The sight of her standing there, radiant and alive, stirred something within me. It was a flutter of awe that had little to do with her body and everything to do with the incredible, strong person she was.
I reached for her hand. Our fingers laced together like it was the most natural thing in the world, as I led her downstairs.
We heard the low murmurs of my brothers’ voices before Palmer and I stepped through the arched entryway into the kitchen.
All four of my brothers were there waiting for us.
August leaned against the counter with a mug of coffee. Fox and Graham sat at the kitchen table, eating some toast. Reid was near the far side of the room with his phone pressed to his ear, his voice low and gentle enough that I was almost certain he was talking to Lark.
The broken dishes from last night were gone. The cabinets that had been damaged were already repaired. The back door had been cleaned up, though the shattered window now had a solid board fastened over it.
If it weren’t for that board covering the glass, I might not have guessed there had been a break-in at all.
August straightened as we walked deeper into the room, and the rest of the room quieted as my other brothers’ attention came to us. August glanced between me and Palmer.
Yeah. They definitely sensed something had happened between us last night, but I wasn’t going to acknowledge it with them right now. It was none of their damn business.
“Want something to eat?” I asked.
She shook her head. Though she probably should eat something, I didn’t push her. We had other things to focus on. I sat next to her, and locked eyes with August.
“So,” I said, “what’s going on?”
Then his gaze moved across the room, briefly checking in with the rest of our brothers. The atmosphere in the kitchen shifted, something uneasy settling over the space.
“I scanned the house last night,” Fox said. “Found something.”
I leveled him a look, trying to hide the rising anxiety. “What was it?”
“He left a bug.”
I cursed. “Where was it?”
He jerked his chin toward the lower kitchen cabinets beside the sink. “Under the lip inside of the cabinet. Just below the counter.”
I looked back at August. He could be as good as I was about hiding his feelings, but I sensed his stress rather than saw it.
“Is that all?”
One bug wasn’t that big of a deal. There had to be something more.
Graham fidgeted in his seat, expression tight. “No, that’s not all.” He pulled something out of his pocket, placing it on the table between us.
My stomach plummeted. It seemed simple, a piece of folded cardstock, but I’d seen that before.
A cold wave of dread rolled through me as I reached for it and turned it over, revealing the butterfly sticker.
I flicked the card open, and the handwriting inside was unmistakable. Enough to make every muscle in my body lock up.
You left your door open, Roman.
Next time, I’ll take the girl.
My pulse roared in my ears as the meaning settled in.
Palmer.
Every instinct screamed to destroy it, to crush the card in my fist, tear it into a hundred tiny pieces, burn it, pretend it had never existed.
