Watching her like this does something strange to my chest.
She doesn’t rush mornings. Doesn’t move like someone who’s already thinking about ten different things at once. She just stands there, breathing in the cool air, letting the world wake up around her.
After a minute she nudges my arm lightly with her elbow.
“You’re brooding.”
“I’m drinking coffee.”
“Same thing with you.”
I huff out a quiet breath that might almost be a laugh.
She studies me for another second, her eyes narrowing slightly like she’s trying to read something on my face.
“What’d Mason want?” she asks.
I glance down at her.
The question doesn’t come out accusing or suspicious. It sounds casual, like she already expects the answer to be something boring.
Part of me considers lying.
Another part knows she’d see through it in about five seconds.
“Riot’s tracking Voss,” I say finally.
The shift in her body is small but I feel it immediately. Her shoulders go a little tighter, and she stares out across the pasture instead of looking at me.
“He find him?”
“Working on it.”
She nods once and lifts her mug again, but I notice the way her fingers tighten slightly around the handle.
Silence settles between us again for a few seconds.
Then she exhales slowly.
“You’re thinking about going after him.”
It isn’t really a question.
I look out across the field, watching the sun start pushing through the fog along the fence line.
“Yeah.”
She’s quiet beside me for a long moment after that. Then she says softly, “Cole…”
I turn my head toward her. Her eyes finally meet mine. “You can’t go getting yourself killed over me.”
Something in my chest tightens immediately. I step a little closer without thinking, lowering my voice so the words come out steady and certain. “I’m not getting killed.”
She searches my face like she’s trying to decide whether she believes that. “What about the guys who were with him?” she asks.
My jaw tightens slightly as the memory flashes again. The bruises. The way she tried to act like it didn’t hurt. “They don’t get a pass either,” I say quietly.
Rae studies me for another second. Then she sighs softly and bumps her shoulder against mine again. “You’re stubborn.”
