“They found him. Oh good.”
Izzy shook her head. “It’s definitely not good.”
Cass wedged in the door crack beside her bestie—her friend who’d stuck by her through thick and thin, even without knowing why she’d left her brother at the altar. Just trusted she had a good reason and one day she’d explain as promised.
Joel carried Brady over his shoulder toward the first room down the hall. It wasn’t until he turned to enter the room that she understood Izzy’s comment.
Brady’s throat was rimmed with blood. She swallowed back the nausea swishing in her gut. “What happened?”
“Let’s go find out.”
Cassie limped behind Izzy down the hall to the first guest room in the row.
“What’s going on?” Penelope asked, popping her head out of the second-to-last room they passed.
“Just going to talk with Joel,” Izzy said.
“All right,” Penelope said, stifling a yawn, slumber in her eyes. “I’m going to lay back down.” She shut her door.
Cassie followed Izzy into the room.
Joel laid Brady on the bed.
“Shut the door,” Jayce told Iz in a flurry as he paced the room.
Okay. So not as calm and collected as Cassie assumed, but there was a man with his throat slit mere feet away. Not just a man but afriend. Tears welled in her eyes.
He’ddone this. Whoeverhewas.
How could he? They were all friends. Or so she’d thought. Her skin crawled. How many times had she been near him? Eaten with him? Gone on one of Iz and Talbot’s outdoor adventures with him?
What if it was one of Joel’s own family members? Scott? Lyle? Could one of them have done this to their friend?
“Cassie,” Joel said, striding over and bracing his hands on her shoulders. “It’s okay.”
“How can you say that?” She pointed at Brady’s lifeless body.
“We’ll get through this.”
And a stalker bent on killing him? How would they get through that? “You need to get a weapon and fast.”
He frowned. “What?”
“Weapons. On it,” Iz said, moving for the door. “Jayce, come help me.”
Jayce’s blond brows shot up. “Huh?”
“Come with me. Cassie needs to talk with Joel.”
“We can be here while they talk about Brady.”
“Now.” Iz tugged Jayce out by his ear, then popped her head back in.Tell him, she mouthed.
Joel furrowed his brows, not letting go of her shoulders. “Tell me what?”
“I...” Should she risk his life?
She closed her eyes. It seemed too late for that. Would he forgive her for not telling him? Not giving him a chance to fight with her?
