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Olivia nodded. She was similar in many ways. Letting people in could suck. After growing up in a superficial world and living with a fiancé she hated, she’d put up a wall and guarded it with designer clothes, expensive makeup, and bitchy quips.
“I know he was in the Army. Special Operations, which is why the guys here call him Spec.” Brooke smiled. “I’m guessing something traumatic happened to him there, but he never speaks of it.”
Spec. Huh, her brother would’ve liked that nickname. “Yes, he served with my half-brother. They were best friends for about twenty years.”
Brooke’s expression betrayed her surprise. “But you’ve never met him?”
She shook her head. “No. My relationship with my brother was… complicated.” Not knowing him well would always be her biggest regret.
“Ahh, one word that says so much.”
That had Olivia smiling. Usually, she found herself standoffish with new people, but something about Brooke drew her in. Maybe it was the open smile or the way she didn’t seem to judge despite Scott’s obvious hatred of her. Regardless, she allowed herself to relax—a bit.
“Is your brother here too?” Brooke asked.
And she tensed up again.
“No. He…” She cleared her throat as sadness swamped her. So many years had been wasted on family nonsense. Now she’d never get to fully know the brother she’d been forbidden to speak to as a child. “He was killed in action almost two years ago.”
Brooke stopped dead in her tracks. “Fuck. I’m so sorry to hear that.” Then she cocked her head. “It explains a few things.”
“Like?”
“Oh, well, Spec seems to be struggling with some demons,” Brooke said without elaborating further.
Demons?
Because of the Army? Sadness over Deke’s death? Relationship troubles? Family drama? While she was dying to push, Brooke’s tone didn’t invite further discussion on the topic.
“We’re here,” Brook said with a smile as they stopped in front of what looked like an enormous and recently renovated barn.
“Oh, you have horses?” She’d taken riding lessons for years as a kid and loved horses as much as she loved all animals.
Laughing, Brooke said, “No, there aren’t any horses there. Unless you wanna consider Spec a stallion.” She winked. “None of us have any horse experience. This isn’t used as a barn anymore. We tore down the old structure and built this. It’s twice as big and holds four studio apartments for future club members or prospects.”
“Oh.” And she’d brought Olivia there because? It didn’t matter. The longer she talked to Brooke, the more she could put off figuring out the rest of her life now that her plan to seek asylum with Scott had blown up in her face.
“Right now, Spec is the only person living here. He’s on the second floor, apartment on the right.” She pulled the door open for Olivia, who walked into the building to find a long staircase directly in front of her and a hallway to its right. “Follow me.”
She slowed. Were they going to Scott’s apartment? After the way he’d screamed at her, that seemed like an unwise idea.
“Did you come to meet Spec because you wanted to talk about your brother?”
She got the sense Brooke was a sort of mother hen around here. She seemed protective of the men. While it was Olivia’s instinct to tell her to mind her own business, she had a feeling she’d get the door slammed and locked tight if she pissed off Brooke, so she had to give her something. “Sort of. I… uh… had a lot of complicated stuff going on at home and needed a break.” Understatement of the century. “I was hoping to lay low for a while and thought maybe I could get to know Scott a bit.” She huffed. “Clearly, that didn’t work.”
“There’s that word ‘complicated’ again,” Brook said, but it wasn’t spoken with malice or judgment.
“Right.”
“Here we go,” Brooke said when they reached the top of the stairs. She turned left, pulled a key out of her pocket, and opened the door. “After you.”
Frowning, Olivia stepped into the undecorated studio apartment. It was small, tiny really, with an itty-bitty kitchen, a queen-size bed, a bathroom to the right, and a bite-size living area. The walls were bare, and the bed was naked. Scott didn’t live there. Or if he did, he’d just moved in that morning.
“What’s this?” she asked as she turned to Brooke.
“A place you can stay.”
“What?” She turned back to the room. If she’d said the Pope lived there, Olivia wouldn’t have been more stunned. The idea of it appealed to her on a bone-deep level. No more crappy hotels. No more exhaustive running. A place to stop and catch her breath. At least for a few days. Hell, her across-the-hall neighbor would be a former Army Ranger. How much safer could a girl get. “I… why would you offer me this?”
