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“What?” he laughed. The poor guy was confused but I didn’t miss the hope there. “No, you guys are a team. I’m not going to be a sixth wheel.”
“You wouldn’t be,” I reassured him. “It’ll be fun. Do you have better plans?” The challenge in my voice was met by a big grin from Sully.
“You know what,” he said. “I’m in. When do we leave?”
ChapterTwo
Brea
“Uh, what the fuck was that?” Lincoln asked the moment that his parents car disappeared from view. They were the last to leave the party and I’d been dreading this moment ever since.
“Listen, I couldn’t not do it,” I said hurriedly before launching into the full explanation.
“So you didn’t discuss it with us first?” he thundered. I winced at how loud his voice was and stepped back. I don’t think I’d seen him this angry in a long time.
“I’m sorry,” I sighed. “There wasn’t a good time with everyone here, and it was the perfect time to ask him. He needs us, Lincoln; he’s not doing good.”
He closed his eyes in frustration. I knew I was wrong for not asking, but something in my gut told me that if I had waited, I’d regret it.
“I’m just confused,” Ben admitted. “He’s a great guy, but you barely know him.”
“He was like an older brother to me growing up,” I corrected. “I know I haven’t seen him in years and no, I don’t know what happened to take his sight, but it obviously wasn’t good. He’s stuck at home and sinking down a hole. What was I supposed to do?”
“Talk to us,” Ethan said. He sounded hurt and I hated that I’d done that to him. This might be the first real argument we’d had and it was all my fault. But dammit, I didn’t regret my decision.
“So what’s your hesitation then?” I asked. “If it’s something that truly has good reasoning, I’ll call it off.”
“He’s another guy that we’re just supposed to trust with you?” Ryker pointed out. I glared at him.
“I know what I’ve been through better than anyone, and I know how hard that was on you guys, but I’m still an adult. This decision wasn’t just me being impulsive or childish,” I argued.
“No, it was you being too fucking compassionate,” Lincoln said in frustration. “You have a big heart and couldn’t say no to your best friend. But it’s not on you to fix him, Brea. PTSD is hard and so is recovering from such a traumatic injury. That’s a lot.”
“And if he needs a helping hand while he goes through therapy and heals, then I’ll give it to him,” I growled. Lincoln and I hadn’t butted heads like this since we first met, and I could feel his frustration boiling as it met my own.
“Okay, we don’t argue like this. Everyone take a breath and meet at the fire in five,” Ben ordered. I took a second to walk inside and make myself a glass of sweet tea before joining them. They were arguing quietly and stopped as I approached. That had my temper rising but I bit it back the best I could. I’d put them in this position, I couldn’t really fault them for adjusting to it.
“Why’d you agree?” Ben asked me. “I feel like there’s something missing here.”
I knew this would come up, so I’d been asking myself that question all evening to make sure I was doing this for the right reason. “I know what it’s like to be in a dark place,” I admitted. “Spending time alone on the road was great, I was living my best life. Except when I wasn’t. Some nights the loneliness was so painful it was hard to breathe. Sometimes the depression was so bad I’d park for a week and barely eat or shower. And that was me just living my dream. Imagine dedicating your life to something then being thrown out of it because you’re hurt. Your entire worldview and life have changed in an instant and you’re adjusting back home in your parent’s basement, no friends to speak of any more. This is one thing that makes him happy, so how could I not offer that?”
“How do you know all that?” Ryker asked gently.
“Olivia,” I admitted. “And he said he watched our vlogs. She confirmed he’s been talking about the paranormal now too. She thinks this could save him and I’m willing to try.”
“I’m not,” Lincoln said bluntly.
“I am,” Ethan said. “Brea obviously believes strongly in this. What kind of boyfriends would we be if we refused to support her? He’s not a random man, he’s an old friend.”
“The smart kind. She nearly got killed right in front of us,” Lincoln growled. “I don’t need to remind anyone about that.”
“Sully isn’t a stalker or a killer,” I fumed. “And he’s not interested in me.”
“Oh, he’s just here for the spook and us?” Lincoln snorted humorlessly.
“First of all, Lincoln. Fuck you. And second, yes, he’s here for the spook. We. Are. Friends,” I growled. “And I’m not going to have you being an asshole to him the entire trip. If you make him feel unwelcome I will take Sully on a different hunt without you.”
“I’m not going to be a dick,” Lincoln deflated at the hurt in my tone. “I just don’t understand how you could make such a huge decision without us.”
