August looked away, frustration tightening his features. “It would’ve been nice to have a heads-up, at least. Being questioned was like throwing a stone at an already compromised piece of glass. It could shatter him.” His fists clenched.
A pang of guilt struck me like a punch to the gut, but I ignored it.
“Quinn didn’t want people to know.”
August’s face pinched at the mention of her.
“It took enough convincing to get her to make a report in the first place,” I explained. “I wasn’t going to talk about it if she didn’t want me to.”
August dropped his gaze to the floor, his body vibrating with tension. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. He shook his head, letting out a heavy breath.
“Just…if there’s anything else involving Jake or Emersyn,” he said, his voice rough, “come to me about it. Okay?”
He didn’t wait for a reply before pushing off the doorframe and walking out of my office.
I stared after him.
When had this happened?
I’d always thought of my brothers as my closest friends—my team. My anchors.
Now, I just felt…alone.
Just like I had when I left home to go to school and work in the city.
Maybe I’d always been alone.
And maybe I’d just been pretending I wasn’t.
15
Quinn
Itwasbarelymorningwhen I stumbled up to the front of the Hearthstone Security building.
Frost clung to the edges of every surface, glittering in the thin rays of dawn. I wrapped my arms around myself and blew out a long breath, watching it billow in the cold air. November was almost over, and the chill had settled deep into everything—including me.
The trial was set to begin at the start of January. It felt too close. So close my stomach knotted, thinking about it.
I stared at the office building, unsure how I’d managed to let myself get talked into this.
For days, I had been avoiding Graham, immediately regretting my decision to let him teach me self-defense. The last thing I wanted was to be that vulnerable around him again. But Graham could be almost as stubborn as I was.
He hadn’t let it go.
Now here I was, freezing in the pre-dawn light, lamenting every decision that had led me here.
I stifled a yawn, my breath hitching as my ribs twinged. The pain from the bruising had gotten better every day since the attack, but I was still sore. Which was another reason I shouldn’t be here.
As a vehicle pulled into the parking lot, I tensed. It drove into a spot near me, and I recognized the shape of him behind the wheel.
Graham grinned when he exited his car, but I didn’t return it. I was too busy shivering. I’d walked all the way from the bed-and-breakfast. It wasn’t far, but far enough to make me question my sanity.
“Remind me again why we’re doing this so early on a freaking Saturday?” I muttered, my voice muffled by the scarf I had pulled up to my chin.
Graham approached, wearing a dark sweatshirt and gray athletic pants. I tried not to stare. I’d never seen him so casual before. Even the morning I’d woken up in his house, he’d already been in his usual slacks and button-down. Seeing him like this, relaxed and human, sent a slow heat curling low in my belly. One I immediately pretended didn’t exist.
His mouth pressed into a tight line. He pulled a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the front door. “This was the only time I could guarantee no one else would be in the building.”
