“I think you’re right,” Brax finally says, and the last thread of hope I had left snaps. Because I wanted—no—I needed to be wrong. Hawk being a stranger would’ve been easier than this.
“Brax…”
“The list of people close to Chase isn’t a long one.” He shrugs. “For all you know, Hawk could be me.”
“It’s not.” The words leave my mouth without hesitation.
“You sure about that, kid?” His tone is empty, but his eyes carry hurt.
“I’d bet my life on it.”
“Hmm.” He sets the mug down, steps closer, and crosses his arms. “Are you gonna run, Erin?”
A tremor runs through my spine. “W-What?”
“When I get this son of a bitch, when the person who’s really been haunting Chase turns out to be someone he loves, and it breaks him. Are you going to bail?”
My answer is immediate. “No.”
He steps closer, searching my face.
“And what if,” he says quietly, “everything on that drive points to your brother being Hawk… Will you stay then?”
“I’ll stay.”
The house plunges into darkness.
I gasp as Brax’s face glows faintly from the flashlight on his phone.
“Power cut,” he mutters. “I’ll check the generator.”
“I’ll look for some candles.”
I hurry into the kitchen, using my phone’s light to guide me. I rummage through drawers, finding dish towels, batteries, and Legos until I spot a candle stash. All I need now are matches.
I open another, shining my light inside as I reach for the matchbox. When I remove my hand, a metal chain twists around my fingertips.
I hold it up to the light. It’s a gold necklace with a leaf-shaped pendant.
My breath catches.
It’s the one Laurel gave to Elliot
Red is smeared along the edge.
Blood.
A thud crashes in the living room.
I spin and sprint toward the sound.
No one is there.
Every nerve in my body vibrates.
An iron-tight grip clamps around my waist and yanks me backward. My scream lodges in my throat.
“I really wish you hadn’t seen that.”
