Page 73 of The Inquirer

“I don’t know why they wasted any time thinking the two of you did anything,” Isaac said. “It’s your cabins that are trashed.”

“Wait.” Bradyn’s eyes narrowed. “What about the main house? The barn?”

“Graffitied,” Isaac said. “But not broken into.”

Bradyn’s gaze met mine, and I saw my thoughts reflected there.

Shit.

“My parents told me there’s some lawsuit you’re investigating that has something to do with them.”

I turned to Isaac and tried to pretend that the hairs on the back of my neck weren’t all on end. “I am.” I glanced over to where the cops were walking toward a car that was coming up the driveway. “And I think Bradyn and I need to find out if anything’s missing from our cabins. See if it’s just vandalism or if we need to report a robbery.”

“I’m not going to let some lawsuit put my parents in danger.”

“I wouldn’t have gotten them involved if I’d known something like this was going to happen.” I hoped Isaac knew I was telling the truth. “Hell, I wouldn’t have been staying here if I thought it’d risk your parents.”

Isaac sighed, and he suddenly looked years older. “I know, Nyx. This racist shit just gets old.”

I couldn’t even tell him that it wasn’t about race, even if the vandalism was supposed to cover up a theft. Money or racism alone could be a motive for crime. Together, they were explosive.

“Let’s go see if anything’s missing,” Bradyn said. “Isaac, figure out what’s needed for your parents to be safe. Whatever it is, I’ll take care of it.”

It said something about how shaken Isaac was that he didn’t argue with Bradyn’s offer. Guilt twisted my stomach into knots, making me worry that if I tried to add to what Bradyn said, I’d throw up. It wasn’t as much the things that’d been done, but what could’ve happened if whoever it was had been angrier or hadn’t found what they were looking for.

Sure, it could’ve just been some assholes, but if I had to accept one more thing as coincidence, I was going to scream. My hands curled and uncurled, nails digging into my palms. I needed to move, do something. I started toward my cabin and heard footsteps a few seconds later. When Bradyn made it to my side, he slowed down and matched my steps. Neither one of us said anything until we got to my cabin.

“Want to do this together?”

“No. We should each do our own.” I turned, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me back to him, folding me into a hug.

“This isn’t your fault.” He kissed the top of my head. “Stop blaming yourself.”

“I’m working on it,” I said, pressing my face against his chest. “What really sucks is that I can’t wish that I hadn’t taken the case because these families deserve at least some sort of justice.”

And because I wouldn’t have met him.

But I wasn’t going to say that. It felt too selfish of me to be thinking about what I’d gained out of all this.

“I think you should go back to New York.”

I pulled back, and he let me go. “Say that again?”

“I can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt.” He’d lost all the ease that was usually on his face. He didn’t just look serious. He looked worried and angry. “You can give Min what you have, and I’ll send everything I find to you to look over for your case. I’ll find somewhere else to stay, and that’ll keep anyone from messing with you or the Huxleys.”

“No.” I didn’t snap at him, but I made the word as firm as I could. “I’m not running away. We’ll find out if anything’s gone, file a police report if we need to, and then we’ll make a plan. We see this through, and that’s how we’re going to protect everyone. We make sure whoever did this is exposed.”

I didn’t add that there was a good chance all this shit would be traced back to Bradyn’s family. We both knew it. It didn’t need to be said.

“Nyx, I–”

“When we’re done, I’m going to call the lab we sent your and Kathie’s DNA to and have them send a second copy of the results straight to Min at the firm, just so we’ll know there’s one that’ll be safe, even if the ones to you and Kathie get ‘lost’ somehow.” I looked back up the driveway to where a man in a suit was talking to the Huxleys. A detective, I assumed. “We’re going to need someone in law enforcement we can trust.”

Rather than arguing with me, Bradyn simply nodded. “I know who to call.”

Thirty

Bradyn

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