Page 107 of Stolen for Keeps
Meanwhile,Tessa was dying alone.
The lump in my throat was nearly impossible to swallow. “We both lost her, El.”
His eyes flickered, something breaking open inside him. “Yeah,” he murmured. “We did.” A long silence stretched between us before he shook his head. “She died. And you didn’t do anything wrong, Noah.”
“Did I not? Tell me, El. What time did she die?” I asked.
Elia’s brows shot up. “Noah? Did you think?—”
“Answer me, El.”
He shook his head as if he still didn’t believe I asked the question. “Noah, Tessa was gone hours before you even got there.”
I huffed, then nearly choked on something that wasn’t even there. “That’s no lie?”
“No, I’ll never lie to you about that,” he said firmly. “Ask Colton. It’s all in the report. When I told you that you didn’t do anything wrong, I meant it. And not just to make you feel better.”
I turned away, my shoulders curling in, my eyes drifting tothe corner where the wall met the back of the booth. For a second, I almost folded into it, almost let the relief and everything still crowding my head press me flat. But the bar wasn’t the place for this. Too many people. Too many eyes. Too much noise.
I pushed back from the table. “Come on.”
Elia frowned. “Where?”
“Outside.” I stood without waiting. “Walk with me.”
He hesitated, just for a beat, then followed.
The early fall air bit through my jacket the second we stepped outside. The sky was low and bruised, promising snow before morning. Fallen leaves skittered along the sidewalk, catching on the curb.
We walked in silence at first. My thoughts were everywhere. Black and white, that’s what I wanted. And Elia had given me that. His words had been enough. I hadn’t let her die. I hadn’t biked around town while she lay there, waiting for help.
Finally, Elia spoke, saying, “I miss her.”
I let out a breath. “Me too.” I nudged a drift of leaves with the toe of my boot, scattering them across the sidewalk. “Why do you think I left, El?”
“Because of her. Because of Dad.”
I nodded, then slowly shook my head. “It was because of you.”
His eyes widened. “Noah…I’m so sorry.”
“Not like that. Just…hear me out.”
He gestured for me to continue.
“Tessa’s death broke me. You knew it. But not just because I found her. It was the whole thing. It was the first time I truly felt like someone had left me. Mom died when I was too young to understand, but Tessa? That one sank deep.
“After she died, when Dad started fading, you stepped up.You argued with him and tried to hold us together. Sometimes I didn’t even know whose side to pick. I loved you both.”
I took a second to catch my breath.
“Noah, stop?—”
“No, El. I’m not done.” He meant well. The big brother who didn’t want to see me fall apart. But this time, he had to see. “I had a hunch, El. The day Dad died, I had a fucking hunch. He was just standing there, staring out the window. I begged him not to go. Begged him.”
Elia drew me into a one-arm hug, punching my arm lightly like he didn’t know what else to do with his hands.
“The reason I left,” I said, my voice barely holding, “was because I couldn’t handle the idea of losing you too. Tessa, Dad…I could take it. But you?”
