Just when I expect him to snap, he presses his lips together and sighs. “I want you to understand you can say all of it. Or none of it,” he adds, his voice almost gentle. “This team works because when one of us has a problem, we all have a problem. You might think you’re keeping us at arm’s length, Raelynn, but when you needed help, you came here. So stop with the ‘I got no right’ bullshit and let’s get to work.”
All I can do is nod. Shock muddles my thoughts until Ryker takes me by the shoulders and turns me back toward the couch. “Sit. While Wren does a deep dive into Nash Grace’s background, tell us everything you can remember about the guy who tried to kill him.”
Nash
I flip the last breaker and hold my breath. The overhead lights flicker briefly before there’s a loud pop and I’m left shrouded in semi-darkness lit only by a battery-operated floodlight in the corner of the basement.
“Shit.” I shouldn’t be working with electricity, but what the hell else am I supposed to do? Duncan hasn’t called me back, Raelynn is still God-knows-where, and I have no idea who she’s talking to or what she’s telling them.
It doesn’t matter that she can take care of herself. That she tackled the gunman like a professional football player. If he works for the DeLuca family, he’ll be back. And he’ll bring friends.
Kiki meows from the stairs. He darted inside as soon as I unlocked the door. Raelynn’s going to be pissed. Though I found a delivery from the local pet store on her porch when I got here, and the new litter box is all set up in the corner of her living room.
“I know. I’m an idiot,” I mutter. “I should get in the car right now. I could be in Coeur d'Alene by dinner.” With another meow, the sleek black cat turns and races up the stairs, leaving me all alone.
I sink down onto one of the storage trunks along the west wall. Coming here was a mistake. The more time I spend with Raelynn, the more I want to stay in Seattle—long term. By tomorrow morning, will I be able to let her go?
You have to. She deserves so much better than a guy whose entire life is a lie.
The truth hits me like a tidal wave, pulling me under and sapping the strength from my body. I slump back, wishing I’d never left my apartment the night of the storm.
But then…what would have happened to Raelynn? Alone with a busted bike, a sore shoulder, and a fear of thunder and lightning?
“You can wish all you want, but what’s done is done. It’s up to you now—what you do with the life you have.”
One of Frank’s favorite sayings. Especially when I was a kid. Mad at the world. At him. At my parents. At…myself.
I have to stop wishing and start doing. Leaving is going to hurt, but it’s the only way to keep her safe. Pushing to my feet, I make it two steps before I remember the blown circuits.
It’s barely noon. Disconnecting the heater won’t take me long. I can fix what I broke and still be on the road in half an hour.
As I reach for a screwdriver, my phone rings. I don’t recognize the number. “Hello?”
“This is Duncan.” The connection crackles, but even after all these years, I recognize his voice.
“It’s…uh…your nephew from Chicago.”
He pauses, static the only indication the call hasn’t dropped completely. “Shit. This is a secure line, kid. What’s wrong?”
I tell him everything. Except there’s not much to tell. The hit and run in the parking lot of the hardware store could have happened to anyone. And despite Raelynn’s take on the shooting, maybe the guy was just a robber looking for an easy target.
“Am I overreacting? It’s been twenty years. Why would they come after me now?”
“Are you somewhere safe?” Duncan asks.
My mind is still racing through all the different ways the DeLuca family could have found me. Not a single one of them makes any sense.
It’s only when Duncan says my name that I realize he asked a question. “I think…yes. I’m safe.”
“Good. That’s a start. I can send a marshal to your location, but I’d rather keep this ‘off the books.’ I’m in Italy with my wife, and it’s almost 8:00 p.m. here. I can book a flight first thing tomorrow. Where are you?”
“Seattle. Should I leave? I can start driving right now.”
“No. As long as whoever shot at you this morning doesn’t know where you are, stay put. It’ll take me at least eighteen hours to get to you, but once I’m there, we’ll figure this out. Together.” His voice takes on that patient, placating air all fathers seem to master—though I don’t think he has kids of his own.
The low-level panic I’ve carried with me for the past few hours starts to fade away.
Duncan promises to call when he lands, and after I apologize for ruining his vacation, his voice softens. “Frank would never tell me much about your life, Nash. We both agreed it was safer that way. But I never forgot about you. I’ll see you soon.”
