"She says no thanks."
"Ask her if she's extended the search area, like I suggested."
Rolling his eyes, Cade dutifully typed out the message. Almost immediately, he reported, "Yes."
"Ask her if …"
"Tristan, I know you're trying to help, but Annabeth is really good. I'm sure she's got it covered."
"Fine," Tristan relented, dropping his head and feeling the frustration and helplessness blanket him until he couldn't breathe in the stale, heavy air of the cabin.
He stood abruptly. "I'm going to take another walk in the woods."
He headed toward the door, not bothering to see if Cade followed him. Once outside in the midday sun, he paused to breathe deeply, to inhale the autumn air, to angle his face to the sky, close his eyes, and feel the warmth touch his skin.
To pray to gods he wasn't sure existed.
Please let us find her.
He sensed Cade behind him and started walking, strangely pleased when he followed. Tristan traced a path similar to the one he had taken before, focusing on his surroundings, where he stepped, what animals he saw, what foliage he could identify. Being surrounded by nature calmed him little by little until his chest was no longer tight and his throat no longer constricted.
Cade followed silently, his steps surprisingly light for such a large man. Tristan didn't feel pressured to speak but was thankful for the company. He'd felt so isolated since this whole thing started, but Cade's presence was comforting. It made him feel like he wasn't as alone as he previously thought, as if someone else cared about Natalie, even if they didn't love her like he did.
When the quiet exploration forced the worst of his anxiety from his mind, Tristan turned back toward the cabin. He acknowledged Cade as he walked past but still felt unable or unwilling to speak.
Tristan showered, thankfully remembering to bring clean clothes with him. He felt numb as he went through the motions, too disheartened to even try to come up with ideas to aid the investigation.
In the kitchen, Cade shoved a bowl of tomato soup at him, and Tristan mumbled his thanks and ate it without comment, grateful that Cade only studied him quietly without breaking the silence.
After washing the dishes, he returned to the laptop and stared at the empty search bar for a long time.
He had no clue what to type.
Annabeth was already exploring every idea and angle he could think of, rendering him useless.
He leaned back on the sofa and finally accepted what he'd realized yesterday but refused to admit: there was nothing he could do right now to find Natalie.
The idea was both devastating and liberating.
He had no choice but to put his sister's fate into the hands of these strangers, no option but to trust that they were committed to finding the lowlifes who had her.
Tristan only hoped they were the white knights they claimed to be.
He was unaware of how long he sat there staring blankly at the fireplace, but it finally registered that he felt drained. His eyes and muscles screamed for rest, but more importantly, his brain and emotions threatened to crack if he didn't give them a break. His body and his mind needed time to reset and recuperate.
Cade was at the kitchen table, scrolling through his phone and looking bored and handsome and irresistible when Tristan closed the laptop and announced that he was going to take an afternoon nap.
Cade's eyebrows arched. "No more research?"
Tristan's eyes pivoted away from the other man, and the words seemed to sting his tongue and lips as he admitted, "Nah. I don't think … Nothing I can do is going to help anyway."
When Cade didn't reply right away, Tristan peeked over at him.
"Right?"
Cade pressed his mouth into a tight line before agreeing, "Probably not."
Tristan knew it was the truth, but a knot still clogged his throat. "Yeah. Well, I guess I'll just rest."
