Knox had the hard look of a man who’d done serious time. Sunken cheeks. Perpetually pinched mouth. And Britt? Well, except for the mean-looking scar that zigzagged across his temple pseudo Harry Potter-style, Britt looked like the kind of guy she might let buy her a drink at a bar. He was handsome in an understated way that made a woman feel simultaneously intrigued and safe.
Of course, when he got close enough, she realized he wasfarfrom safe. His expression might be polite and easy, but the harsh flash of his eyes was neither. And when he slipped through the gate after it clanged open on its track, the shift of his muscles assured her there wasn’t a hint of softness about him.
Except for maybe the curling of his lashes and the full, almost pouty curve of his lower lip.
She expected him to smile, hug Knox, and welcome them in. When he did none of that, when he simply tilted his head to the side and said lowly, “Hello, brother,” the sour taste of fear filled her mouth.
Or, more accurately,refilledher mouth. She’d been terrified for the last two days. Ever since those three men burst into Cooper’s house and dragged them into the back room kicking and screaming.
Well, to be clear Knox had been kicking. Cooper had been screaming. She’d simply twisted against the heavy hands that had grabbed her arms. She’d been too shocked to kick, too stunned to scream.
“Hey, little brother,” Knox said now. “How ya been?”
“Livin’ the dream.” Britt’s piercing blue gaze slid from Knox to Sabrina. He didn’t try to hide the speculation and the calculation in his eyes, and she suddenly felt like an insect pinned to the corkboard of some kid’s science fair project.
Had Knox been too quick to believe his brother would help them? Had they made the journey for nothing? And if they had, what next? Canada? Mexico?
Her mind jumped from one worst-case scenario to the next until the seconds slowed and became small eternities wherein she wanted to scream. Wanted to cry. Wanted to run in front of the next city bus because then she could stop being so scared, so horrifically sad, so?—
“Who’s this?” Britt inquired of his brother, but he was still eyeing Sabrina. It was clear he expected her to answer.
She swallowed and extended a hand. When he accepted it, he must have felt how much it shook because his eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and a look of unease tightened the skin across his face.
“Sabrina Greenlee,” she whispered, wondering if she looked as bad as she felt. Because shefeltlike a colony of vampires had snacked on her, drained her of all but the last of her life force. “Nice to meet you. Knox has told me so much about you.”
“Well, that makes one of us,” Britt said, and something softened in his face as he watched her will herself to keep standing. Then his nostrils flared as he turned back to his brother. “So, you want to tell me what this sudden visit is about?”
“I do.” Knox’s arm once more went around her shoulders. His subtle, not-so-gentle squeeze told her to keep it together for a little longer. “Invite us in, and I will.”
Britt hesitated. Not for long, but it was enough time for Sabrina to catch the subtle flex of his jaw.
He doesn’t want us here,she admitted with a sinking sensation.
Then, she breathed a sigh of relief when, with a dip of his chin, Britt said, “Sure. Come on in.”
He went to turn away, but Knox stopped him with, “Hold on. Don’t I get a hug?”
When Britt swung back, he wore an expression Sabrina couldn’t read. Seriously, the man epitomized the phrasepoker face.Then he stepped forward and pulled Knox into a hug.
She moved aside to give the men room but didn’t move so far away that she missed how Britt closed his eyes when he held his brother close. Nor did she miss the look of resignation on his face when he pulled away and turned for the gate.
She understood.
Resigned is how she would describe her relationship with her own brother. It’s what happens to a person when they’ve been disappointed repeatedly. It’s what happens when hope dwindles to disappointment and eventually melts into a sort of apathy.
How many times had she begged Cooper to straighten out his life? How many times had he promised he would only to call her in the middle of the night to tell her he’d been arrested?
She’d bet Britt had experienced the same.
Except…the difference between her and Britt Rollins was that Britt might still get a chance to see his brother make good. She never would.
Cooper was dead.
Dead.
No, not just dead.Murdered.
Don’t think about it.
