Wraith nods, already heading towards the front door. I have no idea what to even expect from inviting my brother right into the lion’s den. Or maybe it’s a haven. I don’t fucking know.
By the time we step onto the front porch, Boone is there, sitting in his car like a statue. After a moment, he turns his head, and his face relaxes slightly when he sees me. He steps out of the car, glancing around before walking forward.
“I don’t think anyone is following me, but what if they were?” he asks.
“Let them follow you here,” Wraith says. “It’ll be the last thing they ever do.”
“Why did you fucking take off, Boone?” My voice cracks with the fear I’ve been holding in for hours. “Do you know how worried I’ve been?”
Snow is falling and the chill in the air is fierce enough that I shiver.
Wraith’s hand moves to my back. “Let’s go inside and talk.”
Nodding, I turn and follow him, pausing to wait for Boone. Once inside, the three of us stand in silence until Wraith speaks.
“Want some tea or coffee, Boone? Something warm?”
He nods. “Um, I could use some food too, if you have any. I’ve been driving around for hours. I was too afraid to stop.”
I frown but purse my lips together to avoid scolding him.
“Yeah, we have food. Come on.”
Wraith leads us through the house to the kitchen. Boone is looking around, wide-eyed.
“You live here, Wraith?”
“I do. Not alone.” He smiles. “My brothers live here too.”
“Brothers? How many do you have?”
“A lot.” Wraith chuckles. “I can make you a sandwich, or if you need something heartier, I’ll get one of the guys in here to cook.”
“A sandwich is fine,” Boone says, leaning against the massive island in the center of the kitchen. “Thank you for letting me come here.”
“Of course,” Wraith says. “I’m glad you called your brother.”
I watch Wraith hunt through the fridge for sandwich fixings for a minute, but then I focus on Boone.
“Where did you go? You left the rental and went north. I thought you were going to the cabin.”
“I was.” Boone frowns. “I stopped for gas and got spooked. There was this guy paying too much attention to me. I couldn’t figure out how he’d know where I was, but I didn’t want to take any chances so I left the car and took off on foot for a few hours. I watched the car, and once I was sure no one was following me,I got back in. I’ve been driving all night. I didn’t know where else to go, so I called you.”
“That was smart,” Wraith says, slathering mayo on some bread. “If someone was following you, you threw them off. You threw us off too.”
“What do you mean?”
“We tracked you. Well, the car. We knew you were heading east again but not where to. You made the right choice coming here. We’ve learned some things about your former boss.”
“Before we get into that,” I say, “Can you tell me why you fucking took off in the first place when we told you we were gonna help?”
Boone frowns, but nods as he slides onto a stool. “I went outside for a walk, right? I had to get out of the room.”
Wraith slides the ham sandwich forward along with some chips. Boone smiles in thanks, picking at a chip.
“I fucked up,” Boone says softly. “Like I always do. But this time I was taking other people down with me. Wraith was willing to fuck up his whole life to save me, not to mention what it would do to you. Again.”
“Boone—”
