Kade shook his head along with the others.“I’ve been sensing something, too.”He was closest to Chloe, so he would know if she hadn’t been herself lately.
Archer and Owen chimed in with similar sentiments.
“Do you think there’s trouble brewing in her marriage?”Archer asked.
“We would be the last to know if there was,” Kade said.If she wasn’t talking to him, she wasn’t talking to anyone in the family.
Chloe returned.Conversation stopped.
She glanced at the faces in the room.Her red-rimmed eyes had everyone sitting up a little straighter, as though that would be enough to get her talking.
“What were we talking about a few minutes ago?”she asked.
Ivy pushed to standing.“Seems like this is ameproblem now,” she said.The walls that had come up between them might be his fault, but they stung.He hadn’t let his defenses down with anyone before.No one had the power to hurt him like she did.Precisely the reason he kept his guard up all the time.All the time.It was true, and he was tired from holding up what felt like the weight of the world.
“I appreciate your hospitality, but it’s time for me to go.”With that, Ivy walked out of the room.
Ivy heardBeau’s footsteps from behind.She probably shouldn’t walk so fast because, knowing him, he was determined to keep up.
“You don’t have a phone or any of your belongings.Where do you think you can go without help?”he asked from behind her.
Those might be valid points, but she didn’t hate them any less.She whirled around on him.
“You don’t have to do this.”She folded her arms across her chest.“You don’t have to help me.It’s clear that you don’t want me in the same room, so—”
“Did I say that?Because it couldn’t be further from the truth.”He stood there, mouth agape in obvious shock.
“You need time to process what you just learned, and my father is running out of time,” she said.
“You haven’t done anything stupid like I did,” he said.“Tracking them was a mistake that cost my mother her life.”Something stirred behind his eyes, but she couldn’t quite read him.The disbelief was obvious.There was another emotion present that she could pinpoint.And now that she really saw him, several other emotions joined them.There was more going on behind his eyes than at a fireworks show.
“I’m not trying to add to your pain, Beau.If anything, I’m letting you go.”Why did those words cause tears to well in her eyes?“You’re free from any obligation of helping me.”
“I wouldn’t do that.I wouldn’t help you out of obligation.”
“You’re an honorable person, Beau.”
“Believe me when I say that I’ve made my fair share of mistakes.I would never forgive myself for turning my back on you and your father.For reasons beyond both of our comprehension, our parents have a tie.My mother might be gone, and I might still be trying to wrap my mind around the fact, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have an interest in seeing this thing through.For one, my mother deserves better from me than to let her be buried in a shallow grave, only God knows where.”
Ivy’s cells wanted to hear that Beau wanted to be there for her because he couldn’t stand to be anywhere else.That wasn’t the explanation she’d received.His was right on point.Of course, he would want to see the men who had killed his mother arrested and sent to jail for the rest of their lives.He would want, noneed, to see justice served.Who could blame him?
“You deserve answers, and I wouldn’t think of standing in your way,” she said to him, rubbing her arms.The sudden chill in the room had very little to do with the actual temperature and everything to do with how cold she suddenly felt inside.“I’ll do my best to get out of your way.”
“What do you need from me?How can I help?”
“Arrange a ride back to Austin so I can get my purse.”At least then she’d have a means by which to pay for the things she might need.“I need to get to my car so I’m not dependent on anyone else.”
The emotion in his eyes now was distinct—hurt.
What did he want from her?He didn’t get to push her away and then act all hurt that she took the not-so-subtle hint.
“Okay,” he finally said.
“I like the drone idea.”
“So, do I.”
“Except, there’s no way they’ll be at that location now that they found your phone,” she said.“They had to know that you were tracking their location.”
