Derek glanced at me but said nothing. We both knew what Max said was true.
As Max crossed the room to check out the sliding glass door, he said, “Just give me a few days before you call the cops. I need to find some answers first.”
“We’ll get answers,” Derek assured him.
Max turned and stared out at the dark night sky. “I want to talk to Angelica.”
I sputtered in protest.
Gabriel was more succinct as he walked in and dropped another duffel bag next to the couch. “Not a good idea.”
Max whipped around. “Why not? She’ll talk to me.”
“Don’t go anywhere near her,” he warned. “Not unless you’re ready to bring in the police. Let us do some investigating first.”
“Damn it.” He sat on the couch and rested his elbows on his knees. “I guess you’re right, but I just feel useless. And I’m worried about Emily. I want to make sure she’s safe before anything else happens.”
“Then you definitely shouldn’t talk to Angelica,” I said firmly. I didn’t have to add what I was thinking. From the looks on their faces, everyone knew. Emily had been a target before. If crazy Angie knew Max was back in the area, she might be inclined to eliminate her competition.
And once again, I was reminded that Emily still hadn’t called me back. Was she simply out of town, or had something sinister happened to her? If I didn’t hear from her by tomorrow, I vowed to call her back.
Now I took a moment to gaze around the room. I loved Jackson, but he was definitely my most elusive brother, so I hadn’t been here in a while. I’d forgotten how beautiful this place was. One of the men in the commune had come up with the design, and Jackson and a few of the commune members had built the two-story, craftsman-style mountain lodge.
The main room was two stories tall, open and welcoming, with dark wood walls and floors, and one wall that was almost all glass. It overlooked the rocky canyon below and the rolling, vine-covered ridge on the opposite side. The house was surrounded on three sides by a balcony wide and strong enough to hold a hot tub, a barbecue grill, and plenty of patio furniture.
The staircase near the front door led up to three bedrooms and a small office that acted as a balcony overlooking the first-floor living room. I took a minute and jogged upstairs to find the most suitable room for Max. Besides the master bedroom, there was one room that held Jackson’s weights and the other was used for a guest room. I checked that there were clean sheets on the bed, then called out Max’s name. After I showed him the room, he stowed his duffel bag against the wall, and we walked downstairs to find Derek and Gabriel talking logistics.
“What’s up?” Max asked.
“I’ll be sleeping here on the couch tonight,” Gabriel announced. “Just a precaution.”
“You sure that’s necessary?” Max said.
“Yes,” Derek said, closing the door to any arguments.
“Fine,” Max conceded. “So, what’s the plan?”
“You hunker down here for a few days,” Gabriel said. “Tomorrow morning, if it’s not raining, I’ll drive back to your farm. I want to find the exact spot where the shooter stood, see if he or she left anything there. He’s been careful so far, but if he was in a hurry, he might’ve neglected to police the area and left a cartridge behind. There might be footprints. A gum wrapper. Who knows?”
Max nodded. “Sounds good.”
“And since there’s a slim chance that the bad guys will think you’re still living there, I’ll check to make sure your neighbors are safe.”
“Thank you.” Max clenched his fists. “Damn it, I never even thought of that.”
“It’s okay, Max,” I said. “You and I aren’t wired to think in those terms, but these guys are.”
He gazed sideways at Derek and Gabriel. “Then I guess it’s a good thing they’re on our side.”
“Yeah, it is,” I said, smiling.
But Max was still tense. “I told Sam to be careful, but I’d better call him in the morning and make sure he understands. I don’t want his boys to go to my place alone.”
“Good idea,” Gabriel said, keeping his tone casual.
“I’m already tired of this,” Max admitted.
“It’ll be over soon,” I assured him.
“I hope to hell you’re right.” He paced a few feet, then turned. “I want to see Emily.”
“Not a good idea,” Gabriel said. “Whoever’s behind this might be watching her, too.”
“All the more reason to check that she’s safe.”
I glanced at the men. “I left a phone message for her, but I haven’t heard back.”
“She could already be in danger,” Max said.
I pulled my cell phone out of my bag to double-check my messages, then groaned. “My battery’s dead. I can’t tell if she called or not.”
“Don’t you have your charger with you?” Derek asked.
“No, I didn’t pack it.” Stupid move on my part, but I’d figured we’d be back home by now. My mistake.
“I’ll drive back to the city in the morning and pick it up for you,” Derek said.
“You will?”
“I know you want to stay here.”
“You do?”
His lips twisted in a smile. Of course he knew. There was no way I would simply drop Max off at Jackson’s and drive back to the city.
“Look. There’s probably another reason why Emily hasn’t called you back,” Max said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I’ve been gone three years. She’s moved on by now. I never even gave her a ring. She doesn’t even have the book to remember me by.”
I stared at him in surprise. “Jeez, Max, it’s not like she threw the book away. She was planning to keep it forever. She didn’t even want me to restore it.”
“Maybe not, but as far as she knows, I’ve been dead for three years. She might’ve sold it by now, anyway.”
I slapped his arm lightly. “Dude, it was stolen. You need to have a little faith.”
“I gave up on faith a long time ago, Brooklyn.”
I stared heavenward. “Where’s my violin?”
“Brooklyn,” Derek said in a warning tone.
“Max knows I love him,” I said to Derek, then smacked Max’s arm again. “That’s a love tap and my little way of telling you to lose the doom-and-gloom attitude. We’ve all had a long day, and your whimpering is starting to bug me.”
He frowned back at me and we had a brief standoff. Finally he said, “I’m a soulful artist, Brooks. Doom and gloom is my stock-in-trade.”
“Oh, please.” I made a scoffing sound. “You make goat cheese.”
He flinched, then choked out a laugh. “Come here.” He grabbed me in a choke hold and gave my head a noogie.
“Stop it,” I cried, laughing as I slapped at him like a little girl. “I’m too old for this.”
He let me go and we both collapsed on the couch. We really were like brother and sister. It was amazing that we’d fallen back into the same old behavior patterns so quickly.
After a minute, I pushed myself off the couch. “I’ve got something to show you.” I found my bag, pulled out
Max unwrapped the tissue paper and stared at the book for a long time. Opening it, he ran his fingers over the dedication he’d written to Emily a little more than three years ago.
“I’m just going to say this once,” I murmured, standing next to the couch. “You should’ve had more faith in her.”
He looked up at me and smiled crookedly. “You said it once already, so that makes twice.”
“Okay, smart-ass,” I said, smiling. “That’s the last time I’ll say it.”
He studied the book, his slow breaths in and out the only sounds he made. A minute later, the smile was gone
