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There was only one person there that night. Only one person walked away from the house alive. Lark.
As far as I knew, she hadn’t remembered much. Lark didn’t have the answers the town wanted, and she was blamed for it. Some people thought that she had something to do with it, even though there was no evidence to back that up. Nothing but vile lies. Lies that I was sure drove her away from Ember Hollow.
Lark’s eyes were wide and wild as they latched onto mine. The look in them was desperate. Scared. Being surrounded by a group of people who probably thought some horrible things about you had to be overwhelming.
My body acted before my brain could stop me. Nudging Ruby aside, I wrapped an arm around Lark’s shoulders. It had been a long time since Ruby and I had been anything resembling a couple, but I swore a flash of hurt flared in her expression. That didn’t matter, though.
“You okay?” I asked, turning all my attention to Lark.
She jumped, instinctively pulling away, but I wouldn’t let her. It didn’t seem to matter that I barely knew this woman anymore. The only thing on my mind was protecting her. “Come on,” I murmured into her ear. “Let’s get you out of here.”
Lark hesitated, those wide, brown eyes studying my face. I would leave her alone the moment she asked me, but I hoped she would trust me. I held my breath until her body relaxed against mine. Relief hit me as she nodded.
Turning us toward the door, I used my arm to cover the side of her face and pulled her hat lower as I guided her through the onlookers and exited the coffee shop.
I didn’t let her go as we made it out into the cool, fall afternoon. She followed me willingly down the street, tucked protectively against my side. I wasn’t sure exactly where I was going, but I knew I couldn’t stop. That terrified look that had been on Lark’s face flashed through my mind. The fear as she realized everyone was looking at her had my blood boiling. I needed to get her far away from those suspicious, condemning eyes and somewhere she felt safe.
But I had no idea why she was back or where she was even staying. I glanced down at her; her eyes were glued to the sidewalk. Her skin was still flushed and she was breathing heavier than normal. I slowed my pace.
“Where can I bring you?”
The toe of her boot caught on a raised crack in the sidewalk, and I pulled her in closer as she stumbled.
“What?” She blinked up at me, looking confused, as if she had no idea how she’d gotten into this situation.
“Where are you staying?”
Her mouth tightened. “With my mom,” she mumbled. She glanced away and again tried to wiggle herself out from under my arm. “Thanks for all that back there, but…I can take it from here.”
My brain told me I should let her go. She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to actually do it. Maybe it was the memories she brought up…memories of fear and death and…my failure.
I tightened my hold, locking my eyes on hers. “Please, let me walk you home.”
5
Lark
His green eyes looked almost on fire in the sunlight, and my breath hitched.
Reid Ramsey was bigger than I remembered. I swear, he had gotten taller since college, his body all hard muscle and heat as he pressed himself against my side. Age had only done him favors. His jaw was hard, covered in a scruffy stubble that he’d never let get so long when I’d known him. I had the urge to run my palm over it, to feel the coarse hair against my palm…
I jerked my head back and forth, trying to knock those thoughts out of my head. This was Reid, Thea’s big brother. I’d known him forever and I’d never had that urge to touch his face before.
“Lark?” he said, snapping me out of my weird and unexpected thoughts.
I recognized the look on Reid’s face…determination. So many times, he gave Thea that look when they were butting heads. He never let his sister get away with something he thought was going to harm her. Now that he gave that look to me, it had my stomach flipping in unfamiliar ways; ways that had my skin tingling, but I didn’t know why.
I bit down hard on my lower lip. Reid’s arm was a heavy, reassuring weight over my shoulders. Embarrassment seeped through me at how I’d panicked back in the coffee shop. Everyone had been looking at me, staring—I hadn’t been prepared for that. The whole town would know by the end of the day the lone survivor of the infamous double murder was back.
Maybe it was a good thing. Mom’s shop needed to reopen and everyone would know sooner or later, anyway. I had simply hoped for the latter.
“Look,” Reid continued after all I did was stare at him without a reply. “If you really don’t want me walking you home, I’ll leave. But it would make me feel a lot better if I knew you got home safe.”
Safe.
The word was relative to me now. Nothing and nowhere ever truly felt safe. But right now, under the arm of my best friend’s big brother…I felt as close to safety as I had in almost a decade.
I pulled in a deep breath, stopping sharply as his scent hit me. My heart constricted as the familiar smell of cinnamon and cedarwood surrounded me, transporting me back to days I spent in his childhood home when we were kids. He smelled of comfort and family and all the things I’ve missed the past nine years.
