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A chill works its way through me. “Mom?” I yell, the same time Ace shouts for his brothers.
“In here,” someone replies, and Ace grabs my hand, pulling me toward the kitchen. The trail of devastation doesn’t end. Lamps are smashed and photographs hang on the wall at weird angles. It’s like a storm swept through the house, leaving nothing unturned.
“Oh, thank God.” Mom leaps up as we enter the room, and rushes over to me. “You’re okay.”
Ace stiffens beside me.
“Of course I’m okay, why wouldn’t I be?” She and James share a silent look. “What’s going on?” I ask. “What happened here?”
“Cole, he—“
“Found out, didn’t he?” Ace’s tone turns my blood to ice.
“I didn’t tell him,” James rushes out, guilt etched into his features. “He overheard me talking to Sarah... I tried to calm him down. I tried to explain, but he lost... he completely lost it.”
“Fuck.” That one word from Ace’s lips makes my heart ache. “Where is he now?”
“He left. Conner went after him, but the two of them got into it and Cole took the car.”
“Where’s Conner now?”
“Upstairs. I tried to talk to him but he wanted space.”
“I need to find him,” Ace says. I spin around and reach for his hand.
“I’ll come with you.”
“No.” The word echoes through my skull.
“But—”
“I can’t have you in the middle of this. Go home with your mom and let me handle this.”
“You’re going to sideline me? Just like that?” Hurt swims in my veins. “I thought—“
“Remi, Ace is right,” James adds, drawing an invisible line in the sand between us. “I’d feel much better knowing you and Sarah are away from all this until we find Cole and work through things.”
“No, I’m staying.” I raise my chin in defiance. “I can wait with Conner and—”
“Sweetheart,” Mom says with quiet resignation. “I think it’s probably best we go. This is a family matter, and we need to respect that.”
I glance at Ace, but he’s lost in his concern for his brother.
“You really want me to go?” His eyes finally lock on mine, saying all the things I know he’ll never tell me.
He’s sorry.
He wishes he could ask me to stay.
This is just something he needs to do alone.
“Fine,” I relent. “But you’d better call me the second you find him. I mean it, Ace.” He finds my hands and tugs me into his arms.
“Thank you.” His lips connect with my head, and I swear I hear Mom smother a gasp. “As soon as I know anything, I’ll call. I promise.”
His words ease some of the dejection pulsing through me but do little to soothe the hurt coiled around my heart.
I want to be there for him. I want to shoulder the burden he carries. But I know this is all new to Ace. He’s so used to being the protector, the provider. His walls are still fortified with the pain of his past. I’ve made some progress pulling them down, but it’ll take time for him to fully let me inside.
