There was a pause from Eastern. “Your teammate’s death?”
“Yeah. I feel like I was just getting to a good place. A place of accepting that his death wasn’t my fault. Allowing myself to move on. And now with his sister likely targeting me, probably because she blames me…” Fuck. He’d blamed himself since the day Dean had died. Granting himself peace hadn’t been easy.
“Jace, you’re right when you say his death wasn’t your fault. And if those messages on your phone were her, and she’s gotten it into her head that it was your fault, then that’shertrauma speaking. It has nothing to do with you.”
“But Elle could get hurt in the crossfire.” And that would confirm everything he’d felt for most of his life. That people in his orbit got hurt. His best friend growing up. Both his parents. Dean.
“Hey! Stop it. I can almost hear you blaming yourself,” Eastern said firmly. “We’re going to figure this out together. You hear me?”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, I hear you.”
“Don’t shoulder blame for anything that isn’t yours to carry.”
His jaw clicked. “Thanks, brother.” But it was easier said than done.
When he hung up, he didn’t move right away. Instead, he let the breeze run over his skin. Watched the branches move in the wind. He loved being home, but he hated bringing his past here with him. It was starting to feel like danger and loss would follow him forever. Haunt him. Maybe that was why he’d been somewhat withdrawn from Elle the last few days. He didn’t want to be, but he also didn’t want her to get hurt because of him.
He stepped off the skywalk. He was just nearing the visitors center, passing the parking lot, when he saw Casper in the parking lot.
Jace stopped. What the fuck was he doing here?
When Casper caught his gaze, the asshole smirked at him before lifting a coffee cup in a mock salute, as if to fucking brag that he’d just been in the café with Elle, before climbing into his car.
Thefuck? Had Jace’s warning to stay away from Elle not been fucking clear?
He watched the guy’s black Mazda drive away before covering the remaining distance to the café. The second he stepped inside, his focus beamed straight to her. She was standing at the coffee machine, facing away from him.
He crossed the space between them. Not caring that he didn’t work here and wasn’t supposed to be behind the counter, he stepped up to her back.
“Hey.”
She jumped and turned, her gaze colliding with his. “Jace. What are you doing here?”
“It’s two, your finishing time.”
Her brows rose, and she checked the clock on the wall. “I had a late break and lost track of time.”
There was something in her voice. Some sadness he didn’t like.
“I’ll just finish this coffee order,” she said quietly.
She turned back to the machine, but he touched her hip and lowered his head. “Are you okay?”
“Of course.”
He didn’t believe her. Her voice was too high-pitched, like she was forcing herself to sound okay when she wasn’t.
“I saw Casper leaving.”
Her body stiffened. He not only felt it beneath his hand, he saw it. “Yeah, he came in.”
“What did he say?”
She poured milk into the cup before sprinkling some chocolate on top. “It was nothing.”
It wasn’tnothing. The asshole shouldn’t have been here in the first place. “Tink—”
“I need to take this coffee out, then we can go.”
