Page 52 of Searching for Valor

chapter

eighteen

The moment Rhiannonstepped through the command center’s doors and Zak saw her tear-streaked face, he knew the visit hadn’t gone well.

Pierce hurried to her and cupped her face in his hands, wiping away her tears. A whole conversation seemed to pass between them without words or signs. She curled against his chest and sucked in a shaky breath, seeming to draw strength from him as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

Zak gave them a few moments together, letting Rhiannon pull herself together before he asked the question he already knew the answer to. “He wasn’t receptive to your help?”

“No.” She sniffled and lifted her head from Pierce’s chest. “I’m scared for him, Zak. Really scared. He told me he didn’t want me there. That he didn’t need me.” Fresh tears welled in her eyes. “He’s still drinking. He reeked of it, and I saw an empty bottle of bourbon under his chair. That close call didn’t stop him, and when I called him out on it, he said it was just an accident. He claims he’s only had a few drinks, but…“

“It’s never only a few,”Pierce signed and met Zak’s gaze. They were both recovering addicts and knew how slippery thatslope from one drink to full-blown addiction was. And Rylan was right there, sliding toward rock bottom.

Zak’s heart sank. He’d hoped Rhiannon would be able to get through to her brother, but it seemed Rylan’s walls were higher and thicker than ever. “I know. That’s why we tried the intervention yesterday.”

“Which only made things worse,” Rhiannon said bitterly. “You ambushed him and made him feel attacked. Of course he lashed out and pushed everyone away even harder. Why didn’t you come to me sooner? God, why didn’t I see it sooner?”

“Don’t start blaming yourself,”Pierce signed.“You’ve been busy with the school.”

When Rhiannon moved to Steam Valley to be with Pierce and learned there wasn’t a school for deaf or hard-of-hearing students anywhere in the county, she’d decided to open one. She’d thrown herself into it with a single-minded focus that must run in the Cross family gene pool. Rylan was the same way, which meant he would throw himself into his self-destruction with the same whole-hearted zeal he did everything else.

“Well, I should have made time. I’m his sister. I should have noticed he was slipping.” She gave Pierce’s chest a shove, but there was no real heat behind it. “And don’t think I’m not mad at you, too, mister. If you had talked to me about it, I could’ve told you an intervention wouldn’t work.” She broke away from Pierce’s embrace to pace the command center restlessly. “My parents and I tried that the first time, and he shut down, ran off to LA, and we didn’t see him for years. We had to hire a private investigator to find him, and when we did… he was nothing but a skeleton living in a tent on the streets. We almost lost him. If we’re not careful, we will this time.”

Pierce moved to intercept her pacing, grasping her shoulders gently.“Hey, look at me,”he signed and waited for her to do so.“This isn’t the same as before. Rylan’s in a much better placenow. He has a wide support system, people other than you and your parents who care about him like family.”

“People he’s currently pushing away,” she said miserably.

“You’re right. The intervention was a mistake. We should have talked to you first,” Zak said and ran a hand over his hair. “I just... I found him there in his living room with the booze and pills, barely conscious, and I panicked. When he woke up, I wanted to stop it before it got worse. Before he manages to finish the job.”

“I know.” Rhiannon’s voice softened. “But confronting Rylan head-on like that... it’s the surest way to make him dig in his heels and refuse help. You only made it worse.”

And he’d kicked Izzy out, worried she’d make things worse.

Zak’s chest tightened as he watched the anguish play across Rhiannon’s face. He knew how much Rylan meant to her, how deep their bond ran. The thought of losing him again, of watching him sprint toward that dark cliff once more, was clearly tearing her apart inside.

“Hey, we’ll figure this out, Rhee. Rylan’s not alone in this fight. He has all of us in his corner, whether he wants to admit it or not. We won’t let him fall.”

Pierce nodded in agreement, his hands moving fluidly as he signed.“Rylan is stubborn as hell, but so are we. We’ll keep showing up, keep reaching out, until he’s ready to accept our help.”

Rhiannon drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, visibly trying to collect herself. “All right. We need a new approach.” She worried her bottom lip between her teeth, her brow furrowed in thought. “Maybe... maybe instead of all of us ganging up on him at once, we take turns. Check in with him individually, let him know we’re here without overwhelming him.”

Zak considered the idea. Would it work? He had no idea. At times like this, he’d usually turn to Rylan for help. Which maybe was part of the problem. They all always turned to Rylan for help. The man had been there for them countless times, pulling them all back from the brink with his steadfast support and unwavering faith. Now it was Zak’s turn to return the favor, but he felt woefully ill-equipped for the task.

Rhiannon’s plan was better than nothing. Rylan was more likely to let his guard down one-on-one than with a group. And if they coordinated their efforts, made sure someone was always keeping tabs on him…

“It could work. We’ll have to be careful not to smother him, but if we’re subtle about it… yeah, it could work.”

“Before we do anything,”Pierce signed,“run the idea by Shane. As his former commanding officer, he knows Rylan better than any of us. Arguably even better than you, Rhee.”

She opened her mouth like she wanted to protest that fact, but then must have thought better of it.

“You’re right,” Rhiannon conceded with a sigh. “Shane’s got a read on Rylan that the rest of us can’t match. I’ll give him a call, see what he thinks.”

Pierce stopped her before she could pull out her phone. “Tomorrow. The damage is already done for tonight. Let’s sleep on it and come at it fresh in the morning.”

Rhiannon hesitated, clearly wanting to take action now, but then nodded. “Okay. First thing in the morning, I’m calling Shane.” She sagged against Pierce, looking utterly drained. “Can we go home now? I just... I need to not think for a little while.”

Pierce pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.“Of course, love. Let’s get you home.”

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