Across the Vanishing Sky (Starlight Grove, #1)(77)

Some otherworldly force spurred me into action. I rounded Wylder, giving him his own elbow to the gut but a hell of a lot harder than the one he’d given me, and crossed to the couch.

Wylder doubled over, coughing. Waylon thumped his back. “You okay there?”

“Peachy,” Wylder wheezed.

I lowered myself to the couch and instantly regretted it. Brae’s scent wrapped around me—red currant and something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Maybe it was just the magic created when that scent came into contact with her skin. Heady and drugging, pulling me under.

Just like it had last night. When I’d lost all control and kissed her. Even though she deserved so much better than me, I hadn’t been able to stop myself.

My back teeth gnashed together as I reached for Brae’s empty hand. I wove my fingers through hers, trying to be a steady, grounding point and fighting to keep the rage from my grip.

Brae’s golden eyes flicked up to mine. There were endless questions there, ones I had no answers to.

Roger cleared his throat, a hint of annoyance in his expression. I got it. He likely thought I’d keep her from sharing everything, from having to speak about anything that would cause her pain. But the truth was, I needed all the same information he did.

“Ready?” he asked, his voice far more gentle than his stare.

Brae nodded.

“Walk us through what happened.”

Brae gripped my hand like a lifeline. Only I knew it wasn’t a lifeline she should count on. She swallowed hard, her delicate throat working with the motion. “Normal day. I was getting ready to take Owen to camp and then head to work. I wanted to take my stuff to the car so I could help Owen with his.”

Her fingers tightened around mine. “I wasn’t thinking about anything other than how many trips it would take to get everything. And then I opened the door and saw it.”

A slight tremble took root in Brae, and I couldn’t help but move closer, pressing my body against hers, giving her something to lean on.

“What did you see?” Travis asked softly.

“I… It was…the necklace I gave Nova for Christmas five years ago. It’s an antique. The etchings are unique—these little stars carved into it. She wore it every day. It’s in every photo. Every memory. She loved it. And it was there. With blood. And that note.” Brae’s body shook harder.

Fuck this.

I pulled my hand from hers and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her against me as I took her empty hand with my other.

“Did you see anyone? Anything out of the norm?” Roger asked.

Brae shook her head. “I didn’t see a thing.”

“I’m going through the footage,” Kol said, staring down at his phone as he stood opposite the couch. “Dex put cameras on all four sides of the house, including one over the door.”

At my cabin, I had motion alerts. Anytime something moved within camera range, I got a notification. But Brae hadn’t wanted that. She hadn’t wanted to be woken at all hours because a bunny hopped by. I didn’t mind that. Sleep came fitfully for me these days anyway.

Roger’s gaze flicked to Kol’s cell. “You’ll send that to us, right?”

Even though Roger and Kol were on the same team, things got a little dicey with interagency overlap. It was a delicate dance.

“Already sent to your and Trav’s emails,” Kol said, not looking up.

Roger eased a fraction and turned back to Brae. “Has anything else out of the ordinary happened recently? Other than the phone call you received?”

“No, I…I can’t think of anything.”

Roger’s lips thinned. “We’ve got techs going over the front porch. The gravel makes it impossible to look for tire treads, but we’ll keep at it. We’re gonna find this son of a bitch, B. I promise.”

My grip on Brae’s hand tightened reflexively.

“Nova,” Brae said softly. “We need to find Nova.”

Everything inside me twisted. It was the same sort of feeling that had taken hold that day all those years ago when I told Maverick we should sneak into Dad’s workshop. The day I realized who he really was. Because the phone call, the necklace with the dried, caked blood…none of that told us Nova was alive. It only told us that something bad had happened to her.

A flicker of movement caught my eye, Kol’s spine going ramrod straight as his expression turned thunderous.

“What?” I demanded.

“They’re on the camera footage,” he gritted out.

But the frustration and fury bleeding into Kol’s words didn’t speak of getting an ID on someone.

“I want to see,” Brae demanded. There was no waver in her voice now, only pure steel.

Kol shook his head. “Brae—”

“Show me,” she demanded.

A muscle fluttered in Kol’s cheek, but he flipped the phone around.

We all leaned in to watch as he hit Play. There was nothing at first. Just the low light of the sconce that stood next to the door. But then a shadow flickered over the steps.

I braced as a figure moved into frame. Hooded. Baggy black sweatshirt and dark work pants that made it difficult to make out the person’s size. They slid the note and necklace out of their pocket with hands covered in leather gloves. They arranged it, then rearranged it, making sure it was just so.