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Torin. Fuck!

His ice-blue eyes lock onto mine with the exact same stunned recognition.

“You,” is all I manage to get out as we stare at each other.

Torin rubs a hand across the back of his neck. “Yeah. Me.”

Briggs looks between us, a questioning line appearing between his brows. I wait for the interrogation, my stomach knotting up even tighter. But instead of asking awkward questions, he just says, “Okay. I take it from the tone that everybody already knows each other.”

An excruciatingly deafening silence reigns for what feels like the longest three seconds of my life.

I close my eyes briefly, reflecting that this is exactly the sort of stable, controlled environment every woman doesn’t need while investigating her missing sister.

Torin exhales through his nose. “Me and Laurel met on the plane.”

Briggs looks from Torin to me, then back again. "The plane?"

Across the table, Ashby leans back in his chair and studies us both. He doesn't interrupt. He doesn't rush to fill the silence. He just watches, which somehow feels worse.

"The plane?" Ashby says at last.

Torin drags an uneasy hand across the back of his neck. "Yeah."

Briggs shakes his head once.

I can't decide which part of this is worse: the fact Torin knows who I am, or the fact I somehow have to explain how to these people who loved my brother, with whom I have also consorted with abandon.

"Well," Briggs says, a hand raking his hair, "that explains a few things."

"Does it?" Ashby asks, sounding skeptical.

Briggs shrugs. "Okay, maybe not for you."

Ashby's gaze shifts between me And Torin, thoughtful rather than judgmental.

"How long have you known?" he asks Torin.

"Since the Timberline."

"And you chose not to mention it."

The statement comes out mildly, which is exactly how I know Ashby's annoyed.

Torin huffs a laugh. "I was trying to figure out how best to explain about meeting Ben's sister on a plane and immediately making, shall I say, somewhat questionable decisions?"

"Fair," Briggs says.

I listen in silence, watching their faces, slowly realizing with some amazement that no one is mad at me. What the hell is it with these guys?

Ashby nods. "Thank you, Briggs. I value your understanding."

"To be clear," Briggs continues, "I wasn't defending you."

That earns a reluctant grin from Torin.

Ashby rubs his jaw, still looking between us. "I leave town for a few hours, and it seems like everybody suddenly has history with Laurel."

I’m mortified, heat flooding my face again.