15. Lincoln
15
LINCOLN
In the fifteen minutes it took Trace to get to Cope’s house, I watched as all the fight bled out of Arden. Instead of being fiery and full of life, she looked…defeated. I fucking hated it.
The front door flew open, and Trace’s boots hit the hardwood, eating up the space. “What the hell happened?”
I moved on instinct, stepping between him and Arden, holding out a hand in a gesture for him to calm down. “Take a breath,” I growled. Brutus moved to my side and let out a warning growl of his own.
Trace’s dark green eyes flashed in surprise. But that shock was enough to break through the worry, fear, and anger so he could get ahold of himself. He looked around me, his gaze running over his sister as if checking for injury. “You’re okay?”
Arden nodded and said, “I’m fine.” But she sounded resigned. “ Ruhig , Brutus. Komm.” The dog quieted and trotted back to her, leaning against her leg.
“This is what happened,” I said, handing him the flyer I’d put into a Ziploc bag using cleaning gloves so I didn’ t get prints on it.
Trace’s brows lifted. “You a secret ex-profiler, too?” he asked, referencing Rhodes’ boyfriend, who had a past with the FBI.
I wanted to grin, but I couldn’t quite get there. “The extent of my knowledge comes from the handful of Criminal Minds episodes my little sister has forced me to watch.”
That had Trace grinning, but the smile died the moment his gaze hit the flyer. The fury and fear were back, and his attention cut to Arden. “You call—?” His focus flicked to me for a moment before returning to his sister. “Your contact?”
“Linc knows, Trace. I told him.”
His eyes went comically wide. “You told him? Everything?”
“Everything,” Arden said, exhaustion in the single word.
Trace studied me as if seeing me in an entirely different light. “All right. Did you call the marshals?”
She shook her head. “I’m not their problem anymore. You know that.”
A muscle in Trace’s jaw fluttered. “That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t want to know about this.”
“So they can…what?” Arden challenged. “Offer me a chance to start over again ? To lie to everyone in my life all over? No thank you. I’m not doing that.”
Trace’s fingers tapped his leg as if he were struggling not to fist them. “I’ll call my contact at the bureau and see if they know anything.”
Arden simply shrugged and bent to scratch Brutus between the ears.
Trace watched his sister for a moment before turning to me. “Walk me through it.”
I glanced at Arden before speaking, hating everything about her demeanor and wanting to do something to change it. But I was powerless. “I went by The Collective to check out the art. See if there were pieces I wanted to purchase for my new build.”
“When you went in, were flyers already on the vehicles?”
Good question. I mentally traced my path from my parking spot to the art gallery, trying to remember. “Yes. There were. ”
“Denver, Hannah, Farah, and Isaiah distributed them a little before noon,” Arden said, her voice completely flat.
Trace’s jaw tightened. “I need to know which one of them left the flyer on your vehicle.”
Arden’s back teeth ground together. “They went out as a group. I highly doubt any of them could’ve written that note without someone else seeing. Not to mention the fact that, if one of them wanted me dead, they’ve had ample time and opportunities to off me.”
Trace’s hand fisted then, fury grabbing hold. “This isn’t something to joke about.”
“I’m not joking. It’s a simple fact.” Little lines formed between her brows as she mulled that over. “A note like this doesn’t even make sense. If someone knows about my past and wants to harm me, why warn me? Now, I’ll be on guard. If they really wanted me gone, they’d have simply done it.”
Her words had a sick feeling churning in my gut. What was it like to forever wonder if you were in someone’s crosshairs as you simply tried to live your life? But Arden also had a point. “This doesn’t feel like the threat of a professional killer.”
Trace sighed. “No, it doesn’t. But until we know what it is, we need to take precautions.”
That had Arden sitting up straighter. “I won’t be kept under lock and key. Not again.”
Trace made a placating gesture. “I’m not saying you can’t live your life. But I think you should come stay with Keely and me.”
Arden’s eyes flashed, the violet engulfing the gray, and damn, it was good to see a little of her fire back. “I’m not staying with you.”
“Why not?” Trace pressed.
“It’s away from my workspace, my horses, my home. And if a psycho killer really is after me, do you honestly think I’d put Keely in that kind of danger? She’s never going through what I did. Never.”
Pain slid over Trace’s expression. “I’m sorry, Arden. I?—”
“It’s fine. I’m sorry I bit your head off.”
Trace’s shoulders relaxed a fraction. “You could stay at the ranch for a while. You know Mom and Lolli would love to have you. ”
Arden pushed to her feet. “Don’t you dare tell either of them about this. Or anyone else. You know it’ll make them sick with worry. And for what?” She ran a hand through her hair, tugging on the dark strands. “The more I think about the words…it was probably some prank. Kids getting their rocks off with some I-know-what-you-did-last-summer sort of jazz.”
That was certainly possible. Kids pulled knuckleheaded moves like that all the time. But it didn’t put me at ease. I wouldn’t be able to relax until whoever had put Arden in the crosshairs all those years ago was rotting in a cell where they belonged.
Trace scrubbed a hand over his stubbled jaw, suddenly looking exhausted. “Fine. But I’m not about to leave you alone out here. I’ll see if Leah can take Keely for a while, and I’ll stay.”
“No,” Arden said instantly. “I’m not stealing your time with Keels. You don’t get enough as it is. I’ll be fine.”
The pain lacing Trace’s expression told me custody of his daughter was a sore spot. “Arden?—”
“I’ll stay with you.” The words were out before I could consider the wisdom of them. There were a million reasons why I shouldn’t spend any more time with Arden than necessary. But I couldn’t stay away. Not before I knew what kind of danger she’d faced, and sure as hell not now.
Hell, I’d build her a goddamn army if I had to. Whatever it took to keep her safe.