Eric exhaled. “Nothing’s going to feel the same after this.”
Becket nodded. “Yeah. It won’t.”
The weight of it sat between us. For a moment, I felt the old instinct rise. Leave. Take off. Get in the truck and drive until the road turned into something else. That had always been my pattern when things got hard. Wander until the noise quieted.
“I should just go somewhere,” I muttered without thinking.
Phoenix looked up sharply. “Ash.”
I ran a hand over my face. But then Claire’s face flashed in my mind. The note on her windshield. Your friend’s death was avenged. Someone out there knew she was digging. Someone thought they were clever enough to warn her. Leaving wasn’t an option.
“I can’t. I won’t.” I corrected myself.
Becket looked at me.
“I need to stay,” I said. “Claire got that note. That means someone dangerous is paying attention.”
Eric nodded slowly. “It’s the right thing to do.”
Phoenix’s jaw tightened. “We’ll get through this. Together.”
“We always do,” Becket agreed. A look passed between us like we had made up our minds. We had all come too far to let this tear us apart.
“There hasn’t been any news on Mom. Do you think she’s making her way back to us?” Becket asked.
“I’m not getting my hopes up,” Eric replied, and we all agreed. “The letter we found said she wasn’t going forever.”
“It feels like it’s been forever,” I added.
“True,” Phoenix said. “Look, we’ve grown up and raised ourselves. We’re all in good places. We can’t let this shake us. I’m about to become a dad for the second time. I need you guys.”
“We’re here,” Becket said. Eric and I both agreed. We were here for each other. We would always show up.
Bean wiped her face on the screen. “Please don’t let her handle this alone.” That comment was directed at me. She was referring to Claire. The girl who came out of nowhere and somehow got under my skin.
“I won’t,” I assured, even though I realized I never mentioned Claire to Bean, which meant one of my brothers had already told her about Claire.
Silence fell again, but this time it wasn’t explosive. It was processing.
Eventually Eric stood. “You guys need space tonight from Dad,” he said.
Becket hesitated. “I’m not going back to the house.”
Eric didn’t argue. “Stay here. Guest room’s made.”
Becket nodded once. “Thanks.”
We ended the call with Phoenix and Bean. None of us really knew what to say. Everything had shifted. I left Eric’s house alone and walked back to the cabin. That’s when I heard a thudding sound. Like a rhythm I knew all too well.
I stepped around the corner. Claire stood there in the dark, wearing a hoodie. My hoodie. And she was hammering my punching bag like it had personally betrayed her. Her fists landed repeatedly. For a second, I didn’t interrupt. She looked fierce. Determined. Like she was fighting something bigger than the bag.
“Claire,” I said finally.
Her hands stilled mid-swing. She turned slowly. Her eyes were blazing. And for the first time that night, something inside me steadied.
CHAPTER 20
Claire