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If Mr. Prescott has skeletons in his closet. I’ve got an army of them in mine. And I’m determined to make sure no one who matters to me gets caught up in that web.

Zane follows the road around until his headlights hit the front of my dark cabin.

“So this is the place, huh?” Zane asks. “Funny, I was picturing more flowers outside.”

I snort. “Wait until the spring.” After climbing out of the truck first, I reach out and offer Dahlia a hand. She’d remained in the middle seat the entire drive home, her thigh brushing against mine. Something I was beyond grateful for despite my better judgment. Because having her close eases a bit of the panic brewing in my chest.

I’ve never been one to worry. Things either work, or they don’t.

I either live or I die.

But having her life in my hands gives me a whole new purpose.

A new mission.

And I’m determined not to fail.

Mav and Zane climb out, and Zane grabs hold of the bags I carried through the woods. Then, together, we make the short walk up to my cabin.

The moment I push the door open, I know something is wrong.

Because the scent of peppermint—even faint as it is—hits my nose. Reaching out, I flip the light on and find myself staring into eyes so familiar it hurts.

I haven’t laid eyes on Presley Granger for twelve years.

Yet here he sits, on my couch, like he owns the place.

A familiar grin spreads over his face, and he cocks his head to the side, arrogance dripping off him. “Hey there, Big Brother. Long time.”

Chapter 20

Dahlia

Until this moment, I wouldn’t have thought a man of Ryker’s size and background could look intimidated. But as he stands here, staring at the dark-haired man who just referred to him as “big brother”, intimidation is all I can see.

His shoulders stiffen, and he straightens to his full height.

Even Zane and Mav look put off. Surely they knew Ryker had a brother, right? Aren’t they all close friends? Both of them move in close, flanking Ryker and blocking me from the sight of the man currently seated at the table.

“What are you doing here, Presley?”

I move a bit to the left so I can see around Zane.

“Can’t a guy just check in on his brother?” he asks.

“Not when that brother hasn’t checked in for over twelve years.”

Twelve years? What kind of family goes twelve years without seeing each other? I know Ryker said they’d had a falling out, but was it truly that long ago?

“It’s kind of hard to send a postcard when you never gave me a forwarding address.”

“Last I heard, you’d settled down in some small town near the White Mountains. Or was that just another rumor?” Ryker asks, his tone sharp.

“Last I heard, you’d lost your government job and were running private security.” He leans to the side and locks gazes with me. “Hey there, Dahlia.”

“Don’t talk to her,” Ryker snarls, his hands clenching into fists.

“Oh, come on now, Big Brother, I’m here to make peace, not war.”