I had her, she was right there. She looked at me, sheknewme.
At least I can tell the guys, without any more doubt. She’s alive, she’s here, and now nothing can stop us from bringing her home.
When I make it back to the house, I’m surprised to find all three of them still awake. A random comedy movie is playing on the TV with all of them glued to the screen. It’s like… nearing one in the morning. What the fuck are they doing?
I never bothered to text them about what happened, knowing full well they would need to see the sincerity in my eyes. So, I know they aren’t waiting for me. Letting out a huff of hot air, I close the front door and dramatically lean back against it. The move does exactly as intended, drawing all of their attention, but none of them say a word. I guess it’s better that way, I’m still stuck in my head, playing on loop the moment she looked at me.
For all the crap I’ve given Ryder and Max this past week in regards to their sightings, I’m now in the position I had been poking fun at. Except this time Iknowthat it was her from the very moment I called her name and she stopped.
“Hey,” I call as I walk to one of the chairs. “We’ve gotta talk.”
Kade and Max share a look of confusion, their eyebrows scrunching together, before they look my way again. Settling farther into his seat, Ry grabs the remote, turning off the TV.
“What’s up? How was the club?” asks Kade.
“Oh, uh, fine. You know how Steven is. Drunk, single, still dancing like a dork… the usual,” I tell them, waving off the actual party part of the night.
“Yeah… cause that doesn’t make it sound like you hated every second…” Ryder’s eyebrow raises as he shares a look with Max and Kade. “So… if it’s not that… then what exactly do we have to talk about?”
My spine slumps, sinking me deeper into the chair as I exhale a large breath. These three before me, I would give my life for without thought. I would do anything they asked of me, without a single question. So why is it so damn hard right now to get the words “she’s here” to come from my throat.
They’re all staring at me, waiting for an answer, and my knee begins to bounce from the sheer anxiety I feel at telling them. “Bear’s alive, and she’s here in Miami.”
My hands run through my hair as I rest my elbows on my knees. My cheeks puff out, blowing out an exaggerated breath. Raising my eyes shows me three very distinct, very characteristic expressions from each of my brothers.
Ryder looks as though he just woke up on Christmas morning. Gleeful with a mix of relief and sadness thrown in. Max is trying his best but still has an expression like he’s going to cry. Him being the very first to see her, and then lose her, this must be toying with every emotion he has. He truly thought he was going crazy when he saw her on the beach that day. Kade still looks confused, and knowing him as well as I do, I would wager it’s computer related. More than likely wondering how she managed to slip through all of his monitoring programs. Honestly, I’m sort of wondering that myself. Kade is one of the smartest people I know, if notthesmartest, and his skills with hacking are unmatched.
“You’re… certain?” Kade drawls, his tone dripping with reservation. He shuffles in his spot, sliding forward until he’s able to meet my gaze around Max’s big head.
“Positive,” I begin. “We were up in the VIP loft for the night, and I was at the railing watching Steven dance like a fool with this blonde. When I scanned the crowd, I caught sight of this bombshell crossing the floor towards the bar. Naturally, I was intrigued, there was this allure towards her that I couldn’t place, like a magnet drawing me in. The second she rounded that corner and I saw her face, there was no denying it was her. At one point she felt me staring and we locked eyes, I thought that would make her stay, so I ran down to her.”
My head throws back and I close my eyes. I’m getting a freaking headache just thinking about all of this again. The way she looked at me, the fear and sorrow I swear I saw.
“It could have just been a—”
“No,” I stop Kade’s sentence, shaking my head vehemently. “Knowing how she is and what you guys experienced, I figured there was a possibility she was running from us. If it were me, the first thing I would do if I didn’t want to get caught would be to leave the building. So, I headed for the exit. I managed to find her again outside, and when I called out for her by her nickname… she actually stopped. Her whole body went rigged, like the name scared her or something. That’s when she looked back at me finally, and for a moment…”
My lungs inflate with the largest breath I can manage. This is not a memory I like to see of the girl that I love. The way her eyes drooped and her body deflated. Like she would rather have an asteroid strike the earth than to converse with me.
Ry, Kade, and Max have all subconsciously leaned forward. Drawing in to me like I’m pulling them by an invisible thread or dangling candy in front of their faces. They’re waiting for me to continue, and when Max’s patience wears thin, his hand starts to wave in front of him.
“And?!” He gestures wildly, as if the answer is going to determine his fate.
“For a moment… she looked scared of me. Like just the sight of me near her was causing physical pain, and then she just… ran.”
“She ran?” Ryder asks. His head cocks to the side while his hand rubs at his eyes.
“Yup! High-tailed it the fuck outta there. I tried to keep up with her, even just to see which direction she was headed so I could search in that area. But I lost her within ten minutes,” I say, a smile creeping along my face remembering how fluidly she got away from me. “She’s still fast as hell, took off like a bullet and never lost momentum.” Even though she got away, and I don’t know why she’s avoiding us, I’m still proud as fuck. Our little Bear, still the speedy track star, just like she was as a child.
“So, what do we do now?” Ry stands, pacing the length of the room and rubbing the back of his neck.
“I’ll tell you what we fucking do!” Kade jumps in and literally catapults off the couch. “We find her! Knock on every hotel, every lodge, every Air B&B if we have to. Day or night, we don’t stop. Not until our Bear is home!”
My eyes dart between my brothers, as they do the same. It seems that without any discussion, we’re all in agreement. With a single nod at each other, the plan is set, and our convictions the same.
It’s time to go get our girl.
Chapter Ten
