Page 77 of Into the Light

“Yeah?” Walsh inquired.

“I want to stop the spring bonfire tradition for good.” I swallowed, thinking of what this could’ve done last year.

Walsh looked at me and nodded to respond to Pico, but his gaze never left mine. “I agree.”

His tone was suddenly far more somber, and I knew he knew more.

“Pico”—I turned toward the man next to him—“I think we can hash out the details on how to get the guys together later. If you wouldn’t mind letting Walsh and I have a few personal words.”

Pico agreed. “I’ll just be waiting outside.”

Pico slid me one of his Glocks, and I slid it behind me on the booth just in case this conversation took a turn.

If Walsh was nervous, he didn’t show it. As Pico walked away from us, he extended his hand to him. “I look forward to hearing from you.”

Pico looked down at his hand and then back at me, and I shrugged.

“You too, man,” Pico finally said, and shook his hand before heading out of the diner.

“How is she?” Walsh muttered, and I leaned back in the booth, because talking about a business I didn’t give a flying fuck about and talking about Ember were two different things. I felt protective, fearless, and I also knew that Walsh was withholding a secret from both of us. A secret that he’d tucked in for a while.

“You should ask her,” I said.

“I tried. She came to see me—”

“I know.” I refused to cede control of the conversation. Leaning across the table, my elbows supporting my weight, I locked eyes with Walsh.

“Walsh, don’t misconstrue my attempts to end this as kindness or gratitude. I’m doing it so that I can move forward with your sister. Because I fucking love your sister and I want nothing but her happiness.” His expression tightened.

“But let me be crystal clear. I’m well aware you’re keeping something from us. Ember knows it, too. Your silence speaks volumes. Neither of us understands why you won’t open up, but we have his phone now. Our IT team is looking into it. If you’re involved in any way, I’ll find out.”

Walsh audibly swallowed, mirroring my posture by leaning over the table.

“Tell Ember that she only needs to know thatIcan’t tell her,” his voice barely above a whisper, “but the answer is there.”

I rolled my eyes. “You need to figure this out before our meeting with our parents. It will resolve a lot of problems for all of us. It will also give them the look that we are a united front. There should be no secrets moving forward..”

This time, desperation laced his tone, as if he clung to a deep secret he wanted to bury.

“I can’t.”

“Just answer me, were you there?” I pressed, my hands tightening on the table.

After a moment’s hesitation, he nodded without uttering a word.

“Did you do it?” I asked again, my fingers now gripping the table’s edge, waiting to see what he had to say because part of me wasn’t even sure if I wanted to know the answer to the question. I didn’t want to because had he done something, I’d have to fucking kill him.

There were two people I would kill for, and one of them was no longer here.

Slowly, he shook his head. I let out a sigh of relief, but that was brief before the anger washed over me yet again.

“Damn it,” I muttered as I rose from the booth. I appreciated that he’d answered the questions I’d already known the answers to, but his mysterious and ominous behavior grated on my nerves.

Before exiting the restaurant, I cast a final look his way. “If you’d lost Ember in the same way, wouldn’t you search for answers to understand why?”

“I would,” he replied through clenched teeth.

“Ember and I lost a lover, a brother. Both of us lost a deep friend. We’re seeking closure, just like you would. Your evasiveness is infuriating, Walsh. You hold the missing piece of this puzzle.”

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