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The next day was more of the same. We were back at Henri’s for more interviews with the police and now the DEA. As well as our company lawyers. It was endless. Answering the same questions over and over again, with few breaks. I wanted these guys caught and brought to justice, but I wanted to be with my wife more.
Midmorning, Henri showed up and pulled me into his study.
“Any updates?” I asked, studying his face.
Henri shook his head. “The police are still looking. The feds are taking over the investigation, which is good news. They have a lot more resources. Hazel’s photos helped. They’re flying drones to map out the old roads and trails, look for anything suspicious.”
I crossed my arms. That wasn’t good enough, and he knew it. My wife and I had been chased by armed drug traffickers in the Maine wilderness. They’d seen us, and clearly, they’d heard us on the radio. They could know our names and everything about us by now. “They promised we’d be safe,” I said through gritted teeth.
“There’s no reason to believe you’re not safe. The operation appears to have gone underground. They haven’t been this successful for this long by taking risks. No one is coming into a tiny town hours away.”
“That you know of.”
I stared at one another for a moment, anger churning in my gut. It wasn’t his fault. I knew that. He wasn’t a cop. But the lack of movement on this investigation was eating away at me. We needed answers.
I didn’t want to say this out loud because I still hadn’t forgiven my other brother for how he’d treated Hazel and me, but I blew out a breath and went for it anyway. “Paz is right.” I said, shaking my head. “We need an investigator.”
“Already on it. Paz has a contact from Portland. We’re working it out now. It’s going to be expensive, but at this point, we can’t take any more chances.”
I gritted my teeth. I wanted Paz as far away from this as possible. This was my wife’s safety we were talking about, and I wasn’t taking it lightly.
“He knows what he’s doing,” Henri said.
“How can you be sure?”
“Because I trust him. He’s going through some shit. He’s been an insufferable asshole, but he’s committed to our family and the business. He’ll deliver.”
It didn’t feel like enough. Nothing felt like enough. It was all connected—the drugs, Dad’s death, Hazel’s research. We had found so much, and yet we still didn’t have any answers.
“I could have lost her,” I muttered, hanging my head, still wrung out from the previous day’s events.
“I know.”
“And Dad.”
“I know.”
I slumped in a chair, my head in my hands, and concentrated on breathing. My mind continued to spin out every catastrophic possibility. This problem wasn’t going away. How many members of my family would be hurt before we put a stop to it?
“I’m giving you my word,” Henri said. “We’ll devote everything we have to this. We’ll work with law enforcement, force the other families to cooperate, hire investigators. I’ll even get Hazel a bodyguard if you want.”
“She’d hate that.”
“Hazel’s family. And I don’t care if she likes it. We’re taking care of her.”
I looked up at my brother, the stoic CEO who had given his entire life to the land and the company. For whom nothing was more important than work. He had transformed so thoroughly he was almost unrecognizable in this moment. He had fallen in love and become a dad. He had opened himself up to all the possible hurt and heartbreak and pain that came with those roles.
A wave of overwhelming gratitude swept over me, so I stood and pulled him into a hug.
“Thank you,” I said.
“I’m proud of you.” He patted me on the back harder than was probably necessary. “And Dad would be proud too. Wherever you go and whatever you do, nothing will change that.”
* * *
Henri’s words swam through my head as I hiked down to the cabin a few hours later. Hazel had been questioned for most of the day, and I was missing her fiercely. I needed to be with her, needed to make sure she was okay.
But my stomach sank at the sight of Dylan’s Jeep parked in front. Fuck. It was time to face the music. Hazel and I were moving forward, and I had to make amends with my best friend. I had lied to him, compromising one of the most important relationships in my life. And I had to do better.
