56. TESSA
TESSA
Ryker slumped at my kitchen table, a bag of frozen peas on his punched eye, looking less like the tough-guy big brother I knew and more like the scared kid who used to check under my bed for monsters. His beer sat half empty, probably warm by now.
In the corner, Jace was obviously trying to stay out of this conversation.
Currently, he was staring at my ancient refrigerator, the kind with manual defrost that occasionally made sounds like a dying whale.
The way he studied it, you’d think he was contemplating whether it belonged in a museum of American history.
“Jesus, Tessa.” Ryker’s voice was rough. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Are you kidding?” I gestured toward the front door, where he’d nearly killed Blake twenty minutes ago. “Exhibit A in why telling you anything is a terrible life choice.”
“I wouldn’t have beaten anyone up over you being sick.” He actually managed to look wounded.
“You’re a control freak, Ryker. The second I told you, you would’ve swooped into my life like some demented helicopter parent and tried to micromanage everything from my doctor’s appointments to what brand of toothpaste I use.”
“That’s not true.”
I cocked my head and channeled our mother’s patented really expression.
“Okay, fine,” he grumbled, “it’s true. But you still should have told me. I’m your brother, Tess. Finding out like this …” He shook his head, and the hurt in his eyes made my body ache.
“I know you mean well, but I didn’t have the capacity to manage your bulldozing skills. I had enough on my plate, trying to launch a business and juggle medical appointments.”
Ryker tossed the peas on my table, pushed to his feet, and started pacing, his tall frame making my kitchen feel suddenly smaller. Each heavy footfall matched the pounding in my head.
What ensued was a follow-up interrogation that would’ve made the FBI proud. More details around my symptoms. What tests had been run. Which doctors had I seen. Had I gotten second opinions? Third opinions?
Jace, meanwhile, was holding up a manual can opener as if it were an archaeological find. Our eyes met briefly, and he quickly set it down, returning his attention to the unfolding drama with the composure of someone used to high-stakes situations, if not outdated kitchen tools.
Blake remained surprisingly calm throughout the inquisition, respecting my need to handle this conversation without his doctor mode kicking in.
He only spoke up when Ryker fired medical questions his way, otherwise staying quiet, a silent pillar of support while I peeled back the layers of this mess for my brother.
That was, until we were almost done.
“There’s one more thing,” Blake said, his voice careful.
My stomach dropped. “Blake, don’t.”
His eyes met mine, full of apology and determination. “He deserves to know.”
“Know what?” Ryker’s pacing stopped dead.
“There’s nothing to know,” I cut in quickly. “It’s just a theory, and Blake’s the only one who believes it.”
“Actually, I’m not,” Blake said. “Another medical professional brought it to my attention first.”
“Why are you telling him this?” The words came out sharp. “Are you trying to wind him up?”
“Wasn’t that the point of this conversation? Getting your brother up to speed on everything?”
Betrayal burned through me, my hands clenching into fists. The rational part of my brain knew Blake meant well, but right now, that part was being steamrolled by the urge to throw something at his stupidly handsome head.
“Somebody had better tell me what the hell is going on right now.” Ryker’s voice had dropped to that dangerous octave that usually preceded someone getting their face rearranged.
“It’s just a slim possibility,” Blake hedged, choosing his words carefully. “But in covering all our bases, we’re currently testing for toxins in her blood.”
The kitchen went dead silent. I could practically hear the gears turning in my brother’s head as he processed that bomb.
“Are you saying that someone might be intentionally hurting my sister?”
“It’s possible,” Blake answered. “It’s also possible a toxin could have come from another source. We’ll know more once we have the results.”
“And how long will that take?” Ryker’s words came out harsh.
“We stopped at the lab before coming here. I put a rush on it. We should have results by end of day.”
“So, by tonight, we’ll know if someone’s intentionally hurting her?”
The tone alone came off like a death warning.
The way Blake’s jaw tightened sent a chill over my skin.
When he spoke, his voice was pure ice. “We will. And if it comes back positive …” He didn’t finish the threat, but his eyes said everything.
I’d seen that look before, in the ER when he was fighting to save me. It was the look that said he’d move heaven and earth to fix this.
What scared me most wasn’t the possibility that someone might be poisoning me.
What scared me was the knowledge that if those tests came back positive, I’d have two men—a brother who’d do anything to protect me and a doctor with a dangerous, dark side, who knew exactly which nerve endings caused the most pain—hunting down whoever was responsible.
And now, based on the way Jace was quietly locking eyes with the boys, I feared there could be a third hunter in the pack. One with virtually unlimited resources and connections.
And God help anyone who got in their way.