Chapter 28
Palmer
Two hours after the initial text with the picture of Roman, I was sitting in a leather desk chair in a private office tucked off the main hallway of the house. The room was nothing like the open living spaces. This one felt small and contained. There wasn’t even a window.
Multiple computer monitors glowed along one wall, cables snaking across the floor and into a rack of equipment that hummed quietly.
Fox sat at the center desk, shoulders hunched as lines of code and maps flickered across his screens.
August stood bent over his shoulder, one hand braced on the desk, speaking low and fast.
The rest of the brothers were scattered throughout the room.
Reid leaned against a bookshelf, arms crossed. Graham stood near the far wall, thumbs hooked in the pockets of his jeans, watchful and calm.
The man who’d arrived earlier stood near the doorway like a guard. His name was Garrison Locke, if I remembered right. I hadn’t talked to him since August introduced him when he arrived earlier in the day.
He was tall. Maybe even a little taller than August. Dark hair and eyes, with broad shoulders.
His arms were crossed over his chest, posture loose but alert.
Something about him radiated danger. A controlled and focused kind of danger, but threatening nonetheless.
If I hadn’t been told he was safe, I might have been afraid of him.
Maybe I still was. A little.
Fox still had my phone, so I had no idea how Roman was, but I assumed he was safe because no one had told me otherwise. At least, for now.
The panic that had started in the living room hadn’t left me. It had just settled deeper, a weight pressing in on my ribs.
The only time I’d felt even remotely calm was when I’d tucked Hailey into bed. I’d smoothed her hair back from her forehead and kissed her temple. I stayed with her longer than necessary, listening to her breathe. We hadn’t told her what was going on. She didn’t need that fear.
When I finally dragged myself from her side, August wanted to speak to me privately.
So now I was here in the office, fidgeting with the buttons of my cardigan, trying not to appear as scared as I was.
Fox said something under his breath, and August straightened.
Then he turned to face me fully, his expression carefully controlled. “We’ve decided we’re going back to Ember Hollow tonight.”
My heart raced. I opened my mouth, but August raised a hand.
“Roman is fine. We’ve talked to him, but we think it’s best to get back as soon as possible instead of waiting a couple of days from now.”
“Okay.” I kept my voice even. “When are you leaving?”
“Within the hour.”
I glanced between him and Fox. “Did you find anything from my phone?”
Fox leaned back in his chair and looked at me, steady and determined. “The messages definitely came from Ember Hollow,” he said. “We think Amos is there.”
My fingers curled into the fabric of my sweater. “Do you think the Shadow Stalker knows where we are right now? How did he get my number?”
Reid answered this time. “We don’t think he knows exactly where we are.”
“Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure.” Reid pushed off the bookshelf.
“Anderson could’ve found your number anywhere,” Fox explained. “Unless you try really hard to hide it, it’s fairly easy to find that information on the internet.”
That didn’t make me feel as reassured as he probably intended.
“If Anderson knew where this safe house was,” August cut in, “he wouldn’t just be sending messages. He’d be here, not in Ember Hollow.”
“So the house is safe?” I asked quietly.
“Yes, Palmer.” Graham nodded from where he stood near the corner, his face reassuring. “You’re safe.”
August gestured toward the man standing silently by the door. “Garrison is extremely trained and has been working in the security industry for years. He’ll make sure everyone in this house is safe.”
Garrison gave a nod, silent but unmistakably confident.
“And,” Graham said, continuing for August, “there’s a reinforced panic room in the basement. If there’s even a hint of trouble, everyone takes cover in there. No one from the outside can get into that room.”
Hailey would be safe here. These men wouldn’t leave their most precious companions in the hands of just anyone. I stared at Garrison, forcing myself to see past his initial standoffishness.
He locked eyes with me. “I’d rather die than allow anyone to harm a single person in this home,” he said, his voice low and rough and reminding me so much of Roman that my heart twinged. “You will be protected here.”
There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I would be.
The only problem was, I didn’t want to be here.
I looked back at August. “If you’re leaving,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt, “I want to go with you.”
August stiffened, his brows furrowing. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
I forced myself to stop my nervous fidgeting. I set my hands firmly in my lap and rolled my shoulders back. “I want to go back to Roman,” I said. “I need to make sure he’s safe.”
“Roman will be safe with us,” Reid said quickly.
“I’m sure he will,” I replied, clenching my back teeth. “But I’m not staying here after he was threatened.”
Silence filled the room.
August’s expression hardened—not in an unkind way, but more practical, like he didn’t have the time for this. “If you come with us,” he said bluntly, “there’s a chance you’ll be more of a liability than helpful.”
The words stung.
A liability. He might be right, but that didn’t change anything in my mind.
“I don’t care.” I lifted my chin. “I’m choosing to be with Roman right now. And if you don’t take me with you, I will find a way to get there myself.”
I had no idea how I would do that. I couldn’t even drive properly with my hands wrapped in bandages, but I refused to sit in a mountain mansion and wait while he was hunted by a serial killer.
Even if he didn’t want me.
The brothers exchanged looks.
Graham pushed a curl back from his forehead, thoughtful.
“If we bring you back with us,” he said carefully, “it’s important that you listen. If we tell you to stay somewhere, you stay. If we tell you to go, you go. No arguing.”
“Yes,” I said immediately. “I will do whatever you need me to do. I just—I can’t stay here when Roman is potentially in danger.”
The room went quiet again, but for the first time since all this had started, I didn’t feel afraid.
I felt certain.
August scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck and let out a long, heavy sigh. He glanced toward Garrison, as if he might have something to say that would stop me.
Garrison simply lifted his brows and gave a small shrug, like he didn’t see an issue.
August’s gaze shifted to Fox.
Fox had that barely there smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
August muttered under his breath, almost to himself, “Roman never said how feisty you could be.”
I blinked.
“Feisty?” I echoed, genuinely taken aback. “I don’t know about that…”
I had never thought of myself as feisty a day in my life.
“Roman took me off the street when I literally had nowhere else to go,” I explained. “He’s done so much for me in such a short time. I’m not going to leave him right now.”
August tilted his head as he studied me. After a long beat, he exhaled. “Fine,” he said. “You can come with us.”
My shoulders loosened.
“But,” he added, pointing a finger at me, “I can’t guarantee my brother is going to be excited to see you.”
Before I could respond, Graham spoke up in a gentle tone.
“Not because he wouldn’t want to see you,” he clarified. “But because we were supposed to keep you here where you’d be safe. Bringing you back might complicate things.”
A flicker of panic sparked. “This isn’t going to cause a problem for you guys, is it?”
August huffed out a breath that almost sounded amused. “Roman’s our oldest brother,” he said. “To be honest, we’re all a little afraid of him.”
Reid snorted.
“But I think we’ll survive this,” August continued. “We’ve survived him this long.”
Though a sliver of uncertainty curled in my stomach, I straightened in the chair. I had made my decision.
I was going back to Ember Hollow.
The drive seemed endless. It felt much longer than the trip to the safe house, that was for sure.
Before we left, the brothers had said their goodbyes to their partners before we left with quiet kisses, long hugs, and promises spoken low enough that I couldn’t hear the words but understood them all the same.
They were sweet men. Fierce and intimidating when they needed to be, but soft when it counted.
Still, being wedged in the back seat between Fox and Graham for hours wasn’t exactly comfortable.
Fox’s shoulder was solid against mine. Graham’s knee brushed my leg every time the SUV made a turn. Neither of them complained or made it awkward. They simply adjusted when they needed to and gave me space where they could.
I managed to stay awake for longer than I had on the way there, being hyped up on adrenaline and anticipation.
But eventually, even that ebbed away and no matter how hard I tried to stay awake, exhaustion won.
The hum of the road and the warmth trapped inside the vehicle lulled me into a shallow sleep.
“Palmer.”
Graham’s voice was soft and careful, breaking through the haze of sleep as he touched my shoulder.
I opened my eyes, disoriented. It was dark outside the windows, the world beyond nothing but shadow and the faint streetlight glow.
“We’re here,” he murmured.
My heart skipped.
Ember Hollow. We were home.
I straightened, neck a little sore as I tried to clear my head.
The SUV rolled to a slow stop in front of the bed-and-breakfast.
My breath caught as I stared out the tinted window at Roman standing on the porch.
His arms were crossed over his chest, broad shoulders squared, eyes locked on the vehicle like he’d been waiting all night.
Longing tugged at me at the mere sight of him. It was both a relief to see him, and a bit frightening. These feelings were almost too much. I wasn’t sure what to do with them.
August put the SUV into park and then twisted in his seat to look back at me.
“Why don’t you stay in here for a minute?” he suggested.
I frowned. “Why?”
“We should tell him you’re here first,” August said. “Prepare him a little before he actually sees you.”
My brows pulled together. “You didn’t tell him?”
Fox stared at me with his usual impossible-to-read expression. “If we had told him you were with us,” he said quietly, “he would’ve worried the entire drive. We figured it would be better if he didn’t know until he could see you.”
I wasn’t sure why that made my face flush. “Okay.” I swallowed hard.
August gave a short nod, and all four brothers climbed out of the SUV.
On Graham’s side, he left the door slightly cracked. Not open enough for Roman to see me sitting there, but open enough for me to step out quickly when they gave the signal.
I stayed where I was, and watched.
Roman didn’t move at first. His eyes were wary and cautious as they scanned each of his brothers while they made their way up the concrete path toward the porch.
August was the first to make it up the steps. He and Roman clasped forearms, and then pulled each other into a quick, hard hug. Reid followed, then Graham and Fox.
Roman gave them a brief, but genuine smile, relief evident in his expression and the language of his body.
For a moment, it was just the four of them standing together on that porch in the dim light from the sconces.
Then August stepped toward Roman, leaning close to speak low into his ear.
Roman’s back went rigid. His gaze cut sharply toward the SUV.
Disbelief and anger flashed across his face, but he didn’t move. He seemed almost rooted to the spot, staring directly at where I sat behind the dark glass.
August waved me forward, nodding. He was smiling, but it seemed strained.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed the SUV door open the rest of the way and stepped out into the cold air.
The chill hit my skin immediately, but I barely felt it as Roman focused on me.
For a heartbeat, neither of us moved.
I shoved the door of the vehicle closed behind me, about to make my way toward him, but he was faster.
He came straight for me.