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I rage. “I didn’t even know about that! Until I saw the pictures of the three of you out shopping. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Sarah grimaces. “We thought it was just bad luck. It’s a mall, Keith. We thought the woman was shopping.”
“That wasn’t a coincidence. She followed Elise there and Elise didn’t know it. Hell, she followed us all, and none of us caught her. She had pictures of us all.” I huff, fuming as I remember the stack of photos.
Sarah snorts, shaking her head. “So you’re mad at Elise because she should’ve recognized something you didn’t even notice. How many times has she been followed before? What about you?”
I rub across my head, the calluses on my hands scratching on the smooth skin up there. “I know! I fucked up. I know that, and I spent most of the night divided between wanting to tear this Donnie asshole’s head off and wanting to tear my own off for hurting Elise. What am I going to do?”
Sarah studies me for a moment, then comes over, putting a hand on my shoulder. “You’re going to man up, like you always do. Call her, have her come over, and the three of us are going to figure out what to do . . . together. That’s what family does, Keith. We’ll stick together, through the good times and the fucking bad times.”
I nod, knowing she’s right, and I grab my phone, dialing Elise’s number. It rings and rings, my hand drumming on the countertop in frustration as my mind runs in a hundred different exhaustion-and-caffeine-fueled directions before switching over to her voicemail. “Hey, this is Elise. Leave me a message or send me a text. Check ya later!”
“Uh, hey, Elise,” I say, clearing my throat before I can continue. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. Can you call me back, please? We need to figure this out . . . and I need you.”
I hang up, looking at Sarah, knowing my face shows my disappointment, my anger, and my sadness. She pats my shoulder again before giving me a little side hug. “She’ll call back. She loves you, brother.”
The reassurance feels empty even as it gives me a little whisper of useless hope. “But what if—”
Before I can finish my sentence, the doorbell rings. Sarah and I look at each other, and she gives me a nod. “I’ll get it in case it’s reporters.”
There’s a brief silence as she walks to the door, but when it opens, she laughs before calling out. “Hey, Keith? It is a reporter, but I think you’ll want to see this one.”
My heart speeds up and my jaw drops as Elise walks into the kitchen. She looks stressed, dark smudges under her eyes and her skin pale. Honestly, it looks like she had just as rough of a night as I did, and I know I look like hell too.
Still, I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life as I get up, crossing the kitchen to stand in front of her, wanting to embrace her but knowing there’s something I need to do first. But I have to touch her, reassure myself that she’s really here and not some insomnia-induced hallucination. Holding her upper arms gently, I wait for her to look up at me, needing her to see the truth in my words as I speak. “Elise, I’m so fucking sorry. I was scared and mad and I took it out on you. I shouldn’t have. I love you.”
I lift my head to look her in the eyes, and she’s smiling a little, but it’s tremulous and her eyes are a little sad. “I know, Keith. I’m sorry too. For starting this whole mess. If I hadn’t put you on Donnie’s radar, you wouldn’t be in this situation now.”
“We,” I correct her, reaching out and taking her hands.
“Huh?” she asks, looking confused.
For the first time in what feels like a year but has only been less than twenty-four hours, a smile that isn’t one of bitterness comes to my face. “We are in this situation. You, me, Sarah, and Carsen. You’ve made a place in this family, and I want to work with you to figure out what to do. This affects us all.”
Elise stutters, a single tear rolling down her cheek as I gather her in, and she hugs me hard before stepping back. Wiping at her face, she takes a big breath and I can see her putting her emotions away, at least for now, and getting down to business. “Okay, good. Good, because I’ve got a plan and it’ll work. But you’re going to hate it. Can we sit down?”
I nod, gesturing to the living room, and we all sit down. I make sure to guide Elise to my side on the couch, needing to be in contact with her. Sarah sits across from us in one of her favorite easy chairs, leaning forward, her eyes darting between the two of us. “Judging by appearances, you two look like you got about thirty minutes of sleep last night . . . combined.”
