Page 22 of Montana Mystery

Kate wrapped her arms around herself, barely conscious of the movement. “You think it will help?”

“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “But I don’t think it will hurt.”

Finally, she looked back up at me again. “All right.”

“Feel free to listen. Come in whenever you feel you need to.”

She led me down the hall and pointed to a room with an open door. It didn’t sound like Brandon was in the physical shape to hurt anyone, but I would never underestimate the power of anger in a mind struggling the way his was.

I hadn’t lied to Kate. I didn’t want his anger directed at her. What I didn’t mention was that I was worried that he’d lose himself so much that he’d try to hurt her. Not likely, but still possible.

“Hey, Brandon.”

He looked up from his phone, and I watched him absorb who I was and the fact that I was here. He’d been worked over. The way his eye looked, he was lucky that he hadn’t lost it entirely. Those were bite marks on his arms. But nowhere else that I could see. So he hadn’t fought.

That was smart, at least.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Brandon asked. A snarl might have been a more accurate description.

“Heard you were in the hospital, and I wanted to come see how you were.”

“Clearly I’m great,” he rolled his eyes, “ready to walk right out of here.”

I kept my hands in my pockets and my body open and easy. Low key, nonthreatening. “I’d like you to tell me what happened.”

“Why do you care?”

“Aside from the fact that beating people into a coma is unacceptable? We have several reasons we’d like to find these guys. The Riders.”

Brandon’s gaze narrowed. “Who told you that name?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it does. It was Kate, wasn’t it? I told her I didn’t want any of you near me.”

“Well,” I said, “since you’re well enough to walk, you can always leave the room and get away from me.”

The only answer was a glare.

I walked to the end of the bed and leaned on it. “Listen. I don’t know what happened while you were at Resting Warrior that made you want to leave. If you weren’t ready, we respect that. If it was something we did, we want to correct it. But more than any of those things, we protect the people in our community.

“Your sister was desperate to know what happened, and she went to bat for you. But you already know nothing can happen unless you tell the truth, and we both know you know more about the Riders than you’re saying.”

“Fuck off, Noah. This isn’t any of your business.”

“I made it his business.” Kate’s voice came from behind me. She was standing in the door, the very image of sororal fury.

Brandon’s hand tightened on his phone until his knuckles were white. “What the fuck, Kate? Why would you do that after what I told you?”

“First, because I make my own decisions, and nothing at Resting Warrior has made me feel they’re untrustworthy. Second, because when I went home last night, there were two men destroying our apartment looking for the money you owe. They found my emergency cash, and it’s the only reason they’re not about to drag you out of this bed to do God knows what to you.” Her cheeks were flushed, eyes on fire. “So drop the high and mighty act. You owe a gang twenty thousand dollars, and if I’d been home when those guys had broken in? I don’t know if I’d be standing here right now.”

To his credit, Brandon went pale. “They were at our home?”

“Hard to call it home now.” She wrapped her arms around herself again. “Everything was destroyed.”

“Shit.” The word was low under his breath. He rubbed his hands over his face, revealing the true extent of the bruising and biting. They hadn’t gone easy on him.

“Let us help,” I said. “Tell us what you know.”

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