Chloe raised a brow at me as Brooke walked away without acknowledging me. “That was awkward.”
My chest tightened, and I grimaced, shifting to watch Brooke from across the pavilion. She was talking to Emily now, her expression more subdued than when I arrived.
“Want to talk about it?” Chloe laid her hand on my arm. “If not to me, then to Declan.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Obviously there is. Is it about her brother?” Chloe’s photographer gaze was too perceptive.
I rocked on my feet, wanting to run and escape the questions. I didn’t want to tell anyone about Brooke being my mate. If I did, everyone would push us together. It was better for me to watchher from a distance. Talking had only made things worse. We’d had an uneasy truce before, but now she couldn’t even stand next to me.
I made my excuses to Chloe and joined Gabriel and Luke at the grills. The smoke from them caught in my throat, and I cleared it as I kept Brooke in my peripheral vision.
Gabriel flashed me a grin. “You should have got here earlier. Manning the grill gives us an excuse not to socialize. Declan won’t let you stick around here for long.”
“Don’t suppose one of you would switch with me?”
“Not a chance.” Luke took a sip of his beer before flipping a burger. “I had to do the trail ride with Austin today. I deserve a break.”
I gave Gabriel a questioning look.
He shook his head. “I just don’t want to.”
I snorted. “Don’t blame you.” I saw Declan approaching out of the corner of my eye. “Better go, or I’ll get another lecture.”
I nodded at Declan and walked back into the crowd. A few of the female guests tried sending me flirty looks. As the only remaining single cowboy on the ranch, I ended up drawing more attention than I wanted. I found a group of male guests talking about that morning’s trail ride and joined them, answering their questions about the ranch and the horses. The entire time, I kept Brooke within my line of sight.
Every time her gaze met mine, she abruptly looked away, lips tight. She mostly spoke to the other mates and sat with Katie, Luke’s mate, when she got her plate of food. As far from me as possible. Laughter grated, feeling louder than it should.
I moved to the edge of the pavilion, leaned against a pillar, and watched her stand up from the table. An expression of fatigue or maybe overwhelm flashed across her face. She dropped her plate in the trash bin and shot a glance over hershoulder, scanning the crowd. Her gaze landed on me, and she sucked in a breath before turning and walking into the night.
My first instinct was to follow her, but her actions tonight clearly showed she wanted space from me. I needed to respect that. The second she disappeared from view, the decision felt like cowardice, but I still made no move to follow her.
I’d installed a few extra cameras earlier, pointing them at her cabin. Even when I couldn’t have eyes on her, I wanted her safe.
A voice in my head nagged me, telling me she would be better protected if I claimed her. Then I could keep her by my side. I dismissed it, knowing nothing had changed. If she learned the truth of that mission, she’d run far and fast and never look back.
Brooke
I glanced over my shoulder, making sure no one had followed me. The moon overhead lit my path, but the dark night still provided sufficient cover. I stepped onto the porch and twisted the doorknob, hoping it was unlocked. If not, I’d brought my lock picks, but getting in and out as quickly as possible was preferable.
The knob turned beneath my hand, and I let out the breath I’d been holding. When I was here earlier, I’d checked for a security system but hadn’t noticed anything. Still, I opened the door cautiously, ready to run if an alarm sounded.
Silence greeted me, and I entered, turning on the light. I had debated using a flashlight but opted for speed over stealth, not wanting to linger any longer than necessary.
I started with the bedroom. It was the most likely location to hide anything private. The room held an enormous bed of carved wood, a low dresser, and a pair of nightstands. I openedthe dresser drawers, carefully searching while trying not to put things back wrong. I suspected Mason would notice anything out of place.
The dresser held only clothes, so I moved on to the nightstands. The first one was empty, telling me which side of the bed was his. An observation that I slept on the opposite side as him flashed through my head, but I pushed it away. We would not be sharing a bed, so it didn’t matter.
I opened the top drawer of the second nightstand, sifting through his things. A prickle of guilt ran up my spine, but I ignored it. Vince had refused to tell me anything else over the phone, insisting I meet up with him. I didn’t trust him enough to do that. I needed more to go on.
I moved on to the bottom drawer, which contained only a stack of photos. The one on top was of him, his brothers, and an older couple I assumed were their parents. The man bore a distinct resemblance to Declan. Mason looked around fifteen in the photo, and a smile curved my lips. I flipped through the stack, which was a mix of his brothers and their mates.
Then my smile faded, and my heart ached as I flipped to the next photo.
Hands shaking, I lifted it. It was Mason and Aaron.
Aaron had his arm thrown around Mason’s shoulder, and the two were laughing. There was a lightness to Mason that he didn’t possess now. Aaron was just as I remembered him. They wore their uniforms and stood against a desert background, tents behind them. I wondered when it had been taken. Was it just before he died? Or months earlier?
