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"But he always comes back."
"He better come back soon," I said heavily.
"What are you doing tonight?" Dani asked. "Can I at least persuade you to finally go to a hotel?"
"I'm going to the concert at Mom's school tonight. They're going to have a vigil for her before it starts. The principal thought it would be nice for me to be there."
"I guess you can't get into too much trouble at a high school concert. But I hate that you're alone."
"Kade is going with me." I steeled myself for Dani's negative reaction.
What I got was a big sigh. "What are you doing, Brynn?"
"You know what I'm doing."
"You like this guy too much. It's weird that he's letting himself be supported by Mom. It's weird that he's living downstairs. We don't really know what their relationship is."
"They weren’t sleeping together," I said.
"I wouldn't believe anything he says."
"Mom has a connection to him, but it's not about sex."
"Then what is it about?" Dani asked.
"Well, it turns out that Mom was working with a charity group that was looking out for kids who had been hurt by violence. Kade's father was killed in a robbery, and Mom was sending money to his mother all these years through that group. Kade knew nothing about it until we found the information last night. He thought she just loved art. She never told him about the charity or the donations to his mom, nothing."
"That's a bizarre story," Dani said. "Are you sure it's true?"
"I found the evidence. Kade didn't come up with this story. He's as shocked as we are about it. Now, he's questioning everything he knows about Mom."
"Well, he can join the club. Our mother had a lot of secrets, Brynn. I don't think we ever knew her."
"I don't think we did either. But I'm going to find out who she is now. On another note, how are you feeling? How's the baby doing?"
"All is well. I just feel guilty that I'm not with you. Whenever I bring it up, Steve shuts me down. He doesn't want me to take any risks."
"He's right. You should stay put." I inwardly shuddered at the idea of someone going after Dani the way they'd gone after me today. "You keep my nephew safe."
"I will. Be careful, Brynn. And come home as soon as you can."
"I will be exceptionally careful. I'll call you tomorrow." I ended the call and then went upstairs to change my clothes. I put on a pair of black slacks and a silver sweater, thankful I'd tossed something into my suitcase other than jeans. Not that the school concert would be fancy, but I wanted to honor my mother at the vigil.
* * *
At a quarter to six, Kade texted me that he was on the porch and didn't want to scare me by ringing the bell. I smiled to myself, thinking that he was already starting to know me a little too well. I hurried down the stairs to answer the door.
Kade had changed clothes, too, wearing black jeans and a dark-brown leather jacket over a black shirt. His hair was still damp, and he smelled really good, but I wasn't going to think about that. "I'm ready to go," I said.
"Good. You want to go on the bike, or…"
"I'll drive. I just got the wind out of my hair."
"I liked the wind in your hair," he said, his gaze sweeping across my face and down my body. "But this is a good look, too."
"Thanks," I said, feeling suddenly nervous. I'd slept in the man's bed the night before, but this moment felt even more intimate. I grabbed my bag from the table by the door. "We should go."
"Let's do it."
