Page 31 of Splintered Memories
My gaze cut to Roman. He leaned his elbows on his knees, looking at me with those dark eyes. Roman was my only brother who wasn’t on Hearthstone’s payroll. He was a firefighter full-time, but he offered help whenever he could. Which understandably wasn’t often because he also was a single dad to a rather spunky six-year-old.
“You have enough on your plate.” I set my beer on the mantel beside me and straightened.
Roman huffed in disapproval. “I can make time.”
I stared at him, at the purple shadows under his eyes. Ever since he lost his wife shortly after his daughter was born, he’d been running himself ragged. I wouldn’t ask more of him if it was avoidable.
“I will let you know if I need you.” I gave him a nod before shifting my attention back to Fox, my cyber security manager, but also so much more than that. “What I need is a deep dive into Emersyn’s online profiles and the types of accounts leaving comments that are anywhere near threatening. I need to know who is following her and who can be considered a real-life danger.”
Fox nodded. “I can do that.”
I glanced at Graham. “Could you get me a profile of the person after Emersyn? I’d like to run that against the suspicious social media accounts that Fox flags.”
Graham brushed a lock of brown, wavy hair off his forehead. “I’ll need more information, of course. But that shouldn’t be a problem.”
I nodded. “I’ll tell you everything I know, and if you need more information, you can speak with Emersyn.” I paused, a thought occurring to me.
Graham tilted his head, one brow curving upward. “What else?” he asked, as if he read my very thoughts.
“The FBI is in town.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “After the shooting, Emersyn spoke to an agent. He’s working with the Ember Hollow PD on the Shadow Stalker case.”
The room went eerily silent at the mention of the serial killer. The tension from my brothers was palpable, each of their bodies like overtightened violin strings ready to snap.
“If they spoke to Emersyn, do they suspect the Shadow Stalker is behind the attacks on her?” Graham’s voice was too calm and casual for the tightness of his muscles.
“It’s their theory. I might have Reid see if he can get any more information from the police department. See what information they’re willing to share.”
Graham’s eyes unfocused, as if lost in his own mind. Then, he shook his head, as if dismissing something. “I have a hard time believing the Shadow Stalker would be this sloppy, but I’ll work up a profile and we can go from there.”
“Thank you,” I said, speaking to each of my brothers.
Their stares were supportive, but also heavy. Worry lingered in the eyes focused on me.
It was too much.
I drained the last of my beer. “Anyone else need another?” I lifted my empty bottle.
They shook their heads, and I turned to head into the kitchen.
That small bit of separation from them had my chest loosening, though I could still see them through the wide threshold. I opened the fridge, lingering for a moment before I grabbed another bottle.
When I snapped the refrigerator door closed, Fox was leaning on the counter next to me.
“I thought you didn’t want another beer.”
Fox’s gaze narrowed. “I thought you said you were doing better.”
I froze reaching for the bottle opener magnet stuck to the fridge. I spoke to Fox every day now that he was running Hearthstone’s office. He always asked me how I was doing, and though I didn’t lie to him, I never wanted to burden him, either.
“What makes you think that I’m not?” I took the bottle opener and popped off the cap.
“I shared a womb with you, brother.” He rolled his eyes. “You’ve never been able to hide things from me.”
I sipped my beer, avoiding answering. Things were hard…but I was dealing. At least, I was trying to.
Fox straightened, stepping in front of me. He spoke low, so our brothers in the next room couldn’t hear. “How are the nightmares?”
I squeezed my eyes tight, trying not to see those dark eyes that had been haunting me every night, the look on his bloody face as he took his last breaths in my arms. My shoulder seared with phantom pain, but I forced myself not to reach for it.
