Chapter 55
It’s late and I can’t sleep.
Roman is out cold on our bed, and Chase and I are on the floor beside him. Chase has his arms wrapped around me, his face nuzzled against my pillow, breathing slow against my skin. Usually, his hold is all it takes for sleep to pull me under.
But tonight?
Tonight, my mind won’t shut up.
Laurel’s words spin like a record player, looping louder and louder. They’re what pushes me to slip out from Chase’s arm and tiptoe across the room. At the door, I glance back, Roman a tired loaf in blankets and Chase unmoving on the floor. I slide out to the hallway before I second-guess myself.
It’s stupid walking the streets alone at three a.m. I know Chase will worry when he wakes up, but the noise in my head is too strong. The questions, the fears, the truth I’ve started to believe… I need answers.
The cold hits me the second I step outside, biting the tips of my nose and ears. I walk down the cobblestone path, the loose bits of gravel scratching beneath my feet as I cross the road and head to Brax’s.
I knock.
Heavy footsteps sound from inside.
The door swings open, and Brax’s exhausted face appears.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he snaps, irritation lacing his voice.
“Can I come in?”
He steps aside, but the way he glares at me, nostrils flaring, I can tell he doesn’t want to. The door slams behind me, and I gasp.
His living room is a chaotic mess, the result of a storm sweeping through. Drawers are dumped out, cushions are torn, and photo albums are scattered across every surface.
“Did he come back?” I ask, eyes darting across the room.
“No.” His voice is flat. “I was looking for something.”
“What?” I ask.
“I don’t know, but I’ll know when I see it.”
I head for the kitchen. “I’ll make some coffee, then I’ll help you look.”
On the kitchen table sits his unloaded gun, taken apart piece by piece. It doesn’t seem smart to have a dismantled gun lying around, especially when someone already tried to attack Brax, but the tight look on his face tells me it isn’t for safety. It’s for control.
For the next idiot who tests his patience.
I make coffee, walk back into the living room, and nearly trip over his laptop on the floor. That’s when I notice the thumb drive we gave him earlier plugged in, but the screen only shows a screensaver of Roman’s grinning face, ice cream smeared around his mouth.
“Thanks.” Brax’s hand closes around the mug I’m still holding. I release it, set mine down, and try to balance myself.
He watches me over the rim as he drinks. “What are you doing here, Erin?”
“I just want to talk.”
“Does the pretty boy know you left him?”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about what Laurel said,” I say, sidestepping the question because we both know I don’t need to answer him.
“Oh?” His eyebrow lifts.
“The person who made Laurel do this—Hawk,” I say, choosing my words carefully. “He’s not random. Whoever he is, he knows Chase personally. And he knows this town. People’s schedules.”
Brax’s stare intensifies, but he stays silent.
“Laurel said Hawk threatened to go to Elliot,” I continue. “But I don’t think the threat was really ever about hurting him.”
My voice shakes.
“Laurel agreed to help because she didn’t want Hawk going to Elliot at all. Not because she was afraid of what Hawk would do to him. I think she was afraid of what Elliot would do for Hawk.”
Brax’s expression doesn’t change as he listens to me.
“She knew,” I whisper. “If Hawk approached him, even without a threat, Elliot would agree to whatever he asked. Not out of fear. Not out of love for Laurel. But to protect Chase.”
My words hang in the air. The silence that echoes around us is haunting.
“I think you’re right,” Brax finally says, and the last thread of hope I had left snaps. Because I wanted—no—I needed to be wrong. Hawk being a stranger would’ve been easier than this.
“Brax…”
“The list of people close to Chase isn’t a long one.” He shrugs. “For all you know, Hawk could be me.”
“It’s not.” The words leave my mouth without hesitation.
“You sure about that, kid?” His tone is empty, but his eyes carry hurt.
“I’d bet my life on it.”
“Hmm.” He sets the mug down, steps closer, and crosses his arms. “Are you gonna run, Erin?”
A tremor runs through my spine. “W-What?”
“When I get this son of a bitch, when the person who’s really been haunting Chase turns out to be someone he loves, and it breaks him. Are you going to bail?”
My answer is immediate. “No.”
He steps closer, searching my face.
“And what if,” he says quietly, “everything on that drive points to your brother being Hawk… Will you stay then?”
“I’ll stay.”
The house plunges into darkness.
I gasp as Brax’s face glows faintly from the flashlight on his phone.
“Power cut,” he mutters. “I’ll check the generator.”
“I’ll look for some candles.”
I hurry into the kitchen, using my phone’s light to guide me. I rummage through drawers, finding dish towels, batteries, and Legos until I spot a candle stash. All I need now are matches.
I open another, shining my light inside as I reach for the matchbox. When I remove my hand, a metal chain twists around my fingertips.
I hold it up to the light. It’s a gold necklace with a leaf-shaped pendant.
My breath catches.
It’s the one Laurel gave to Elliot
Red is smeared along the edge.
Blood.
A thud crashes in the living room.
I spin and sprint toward the sound.
No one is there.
Every nerve in my body vibrates.
An iron-tight grip clamps around my waist and yanks me backward. My scream lodges in my throat.
“I really wish you hadn’t seen that.”
I gasp as a needle pierces my neck. A burning sensation plunges into my veins and then a numbing follows.
My limbs fall heavily.
The room shifts.
My phone slips from my hand and everything goes black.