Page 159 of Heart of Frost and Scars

“I’m with Kody on this.” Leo’s two different colored eyes bore into her, then me. “When we need therapy, we’ll let you know.”

“Don’t pull away from me.” She reaches for his fist on the table.

He doesn’t move his hand. But he doesn’t unclench it, either. “Are you with us? Or him?” He tilts his head toward me.

“I’m in a relationship with you.” She grits her teeth. “But we’re all in this together.”

If she keeps her promise, she won’t be having sex with them.

“What about you?” she asks me. “Are you going to get help?”

I could lie and win some points with her. But she deserves the truth. “I’ll try.”

She sighs. “I guess that’s better than an outright no.”

“I’m going to check on Kody.” Leo starts to stand.

“I’ll do it.” I push away from the table and leave the room without waiting for a response.

Making a detour to my office, I grab a photo from my desk. Then I head outside in search of my sulky brother.

Brother.

He doesn’t trust me. Why should he? Our family history is a toxic bloodbath of pain and deceit.

But he’s still my brother, and I owe it to him to try.

“Stanley.” I approach one of the security guards. “Can you locate Kody?”

With a nod, he speaks to his team through his earpiece. Then he meets my eyes. “North shore, sir. The quiet side, by the rocks.”

“Thank you.”

Quiet side. We all need one of those, don’t we?

A few minutes later, I spot him at the water’s edge, a brooding silhouette against the endless expanse of gray-blue ocean.

He’s a dark figure, dangerous and unapproachable, much like our father. But there’s something different about Kody, a rawness, a depth of emotion that he hides beneath his hardened exterior.

It’s easier, somehow, to think of him as my brother, despite the fact that he’s tangled up with Frankie. Maybe because I see in him a reflection of my younger self, struggling to find a place in a world that’s been nothing but cruel.

His stance is as unyielding as the rocks around him, his eyes fixed on the horizon, lost in an internal battle.

He doesn’t turn as I approach, though I know he’s aware of my presence. For a while, we stand in silence, the only sounds the rhythmic lapping of waves and the distant cries of gulls.

I’m about to speak, but words seem inadequate. Instead, I reach into my pocket and pull out the photograph.

The edges are worn, the image faded, but the girl in it is vivid.

“This is for you.” I hold the photo out to him. “It’s the only picture I have of your mother. I thought you should have it.”

Kaya was sixteen in the photo, beautiful, with a wild, untamed look in her gaze. Just like Kody.

He takes the photo, his fingers brushing against mine. As he studies it, his expression empties, but I see the quick light of emotion in his eyes. Sadness, anger, a longing for a past he never got to experience.

“I never knew her.” His finger traces the lines of her face, the only connection he has left of her. “Denver took that from me.”

“I know. I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry for everything.”

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