Page 13 of Shea's Hero

“Shea.” Guilt shadows his gaze. “I’m so sorry.”

“Stop. It’s not your fault.”

“But it is.” Niall gets off the bed and walks over to my dresser, where he looks at the photo of our parents for a second before continuing. “Not the Oliver part. But the rest. I was talking to the team, and it seems likely that one of you was targeted because of Blade and Arrow. Revenge. Leverage.”

“You don’t know that.”

He turns to me. “And you have tons of enemies from your technical writing job? Your pilates classes? Volunteering at the community center?”

I tuck my legs underneath me, pretzel-style. “It’s possible.”

“Not likely, like I said.”

“Did you find the van? The men?”

“The police found the van. It was dumped just outside town. Stolen, with stolen plates.”

“Fingerprints?” Although I doubt it, since I remember the men wearing gloves.

“No.” Niall frowns. “It was torched. Down to the metal.” He comes back to the bed and sits down. “We’re investigating, of course, along with the police. Looking at surveillance tapes, traffic light cameras… but it’s going to take time.”

“Okay. So…”

“I think you should come back to Texas with us.”

“What? No.” I jump up and turn to face him. “I have a job here. A house.”

“You said you would’ve come when Jade was in trouble,” he retorts. “What’s the difference now?”

Crap. I hate it when Niall makes a good point.

I could go to Texas. But I just got a promotion at my job. And while I can work from home some days, it’s not a fully remote job. At least two days a week, I need to go into the office for meetings, either with clients or the writing team. Plus, my life ishere. The structure I’ve so carefully cultivated over the last few years. My classes. My counselor.

“That was different,” I finally say. “If Jade needed me, I would have made it work. But she doesn’t. She has you. Your team. Their girlfriends.”

“It’s not the same.”

Unexpectedly, tears threaten. My eyes burn. My shoulders sagging, I say, “I will if you really want me to. But… Niall. This is my home. I feel… stable here. If I leave… I’ll lose my promotion. I won’t be able to take my classes. I’ve worked so hard…”

“Shea.” Niall stands and pulls me into his arms. “Please don’t cry.”

“I’m not,” I sniff. “I’m just… it’s dusty in here.”

He looks down at me. “What if you stayed at the Sleepy Hollow headquarters? They have an apartment there. That would be safe.”

“But Niall. I don’t know them. Not really. I mean, Maya… but she’s Oliver’s sister. As nice as she is, she has to be loyal to him.”

“It wouldn’t be like that.”

Changing tack, I ask, “Was I really even the target? I hate to say it, Niall, but I’m just your sister. It’s not the?—”

“You’re notjustmy sister.” His features pinch in consternation. “You and Jade are the two most important people in the world to me. It’s not a secret. You absolutely could have been the target. If I go back to Texas without you and something happens… I’ll never forgive myself.”

Crap.

I want to tell him yes. Give him one less thing to worry about. But the idea of living someplace new, surrounded by people I don’t really know… I’m scared. What if it ends up being a trigger? What if…

Jade would understand. But she’s already stressed enough. The last thing I want is to give her something else to worry about.

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