CHAPTER 2
BRAM
Half an hour later, we’re all seated around the dining room table, Axel at one end with Lanie on his lap and Gray at the other. Colt is to my right, with Dane sandwiched between him and Gray. Elias and Ford sit opposite us, looking more amused than worried.
I wish like hell it could stay that way.
But then Axel clears his throat and the chatter around the table dies. “All right, Bram. You called this meeting, so the floor is yours.”
No point in beating around the bush. “This afternoon in town, I ran into Josephine Mercer.”
A heavy silence falls over the table, broken only by Gray’s sharp inhale. “You saw Josie? Did she see you?”
“She did. And she recognized me.”
A litany of swear words makes its way around the table as Lanie stares, wide-eyed. “Um, who is Josie and why is she making everyone say naughty words? Is it like when Auntie Gray sees Sheriff Donnelly and she gets that look on her face?”
Our niece’s observations of my sister’s feelings toward the sheriff usually bring me no end of joy, but tonight I can’t find it in me to laugh. “No, sweetheart. It’s… complicated.”
“Lanie baby, can you go sit in the living room for a few minutes? Daddy needs to talk to your uncles and Auntie Gray about something.”
“But I’m part of the family, too!”
Axel’s smile is tight around the edges. It took us no small amount of tears and pain to convince Lanie she was part of this family and here we are, kicking her out of a potentially life-changing conversation. “I know, little one. And I promise I wouldn't ask if it wasn’t very important. Can you be a big girl and trust that Daddy is telling the truth?”
Clearly sensing there’s something big going down, Lanie doesn’t argue further. “Okay, Daddy.”
“Good girl. Can you carry your hot chocolate yourself or do you need me to carry it for you?”
Sliding off his lap, Lanie rolls her eyes, her Little girl persona slipping as she grabs her mug from the table. “I’m notactuallytwo years old, Axel. I can carry a cup.”
Axel raises a bushy brow. “Clearly I didn’t spank you hard enough earlier if you’re feeling brave enough to be that sassy with me, little girl.”
Pink blossoms on her cheeks. “Sorry, Daddy.”
“Much better. Go sit on the big couch and I’ll come get you when we’re ready.”
Mug in hand, Lanie makes her way out to the living room, but not without casting a final worried look over her shoulder.
When she’s out of earshot, Axel blows out a breath. “We have to tell Lanie the truth.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Eli asks, his brow furrowing. “She isn’t exactly known for keeping secrets.”
“We’ve never asked her to,” Colt points out. “And if we tell her how important it is for her to keep it, I think she will.”
“Are you willing to stake our lives on that?” Dane’s voice is even quieter than usual.
From her spot at the end of the table, Gray looks up, meeting my eyes for the first time since I dropped the Josie bombshell on everyone. “Do we really have another choice, though?”
Dane frowns. “Of course we do. We just tell Lanie it’s grown-up stuff and not to ask questions. She’ll listen if we do that.”
Snorting out a laugh, Axel shakes his head. “She might, at first, but she’s going to get curious. And she isn’t going to just let it go.”
“And it isn’t fair to ask her to.” Ford’s response draws a growl from Dane, but he only shrugs. “It isn’t. We brought her into this family, which means we owe her the truth about how much danger we’ve put her in.”
“Ford is right.” Gray is still staring at me, her dark eyes full of swirling emotions I haven’t seen in years. Of all of us, she suffered the most when we left, and the thought of putting my sister through that pain again threatens to tear my heart right in two. “Lanie is one of us now. Regardless of what we choose to do about Josie, she deserves to be a part of the conversation.”
Looking around the table, Axel nods and rises from his seat. “I’ll go get her.”
