Chapter 16
Brax stood outside Raleigh’s closed door. He brought his hand up to knock. Then put it back down again.
Every instinct he had told him to barge inside and apologize for being a jerk. Would she even want to talk to him at this point?
Jerk was probably too nice a word for how he’d acted in the heat of the moment. To make matters worse, he’d heard about her grandmother’s place being ransacked and could only imagine how much that ripped her heart from her chest.
He picked up his fist and tapped on the door.
“Who is it?” Her voice was steady. Was she covering?
“Brax.”
“Go away,” she said, still steady.
He expected and deserved that.
“Or, how about I come in and apologize? Either that or I can stand here in the hallway and shout it out,” he said.
The door fired open, but she blocked the entrance with her frame.
“Say you’re sorry and get it over with,” she demanded, all steadiness gone now. There was nothing but fire in those emerald eyes, fire and betrayal.
“I am. Sorry, that is. And I realize how much of a jerk I was earlier. I don’t want to drive a wedge in our friendship over my family situation.” Situation wasn’t nearly strong enough a word for what he was going through but he wasn’t one for dramatics.
“You were a jerk, Brax.” She shot him a hurtful look that nearly brought him to his knees. “But, right now, I have bigger problems than losing a friend.”
The word, friend, didn’t seem quite right to describe his feelings toward her. But this didn’t seem like the time to hunt for a better noun.
“I’d like to help,” he said. “And I hate what happened to your grandmother’s place. I know how much that home and the belongings inside mean to you.”
He wasn’t trying to manipulate his way into her room by saying the right words. This was truth as he saw it, plain and simple. But those seemed to resonate.
She spun around until her back was flat against the door, and then she sank down until she sat on her bottom. Her gaze unfocused like she was searching inside herself for a memory.
“I miss her so much,” she said, looking like she was struggling to keep it together. Seeing the fiery redhead at her breaking point was a face punch.
“I know,” he reassured.
“The thought of losing what little I have left of her is kicking my behind, Brax.” She didn’t look over at him.
There was nothing he could say to make her feel better on that front. All he could do was be there for her. He’d had his world turned upside-down too.
At least he had his brothers. She needed a friend.
He sat down beside her.
“I know,” he repeated.
“It’s not a fan. I don’t care what Hardy believes,” she said.
He noticed her suitcase out on the bed, looking like she was packing up.
“I was told Sheriff Lawler was bringing in a bomb sniffer. He doesn’t believe it’s a fan either if that makes you feel any better.” Brax overhead a couple of bandmates talking on his way in to find Raleigh.
“Did you know my business manager is being hauled in for questioning? They caught him at the border, as in heading to Mexico.” She folded her arms and stared at the ceiling. “How do we pick up the pieces now?”
“When I was little and the world felt like it was crumbling, my mother used to remind me that there’s a season for everything.
I live it every day here at the cattle ranch, and yet I still forget,” he said, remembering how wonderful a mother he’d had in Lucia Firebrand.
She’d always put her children’s needs first and he was no exception.
“She’d tell me winter means spring is near. ”
“I remember her telling me the same thing when I came home for Nana’s funeral.” She leaned forward, hugging her knees into her chest. “It actually helped a lot.”
“There were plenty of times her saying has come to mind over the years,” he admitted, thinking about the countless times his mother had comforted him or intervened on his behalf with his father—a father Brax wanted to strangle at present, which was exactly the reason to avoid to man.
Not that Brax needed a reason. The two rarely saw each other while working the ranch, save for calving season.
Even so, there were plenty of hands around for Brodie Firebrand to make scarce.
In the past week, Brax could count the number of times his father had grunted a hello at him…
one. He’d be offended but his father treated everyone the same.
Brax wasn’t sure why his mother put up with the man all these years but she had to have her reasons.
But this wasn’t why he was sitting here next to Raleigh.
“Since the whole bombing incident, life has been surreal. You know?” She glanced over at him and his heart ached for her.
“I can only imagine what that must feel like,” he said, wishing there was something more he could do. He’d never felt so helpless in his life and it wasn’t a feeling he cared to repeat anytime soon.
“It’s just starting to sink in that someone is seriously trying to hurt me and the guys,” she said. “I know I didn’t do anything personally to make someone angry enough to blow us up.”
“What about Wade? We already know he was cooking the books,” he said. “It’s possible he believes he was about to get caught.”
“And that meant he wanted to erase me and the band so he could…what…keep all the money for himself?” She shook her head. “You think you know someone and then something like this happens.”
“People show you the side they want you to see.” Despite considering himself a good judge of character, folk slipped through the cracks sometimes. It didn’t happen very often but was always a gut punch when it did.
“I knew he was bad. That’s the most frustrating part,” she said. “At least at his job. We were just always so busy and things seemed to be humming along. We always made payroll, so no red flags came up.”
“You didn’t realize he was capable of criminal acts and attempted murder,” he clarified.
“No. Nothing like that. I shouldn’t have taken Sharon for her word. The thing is, I trusted her. She talked me into giving him a chance.” She quickly added, “And I know she would never have asked me to take him on if she thought he was capable of anything like this.”
“Let’s hope he is the man law enforcement is looking for. He’s in custody and it’s only a matter of time before he talks,” Brax stated.
“If he does.” She seemed to have her doubts.
“A non-career criminal should crack under the pressure of an interview with skilled law enforcement.” As much as Brax didn’t want Raleigh to walk out the door, she needed this nightmare to end. “I’ve seen Sheriff Lawler in action. He’s one of the best.”
“I hope so. We need to make music. We need to get out on the road again and finish our tour.” She visibly shuttered at the last part.
“Why tour?” He couldn’t help but ask.
“For our fans and because we made commitments that none of us take lightly,” she said, and he could see her defenses rising.
“Do you want to get back on the road?” he asked.
“That’s not the question.” She rubbed her arms. “We have a responsibility to our fans.”
Brax noted the fact she used the word, we. Had she buried her own desires in life behind the band’s success? Was there anything left for her?
A board creaked in the hallway. The sound of footsteps coming toward them set off a wave of panic in Raleigh. What now? More bad news?
Raleigh stood up with help from Brax. She planted her feet, readying herself for whatever might come next.
It was Buck and he held a dish towel up to his nose. Blood soaked the rag.
“What happened?” Raleigh immediately moved toward him. Or, more importantly, what had Kenny done now?
Brax must have been thinking the same because his hands fisted at his sides and she noticed his back teeth clenched as a jaw muscle ticked.
“Had a disagreement with Jake,” Buck said.
“You mean Kenny?” she asked for clarification.
“No. Jake.” Buck stopped and checked the rag. His nose was busted up. “Look at that. The bleeding is better.”
“Let’s go downstairs and get you some ice first,” she said.
“I wanted to be the one to come tell you what he said,” Buck stated as they all moved down the hallway.
She nodded.
“His exact words were, ‘Y’all will get what you have coming.’” Buck stopped the second Raleigh put her hand on his arm.
“It’s an indirect threat,” she said, looking to Brax for confirmation. Jake? Never in a million years would she believe Jake was capable of a bomb threat, or any threat to be honest.
“I don’t know if he was talking out of his backside because he was angry or if he means it and has plans to follow through,” Buck said. “Considering what’s been going on, I didn’t think it was my place to take a chance.”
“Where is he now?” Brax ground out, his jaw muscle ticking again.
“He shoved me and took off running,” Buck admitted, and it looked like it pained him to do so.
“I’m sorry this happened,” Raleigh said. A shot of adrenaline coursed through her veins.
“Wasn’t your fault. I underestimated him. That’s on me.” Buck compressed his lips and shook his head. “It’s not a mistake I’ll make again.”
“Remind me about his background.” Raleigh knew when she hired Jake that he came from a troubled background.
They reached the bottom of the stairs and to a quiet kitchen. She went to work fixing an ice bag for Buck with ice cubes from the freezer and a baggie supplied by Brax. She had to admit that the two of them worked together like a well-oiled machine.
“He suffered physical abuse from his mother’s many boyfriends before the age of ten years old.
The state took him away from his home and he was moved around in foster care.
The reports came in that he was a good kid but didn’t ‘bond’ with any of the parents or family members in any of his new homes.
He never made it more than six months before his mother would clean up her act and the state would send him back to her,” Buck stated.
“If you ask me, she did more harm than good.”