Page 21 of Crossroads

“So you’re saying he’s fucking me too? My own brother? You keep mixing up your sins, buddy.” Teagan lifted a lip and practically snarled.

“Fuck all of you.” And with that, the man named Nathan whirled on his heel and stomped away. People had begun to look, and my shoulders tensed, afraid that they were going to take a photo or tell somebody that I was here.

“Let’s get you back,” Teagan whispered, and it was only now that I heard the shaking in her voice. I reached out and squeezed her hand before we said a quiet goodbye to the others and got in the car, heading up to Bodhi’s.

The silence in the car ride to Bodhi’s wasn’t deafening, but the awkwardness began to settle around ten minutes in. “Are you okay?” I asked, my voice soft.

“I’ll be fine. I’ll have to come down from my high and throw up later. Just…just don’t take what Nathan said at face value, okay?” she said softly.

“Of course I won’t. Bodhi’s not…” I shook my head. “He’s just not.”

“Good. I’ll talk to you soon, okay?” she asked as we pulled up to the cabin after going through the security section, and I nodded.

“Okay.”

Not sure what else to say, I slid out of the SUV and stared at the cabin, Teagan quietly pulling away.

That man had sounded so sure, so full of spite and cruelty, that I couldn’t imagine dealing with that constantly. No wonder Bodhi didn’t come to town often.

I moved toward the cabin and realized that I was shaking. Bodhi deserved to know what had happened. And frankly, I didn’t want to be alone right now. That might be selfish of me, but I needed to find him. The workshop door was closed, and I didn’t hear any sounds, so I moved toward his house, hoping I wasn’t interrupting. The door was open, confusing me, and I moved forward, not hearing him at all.

“Bodhi?” I asked, my chest tight. Why would he leave the door open? Had that Nathan guy found him?

Wishing for the bat I had left behind at the cabin, I looked in the first room and realized it was his office. He wasn’t there, but there was a steaming cup of coffee next to his computer, and that meant he had been there recently.

My gaze caught on a photo of a smiling woman with green eyes and a small bundle in her arms. Bodhi had her on his lap, with a younger boy on his shoulders, and the four of them looked like the sweetest family in the world. Tears pricked, and I tried to take a step, but instead slammed into a rock-hard chest. I turned and looked up—way up—at Bodhi.

And the anger in his gaze took my breath away.

Chapter 7

BODHI

If I hadn’t known any better, I would’ve sworn that Kiera stood there, staring up at me as if I were a murderer. Feasibly, that was the case in her eyes, or perhaps it was what I needed…hated to see. It truly depended on the moment and whoever faced me. I wasn’t quite sure what I was supposed to say. The idea that somebody was in my house when I hadn’t invited them should have made me rage. I should have pushed past any feeble worries and forced her out of my house. What right did she have to be there? Nobody stood in this house but my family, and even then, not all at once. Never all at once. The family I had created had never been under this roof, and never set foot on my wood floors, or tripped over a throw rug. They’d never sung and danced in my kitchen or messed with things in my office to get my attention. They had never giggled their way into the bathroom, knowing it was bath time, and wanted to play instead. Nobody had fallen asleep in the living room, only to be carried upstairs to the bedrooms.

I was the only one here.

Except I wasn’t.

Kiera was here. I should have been angry. Only I wasn’t.

“I’m sorry,” Kiera said after a moment. “I’ll go. I didn’t mean to intrude on your privacy. The door was just open, and I was worried, and I was looking for you, and I’m sorry.” Her words began to come out so quickly that they were stumbling over each other. She took a step forward, and I reached out, gripping her shoulder. She froze like a deer in headlights, her throat working as she swallowed hard. “I’m sorry, Bodhi.”

“You were looking for me?” I asked, my voice rough, as if ripped from my throat.

“Yes. And I found you. I’m sorry.”

“Why do you keep saying you’re sorry?” I shook my head and let go, my fingers warm where they had touched her. But I didn’t move from the doorway. I was broad-shouldered and tall, so she couldn’t move past me unless she pushed me out of the way. And Kiera wouldn’t do that. With all her fierceness, the rashness that she craved sometimes, with those tattoos and piercings and colored hair, she would never push her way through anything. Not unless someone was in trouble. Yet not her.

How did I know that?

How could I not?

“Why were you looking for me? I was just putting something away in the kitchen and left my coffee in my office. I painted the doorframe again, because I hadn’t liked the original primer. That’s why it’s open. Sorry for worrying you.”

I didn’t answer to most people. Yes, to my family, when needed, but usually I didn’t require it. They didn’t deserve my words.

Her shoulders dropped, yet she didn’t meet my gaze. “Oh. That makes sense. And very handy since that’s not something I would ever do. Since I don’t even know how to do it.”