Page 74 of Bravo

“It’s unlocked,” Bradyn says. “So that’s one step done.”

“Unlocked but unreadable,” I reply. “Completely and utterly unreadable.” I close my eyes tightly and shake my head.

“Look, I copied the data, so I’m going to run it through a program, see if I can find some kind of pattern we can go off of.” Elijah offers me a kind smile as he ejects the thumb drive and offers it back to me. Then he packs up his laptop. “We’re going to head in and get some sleep. We’re right next door if you need us.” He taps on the door adjoining our rooms. “Just knock.”

He and Jaxson slip inside and shut their side of the door. Bradyn closes ours then takes a seat on the edge of the bed directly across from me.

He looks tired, too. But still oh-so-handsome. His jaw is covered in thick stubble, courtesy of having not shaved in a few days, and his hair is a mess from running his hands through it so many times.

Is it bad that I long to do that? Run my fingers through it so I can feel the smooth strands for myself? If only to offer a distraction from this horrible nightmare I’ve found myself in.

“I’m sorry. I know I’m being pessimistic, but I’ve—” I trail off, frustration stealing my voice.

Bradyn reaches forward and takes my hands into his. The feel of the calloused palms against my skin sends shivers up my spine. I want those arms wrapped around me. I want him to hold me and tell me everything is going to be all right.

And better yet, I want to believe him.

“You’ve spent two years carrying the weight of a dead woman’s secret around your neck.”

Though his tone is gentle as he delivers those words, the heaviness of that simple statement crashes down on me.

He continues, “But what you see as a roadblock, I see as a clue. This is one more piece of the puzzle, Kennedy. One more thing slipping into place.”

“Except we can’t read it without a key. I don’t even know where Olivia found that thing. How are we going to find a key?”

“It’s a pattern that we’re looking for, and we’ll find it. Like he said, Elijah has a copy of the data encrypted on his laptop. He’ll keep working on it. Maybe he can crack it without one.”

“That’s possible?”

“For men like him and Tucker, it is.”

I nod, feeling a little flicker of hope settle over me. “And until then?”

“We go home.”

That hope is dashed out at the mere thought of what happened last night happening to his family. “We can’t go back. Don’t you get it? Your entire family is at risk if I’m there. Every single person you love.”

“Kennedy.”

“No, Bradyn. You said it yourself; you don’t know me at all, so risking the lives of your family for me makes no sense.”

“Except it makes every sense.” He pushes off the bed and sinks down to his knees in front of me.

My breath catches as he takes my hand and presses it against his chest, right over his pounding heart. I can feel the beat of life moving through him, and through the panic, I focus on that and that alone.

“You came to my ranch for a reason.”

“To lay low for a while,” I reply.

“You were led there. Whether you want to believe it or not, I do. And I will fight for you until there is nothing left in my lungs.”

“Bradyn—”

“Kennedy.”

My eyes fill, making my vision of him blurry. I try to blink away the tears, but one slips free, and he reaches up to wipe it away with his thumb.

So strong yet so tender.

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