Oh, sweet Jesus. She sucked in a deep breath before straightening. “I’m not coming home, Ross.”
“Fuck, Harper—”
“If Mom doesn’t want this to happen again, she should report the assault. If she doesn’t, then no one can help her.” Harper hung up before her brother could respond. There was no helping either of them.
Cody’s legsitched to get up and go to Harper. To make sure she was okay. Since the attack at the market, he’d barely left her side. And he wouldn’t. Not until they found her father. He’d briefly wondered if the attack in the alley had also been her father, but realized that was before Harper had shared her address with her old boss.
The last few days had been quiet. He didn’t even want to open the bar, but both Barry and Harper had convinced him he had to. And they were right. This was the only bar in town. People relied on him being open.
He was just finishing some paperwork when his phone vibrated with a call.
He leaned back in his seat, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he answered. “Nylah Walker, I was starting to think you forgot you had a twin brother over here in Misty Peak.”
His sister scoffed. “Forget you? The twin brother who didn’t let me so much as breathe without watching? There’s no forgetting you, Cody.”
Yeah, he’d always been a protector. All his brothers had. And he didn’t regret it for a second. “Is Liam still filling my shoes and watching out for you?”
“Uh, yeah. Yesterday, he demanded I take him with me to thegrocery store. I think it will take him a while to get over what happened after I moved here.”
Cody’s muscles tightened. An internet-based militia group had gone after Nylah in Cradle Mountain just days after her arrival, when she’d unknowingly IDed one of their leaders. And they’d gotten too close.
“Good. I know you can look after yourself, Ny, but having someone watching your back is never a bad thing.”
“Funny, that’s kind of why I’m calling. I haven’t been receiving my daily texts. It wouldn’t have anything to do with your new bartender, would it?”
Cody rolled his eyes at the teasing inflection in her voice. He’d mentioned hiring Harper to work behind the bar, but he hadn’t told his sister what had developed between them. “Who told you?”
“Told me what?”
The innocent tone didn’t quite come off. “Nylah…”
“Fine. Easternmay havementioned that you’re dating Harper…and that she’s in trouble. Is everything all right?”
Eastern…of course. Kayden was better at keeping things under wraps. “Yeah, we’re dating. And she’s found herself in a bit of trouble, but we’re looking out for her.”
“Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’s okay.” For now.
“And she’s living with you?”
One corner of Cody’s mouth lifted. “Yeah, she’s living in the apartment over the bar…for safety reasons.” Although, it wasn’t all for safety for him. In fact, she’d moved into his room—meaning, he got to hold her every night. Wake up with her in his arms every morning.
“Living together, working together, and you still like her. She must be special.”
“She is.”
There was a small pause, and when his sister spoke again, her voice was softer. “That makes me happy, Cody. You deserve special, particularly after the mess that was Vanessa. Is she leaving you alone?”
Nylah had never been in favor of that relationship, and when it had come out that she was cheating on Cody, his sister’s dislike of Vanessa had only deepened. “No. But I’m working on it.”
“Argh, Ihatethat woman. The day you parted ways was a good day.”
“Yeah, I should have ended things before she showed me her true colors.” Hell, he should have never dated her.
“But it sounds like everything’s worked out the way it was meant to. I knew it wouldn’t be long. You’re too much of a catch. Who do you think will be the next to partner up out of our brothers?”
Cody laughed. “Kayden and Eastern don’t seem close.” Especially Kayden. The man never dated. He had brief flings here and there, but he’d never once dated anyone long term.
