Page 61 of Delicate Escape

“About the usual. She shut me down and said I needed to leave because Russ could be back at any second and wouldn’t like me there.”

My grip on the wheel tightened. “I hate watching her fade away. When we were in school, she was so full of life. Funny, too. Now, it’s like she’s scared to move.”

Trace was quiet for a long moment. “It’s killing me that there’s nothing I can do. No proof. No other charges I can bring him in on.”

It had to dredge up bad memories for Trace. The way he’d been forced to live for so long. The volatile environment he’d had to survive.

“Called Fallon,” he went on. “She’s going to try to have a word. She’s got a lot of resources she can connect Raina with.”

Fallon was a social worker in Mercer County. She worked in the Child Protective Services department, but the overall office wasn’t very big, so she had plenty of contacts who could help Raina.

“That’s a good idea. Plus, if anyone can reach Raina, it’s Fal.”

Fallon had a tenderness about her. She was an empath through and through, taking on the pain of the world and not looking away. She did whatever she could to heal it.

“That’s what I was thinking, too,” Trace agreed. “It’s my last hope. I’m out of ideas.”

“You’ve done everything you can. More than most would do.”

Trace sighed across the line. “Doesn’t feel like it.”

“You have,” I pressed.

“I guess.” He paused. “How are things with you? Rho said you’re making good progress at Thea’s.”

I stiffened at his words. Normally, it wouldn’t have fazed me that Rho and Trace were talking about me. With a brood as big as ours, we kept each other apprised of the basic goings-on in our fellow siblings’ lives. But I knew this was more. This was Trace checking in.

I tried not to let the annoyance at that settle in. “Yeah. Leak was pretty bad. Working on clearing out her bathroom.”

“How are you feeling about…everything?”

Trace went for it. I guessed it was better than beating around the bush. But that annoyance just burned brighter. “I’m fine. It wasn’t me who was kidnapped and almost killed.”

Trace sucked in an audible breath on the other side of the line.

I was an asshole. There was no way around it. “I’m sorry,” I muttered.

“We’re just worried about you. You took it hard, finding out it was Silas.”

“Wouldn’t you?” I snapped.

“Yeah, I would,” Trace said. “Which is why I’m checking on your ornery ass. So don’t bite my head off. Tell me how you actually are.”

I let out a long breath. “I’m dealing. Spending time with Thea? It’s been helping.”

It was as honest as I could be. More truthful than I should’ve been. But there was no way around it. Thea had a calming effect, and it eased me more than anything else had the past few months. But more than that, helping her gave me a purpose I needed.

“Wanna meet this girl. You bringing her to dinner anytime soon?”

An image of Thea at the Colson family table filled my head. She’d fit. But it would also likely overwhelm her. “Not sure on that. She’s a little shy.”

Trace chuckled. “What? You don’t want to expose her to the chaos that is the Colsons just yet?”

I grinned out the windshield as Thea’s house came into view. “Don’t want to scare her off.”

Trace let out a low whistle. “You like her.”

“I do.” It was as simple as that, yet so much more.

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