYN
The buzz of conversation filled the cavernous bar space. The Boot didn’t open for another two hours, but there were almost a dozen people gathered around tables Aidan had pulled together. All here for me.
Holly sat chatting with Fiona, a stack of papers in front of her, along with a notepad.
Aidan flirted mercilessly with Aster, whose head tipped back in a laugh as Roger chuckled.
Wylder and Kol moved around the tables, refilling coffees.
Travis said something to Cora that made her blush and giggle.
The only people we were still waiting on were Maverick and Waylon.
Dex leaned into my side. “You okay?”
I nodded, swallowing down the emotions that left a heaviness in my throat. “It’s just. A lot. Everyone showing up like this. Taking time off work and rearranging schedules.”
“Hellion. You’ve got people who care.”
A burn lit along my sternum, spreading up and out. “I’m starting to see that.”
“Scares the hell out of you, doesn’t it?”
My gaze flicked up to his dark-hazel eyes. So much swirled there. “When you don’t have anyone, there’s less to lose.”
Dex wrapped his arms around me, and I pressed my face to his chest, burrowing in. His lips ghosted over my hair. “You’re just going to have to get used to us sticking around.”
A war of feeling erupted, battling it out over my mind and body. Hope and fear. Love and loss. I didn’t know what to grab ahold of.
Breathing deeply, I tried to rest in the knowledge that all of these people were here because they wanted to help. I released Dex and pulled myself from his hold to face the chattering group. My gaze hitched on Roger’s, and I didn’t miss the flicker of hurt, but he covered it quickly with a grin.
Guilt swirled low in my belly. He’d asked me out no less than half a dozen times, and I’d always said no. Said I wasn’t ready. And it hadn’t been a lie. Apparently, it only took the right person to change that.
“I come bearing breakfast,” Maverick boomed, carrying in a massive box of food as Waylon lumbered in behind him with another, then Blaze with yet another.
My eyes went wide. “You think we have an army?”
Mav sent me a wink. “Gotta feed this muscle mass, Little Badass.”
Aster let out a scoff as she took a sip of her coffee.
“Don’t be jealous now, Ice Queen. I brought you your favorite breakfast burrito with mild salsa.” He rolled his eyes at the word mild.
Aster stiffened, her body going ramrod straight. “Can’t say I’m really a fan of those anymore.”
“Oh, really?” Mav challenged, sliding a to-go box in front of her. “Is that why Sally said you get it at least two mornings a week?”
Aster’s cheeks flushed, and her pale-blue eyes flashed. “Maybe I just don’t like it from you, Satan.”
“Guess I could let you starve to death.” He started to take the box away, but Aster jerked it from his hands.
“Go sit on a cactus,” she muttered.
Mav’s lips twitched. “Never knew you were into ass play. Kinky, I like it.”
The look Aster leveled him with should’ve fried him on the spot, but Maverick just grinned.
Kol let out a whistle. “Enough of Mav’s bullshit. Let’s get spread this out and get to work. We don’t have long.”
Maverick gave his brother a mock salute as he set down his box and began pulling things out. Waylon and Blaze followed suit.
Blaze beamed at me as he unloaded donuts and pastries of every kind. “The Little Dude treating you well?”
My cheeks heated. “I’m very lucky to have him as a neighbor.”
“Your very friendly neighbor,” Dex said, voice pitched low.
Blaze let out a hoot. “Love to see it. You want a donut or a bear claw?”
Dex held out a hand. “You didn’t make those, right?”
Blaze rolled his eyes. “I’m not wasting any of Lolli’s recipes on you.”
“Lolli?” I asked, confused.
Dex just shook his head and scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “The grandmother of some friends of mine. She has an affinity for special brownies and other creations. I never should’ve introduced her to Blaze.”
My landlord just snickered. “She’s my sister from another mister. The universe would’ve brought us together no matter what. We’re here to open minds and chakras.”
“Oh, Jesus,” Dex muttered. “More like you’re here to have us all seeing pink elephants in tutus for a week.”
“Okay, let’s sit and begin,” Kol called.
“Who put you in charge?” Mav asked, scowling.
“I did,” I said, cutting off a potential battle for dominance.
Maverick turned to me. “I’m hurt, Little Badass.”
I grinned at him. “If you were in charge, this meeting would take twenty years and end in shots.”
Waylon guffawed as he slid into a chair. “She knows you well already.”
“Okay, let’s run through updates first. I’ve shared the list of similar cases in the area,” Kol continued. “If this is a single unsub, they’re smart. Moving across county, town, and jurisdictional lines just enough that it didn’t flag law enforcement right off.”
“Same with the victim profile,” Wylder added. “There’s a wide variety. Men and women. Different ages, races, risk levels.”
“Crimes of opportunity?” Aster inquired, tapping away on her phone screen.
“Possibly,” Wylder said.
Dex leaned forward. “It could be multiple unsubs. Or maybe there was something the victims did, someplace they all went that tripped something in a single unsub and made them targets.”
A shiver tracked down my spine. Kol had pulled four cases in the area over the last two years. Had one person taken them all? Hurt them? Killed them?
The further we got into things, the more my hope dwindled. And God, that hurt like hell.
Fingers wove through mine, squeezing. My gaze found Dex’s as different members of our group added to the case, each bringing what they had to offer.
“I’m right here.” Dex mouthed the reassurance.
But I couldn’t help wondering…for how long? I squeezed his hand as if that could keep him here.
“Brae?”
Aster’s voice had me snapping out of my different sort of fear. “Sorry,” I said quickly. “What did you say?”
She sent me a soft smile. “Just that you wanted to work on some memory recall?”
I nodded. “That day. It’s gotten a little fuzzy. I wondered if there’s something I can do to sharpen the memories.”
“That’s totally normal,” Aster assured me.
“You went through a serious trauma. There are a few things that might help. Guided meditation. Journaling. But the thing that might help most is going back to the scene. The problem is, it can also be a huge trigger. You need to take care around that and only do it if you’re ready. ”
My whole body stiffened, and my fingers constricted around Dex’s. “I…I keep planning on going but then never see it through.”
Empathy washed over Aster’s face. “You don’t have to if you’re not there yet.”
“I’ll go with you whenever you’re ready,” Cora offered kindly.
“Me, too,” Holly chimed in.
Dex’s thumb stroked back and forth across my hand. I just kept breathing.
“I’ve wanted to go back. I’ve said I would since I moved here. But I still just…haven’t,” I admitted. And with those words came a wash of shame. I said I was here to find her, to fight for her, but I hadn’t done the one thing that might actually shake something loose.
“There’s no rush,” Aster assured me. “We can go anytime you’re ready.”
But there was a rush. Nova. She’d been out there alone for so long. Whether she was living through hell or no longer breathing, she was alone. And I couldn’t stand that. She’d been the one to make sure I never was. I had to do the same for her.
“Saturday?” I croaked.
Dex leaned into me, his lips hovering at my temple. “We’re with you. You’re not alone.”
That almost scared me more. Because I had so much more to lose.
* * *
My back ached, and my feet throbbed, but I’d never been more grateful for the distraction.
We’d been slammed for most of the day with tourists and locals alike, and now that things had slowed to a trickle as we hit half past two, I almost wished it would start all over again.
I’d take exhausted and hurting over being alone with my thoughts.
A flash of movement caught my eye at the hostess stand. I grinned as I crossed to Travis. “Twice in one day? What’d I do to deserve that?”
He chuckled. “You can thank Roger’s ravenous appetite. I called in a to-go order.”
“I’ll go check on that for you.”
“Brae.”
I stopped, turning back to face Travis. I saw it then, the concern, the worry.
“Are you okay? The meeting this morning…it was a lot.”
God, he was a good human. I had somehow ended up surrounded by them here. Stumbled my way into a family—the kind that would order takeout just for an excuse to check up on me.
“I’m all right. I promise.”
Travis just stared me down.
I let out a long breath. “This has been hard. And the deeper we dig, the more hope I lose.”
Worry streaked across his face. “Brae…”
“I know. I know the chances of her being alive are slim. I think I’m finally coming to terms with that. But I don’t want her to be alone. I need to find her. To put her to rest.” Tears brimmed in my eyes, but I quickly swiped them away.
“Well, well. What do we have here?” a gruff voice asked.
I looked up to see Sheriff Miller ambling in, an annoyed look on his face.
“Sheriff,” Travis greeted, stiffening on the single word.
“Making social calls on duty?” he asked.
“No, sir,” Travis ground out. “Rog and I are on lunch. I’m just picking it up.”
“Must be paying you too much if you can get takeout all the time.”
God, every time I thought Miller might be turning a corner, he proved otherwise.
“Can I help you with something, Sheriff?” I asked, trying to rescue Travis.
“Came to see if you’d gotten any other calls, threats, anything suspicious,” Miller muttered.
Surprise lit through me, and I could see it in Travis’s eyes, as well. “No. I haven’t. It’s been pretty quiet.”
Miller’s lips thinned. “All right. You call me if anything pops up.”
“Sure. Um, thank you.”
He jerked his head in a nod and headed for the door. “Just doin’ my job.”
“For the first time in a decade,” Travis muttered.
I tried to stifle my laugh as I made a beeline for the kitchen to grab his food. When I got back, Travis was still staring at the spot where the sheriff had been.
“Here you go.”
He jolted slightly. “Thanks, Brae. You let me know if you need anything.”
“I will. Thank you for everything. You and Cora both.”
“Anytime.”
As he left, I moved to wipe down tables and refill condiments, anything to keep busy.
Aidan had left for the day, so it was only Wylder and me.
He’d hold down the fort alone until the evening crew came in.
Sometimes, I didn’t know how he did it. He worked over twelve-hour shifts most days.
But he never seemed tired and never complained.
A shadow fell over the table I was clearing, making me straighten to offer help.
But the word died on my lips as I caught sight of angry, green eyes.
Vincent was dressed in his usual preppy fare: khakis, a polo shirt, loafers that probably cost as much as my car, and a watch I knew cost more than the cabin I lived in.
“You never know when to shut your fucking mouth,” he snarled.
I stiffened as movement caught my eye: Wylder, rounding the bar as he shoved his phone into his pocket.
I wasn’t alone. I was safe. And Vincent Faber didn’t get to make me cower. “I would’ve thought the pepper spray and busted balls would’ve made you smarter.”
Redness crept up Vincent’s throat. “That podcast has millions of subscribers. You throw my business all over it. You spread your bullshit lies.”
“Get a grip. I never mentioned you, an ex, nothing. But it doesn’t surprise me that you can make anything about you.”
“You said you were raising a son alone. The son my fucking family has realized is mine.”
I grinned, the action sharkish. “What’s the matter, Vincent? Mommy and Daddy realize you’re a waste of space who blows through their money and doesn’t do anything worthwhile?”
Vincent moved so fast I wouldn’t have been able to stop him. But Wylder did. The moment Vincent’s hand rose to strike, Wylder caught it at the wrist. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Vincent snarled and ripped his hand free. “The hacker felon’s degenerate brother. How lovely. Isn’t it risky for a drunk to be working in a bar?”
Everything in me tensed as if lead filled my muscles. He knew who Dex was. Wylder. He knew their histories. This was more than keeping tabs on an ex and your kid. This was gathering ammunition.
“Get out,” I spat.
“Gonna second that request,” Wylder said coolly. “Got the right to refuse service to anyone, and if you don’t go, I have no problem removing you forcibly.”
“I’ll sue you so fast your head will spin,” Vincent threatened. “I’ll own this bar and tear it to the ground just for shits and giggles.”
“Oh, you could try,” Wylder agreed. “But I think you’ll find the law around here doesn’t take too kindly to you richy-rich types thinking they can mess with the locals. And they sure as hell don’t take too kindly to people stalking their residents.”
A muscle fluttered wildly along Vincent’s jaw.
“I’m not stalking anybody. I’m checking in on what’s mine.
” His gaze flicked to me, raking over my body in a way that had me wanting to shower and vomit all at once.
“You thought you could leave me. Disobey my orders. I own you, Braedyn. And you better come to heel.”
“What. Did. You. Say?”
The new voice was familiar, but it vibrated with a fury I’d never heard before.
As my gaze lifted, I saw that fury was a living, breathing thing. And it engulfed Dex.