Hayes shushes him. Seeing Rudy fall apart and Bella crawl into Brodie’s lap, his eyes bloodshot from his own emotion, destroys me.
“No one could have stopped her,” Hayes says firmly. “This is no one’s fault but her mother’s.”
“Yeah, well, she’s grounded till she’s thirty,” Bella adds. “You hear me Erin Silver Callahan? Your ass is grounded for the next decade.”
An easy laughter bubbles in the room. It’s exactly what we need.
My girl’s going to be okay.
We spend another hour together—talking, laughing, waiting—while filling the room with positive energy for Erin.
Eventually, visiting hours come to an end. The nurses bring in a cot. I expect Bella or Rudy to take it, but they each hug me and say I’m who Erin will want to see when she wakes up.
I felt like an ass grinning, but I can’t help it. It’s reassuring that others know I’m who Erin will want.
I take a seat next to my sleepy girl when everyone leaves and hold her hand, bringing it to my mouth and placing a kiss on the inside of her palm.
“Don’t listen to Rudy. He’s the one that was getting worked up. Me? I’m as cool as a cucumber,” I say, hoping she can hear me. “And when you wake up, we’re gonna have a serious talk about you trying to be the hero. That’s meant to bemyjob. So, I need you to wake up now, baby, because I really need to see those pretty eyes smile at me.” My voice is desperate. “I need to hear your voice, sweetheart. Please?”
A knock at the door pulls my attention away from my girl. I look up and find Brax standing in the doorway, a rumpled shirt covering his torso and his hair sticking up in every direction.
He looks as if he’s been fighting ghosts the whole way here. That two-day stubble shadowing his jaw doesn’t help.
“How’s she doing?” he asks, shutting the door as he steps inside.
“She’s out of danger,” I say as he lowers himself into the seat on Erin’s right side. “The surgery went well. I just…need her to wake up now.” I brush my lips across her knuckles, still grasping her hand. “Brodie called you?”
He shakes his head. “Hayes. But I was already on my way.” He shifts his gaze to Erin’s monitor. “I’ve been tracking Clarissa Rose’s movements. I figured out she’s been staying in a motel. One of my confidential informants was keeping an eye on her. He notified me when she checked out. I went through her room and found a few things. Everything pointed to her heading to California. I was half way here when I got Erin’s text about being at your away game, and it wasn’t looking like a coincidence.”
My brows knit. “What did Erin’s text say?”
“She said she wanted to talk to you. And wanted me there.”
The locked door.
“How bad is it?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer.
“Brax,” I press. “How bad is it?” I repeat.
He drags his hand through his hair and sighs. “Chase, there is a lot to explain. The three of us need to have this conversation together.”
“I’ve been patient,” I say, trying to keep my voice in check. “I’ve been waiting for you to share whatever you’re hiding—ever since we watched the café footage. I know there’s more. I don’t want to go into this blind. Please, Brax. Throw me a bone.”
He studies me for a long second, then sighs.
“I met Erin when she was just a kid. I was seventeen. She would’ve been seven,” he says as he watches her. “It was a little while after my mom died. I’d gone with Emma to watch The Reds play in Ohio. We stayed the night at Erin’s mother’s hotel. The next morning, while Emma was in the car, I found Erin crying outside.”
My breath stalls. The hospital room tilts, and my body doesn’t know what to brace for next.
“We had ice cream,” he continues. “Sat on the wall until her mom came out.”
I remember that story. Erin told me while we were watchingThe Mighty Ducks.She never said who the guy was. Just that he was going to be a detective someday.
“I had no idea it was her,” Brax admits. “Not until her mom showed up and Erin told me her real name—that’s when it clicked.”
“Does Erin know?” I ask.
