Chapter Fifty-Three
Elise
A few days later, the drive to Evan and Nora’s house felt shorter than normal.
Brady kept one hand on the wheel, the other resting near the center console. He wasn’t tense, exactly, but he wasn’t relaxed either. He was bracing.
“Who’s going to be there?” I asked.
“Just us, Bella and Drew, and Nora and Evan. No context.”
I watched the trees blur past in bands of sun and shadow. “Do you think this is about me?”
“No. If my family had a problem with you, we’d know. Subtle isn’t one of our strengths.”
“Then my father.”
“Maybe.”
“Or Keaton contacted them.”
Brady took my hand and gave it a supportive squeeze. “Maybe it’s time to be fully honest with your brother.”
“He won’t take it well.”
“We’ll win him over.”
“You sound confident.”
“I’m charming.”
“That may not be enough.”
“I’ll bring baked goods.”
A small smile tugged at my mouth. If anyone could disarm Keaton, it was probably Brady.
He pulled into the driveway. Bella and Drew’s vehicle was already there.
“Ready?” he asked.
I wasn’t. But with him beside me, the unknown felt survivable.
“As ready as I ever will be.”
The door opened before we reached the porch. Nora stood there, one hand still on the knob. “Hey, come on in.”
Evan sat at the table, looking better than the last time. His bruises had faded to dull yellow and blue, but every movement remained careful. Bella and Drew sat across from him. No one smiled.
Bella didn’t waste time. “Apparently this is our first official sibling summit. Across family lines, anyway.”
Drew leaned forward. “I called for this meeting after Dominic informed me that his people still have nothing.”
The name dropped like a stone. If Dominic Corisi’s network had found no leads, we were in deeper trouble than we thought.
“They’ve searched everything,” Drew continued. “More than a week and nothing solid.”
Evan’s jaw tightened. Nora’s hand found his arm.
Bella looked at me. “Have you found anything?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. I’m sorry.”
“Whoever did this was careful,” Brady said.
“Or protected,” I added.
“Or both,” Bella said. “Until we know otherwise, we assume none of us are safe.” Her gaze landed on me. “That includes you.”
Nora’s voice was small. “How are we this helpless?”
The frustration in the room was thick.
“We may be looking at the wrong point in the pattern,” I said.
Everyone turned toward me.
“What if Evan’s attack wasn’t the beginning?” I continued. “Even what happened to me in college. What if this really has been going on for a while and Evan was only the latest move in something that started decades ago?”
The room went still.
“The old feud,” Nora said quietly.
“Possibly.” I looked around the table. “We don’t need more current data. We need someone who knows where the story began. Sadly, my father has not been receptive to questions.”
“That’s the norm around here,” Nora said. “At least when it comes to fathers.”
Brady’s posture changed beside me. “I have an idea. We take our questions to the Oracle,” he said.
Bella pinched the bridge of her nose. “Brady, be serious.”
Evan snorted. “Of course he’s serious. This is Brady we’re talking about.”
Brady looked at me, completely unfazed. I nodded.
“He’s right,” I said. “Evie gave you my father’s name. She may be the only person who knows what happened far enough back to explain this.”
Evan leaned forward carefully. “People talk to her. She probably knows more about Firebrook Valley than Mabel does.”
“Don’t say that to Mabel,” Brady said. “It would be the end of cookies for you.”
Nora’s grip on Evan’s arm tightened. “My mother told Evie everything. If this reaches back that far, Evie might know.”
Drew exhaled. “Seeking her advice hasn’t exactly gone well for us before.”
“She told us not to come back,” Bella reminded everyone.
“That was before someone tried to kill Evan,” Brady said. “We bring respect. Flour. Coffee. Batteries. Feed. Things she can actually use. Then we ask. We keep trying until she decides to help.”
The table was quiet for a beat. Then Bella sighed. “Fine. We’ll go see the Oracle.”
Brady sat a little straighter. They were following him.
I reached under the table and squeezed his hand. He looked at me and squeezed back.
“I like the world when I see it through your eyes,” I whispered.
Color rose in his cheeks.
Bella stood, crossed behind him, and wrapped her arms around her youngest brother’s shoulders. “Me too.”
Evan leaned back carefully. “Consider yourself hugged by me also. I’m still too sore to stand.”
Brady laughed, embarrassed by the attention. But he didn’t pull away.