The words hang in the air like a noose. Behind me, Saint goes rigid.
“Careful,” I say quietly.
“Why? She already knows what you are. What we all are.” He flicks ash onto the ground. “Or are you playing pretend up here? Acting like you’re something other than Roman’s attack dog?”
“Watch your mouth.”
“Or what? You’ll shoot me too?” But there’s no real heat in his voice. Just calculation. Kade’s always been the smartest of us, the one who sees patterns where the rest of us see chaos. “I ran into Allie Porter yesterday. In town.”
Every muscle in my body goes taut. “And?”
“And she’s asking questions.”
“Allie’s always been suspicious.”
“Yeah, but now she’s organized. Got Emma Porter backing her. They’re planning something.” His gaze flicks to Saint again. “Your wife might want to reach out. Let her best friend know she’s alive and chose this. Before Emma decides to make it a Porter problem.”
The suggestion’s reasonable. Smart, even. It also means giving Saint access to the outside world, to people who might convince her to run.
“I’ll think about it,” I say, which means no.
Kade reads the refusal in my voice. His expression hardens. “This is what I’m talking about. You’re making decisions with your dick instead of your head.”
“I’m being strategic.”
“No. Strategic would be putting a bullet in her brain and leaving her body for the wolves to scavenge.” He pushes off the truck and moves closer. Close enough that I can smell the tobacco on his breath. “I agreed to help with this because you’re my brother. But whatever you think you’re building with her, it’s going to blow up in your face. You know that, right?”
“Maybe.”
“Not maybe. Definitely.” His voice drops. “Roman’s already suspicious about why your presence has been scarce. When he finds out the truth, he’s not going to buy the obsession story. Not completely. He’s going to wonder if you’re getting soft. If you’re a liability.”
The accuracy of the assessment stings. Kade’s right. This is a gamble. A desperate play that could go wrong in a dozen different ways.
“Then I’ll have to sell it well,” I say.
“Will you?” Kade studies my face. “Because I’m here, looking at you right now, and I’m already seeing cracks.”
“I can handle it.”
“I hope so. Sheriff is calling it a runaway situation, but Emma’s pushing for a real investigation. She’s got lawyers now. Money. Influence. And apparently, a cousin in the FBI who’s been seen around town.” He meets my eyes. “Just make this shit convincing.”
He climbs back into his truck, and the engine roars to life. The tires spit gravel as he swings around and heads back down the mountain. The sound fades slowly, swallowed by distance and pine forest until there’s nothing left but wind and the rapid hammer of my pulse.
I turn to find Saint staring at me, her face pale.
“Allie’s looking for me,” she whispers.
“Yeah.”
“I should call her. Let her know I’m okay.”
“No.”
“Calder.”
“I said no.” I start walking toward the cabin. “Kade’s right about one thing. If Emma Porter gets involved, this becomes complicated. We can’t risk it.”
She follows, practically running to keep up. “Risk what? Me talking to my best friend?”
