I swallowed. My heart was breaking, and not just because I would be leaving Marj. “I’m so sorry. I’ll find a place in town. We’ll still be able to hang out.”

“But it won’t be the same.” Marj grabbed my pair of black patent leather pumps and threw them back in my closet.

“Look”—I walked to the closet and retrieved the pumps—“I don’t belong here. I just can’t…”

“Can’t what?”

“I can’t stay around your brother. He nearly beat Colin into a pulp this morning.”

“That’s not like Talon,” Marj said. “He’s actually a peaceful kind of guy.”

“An ex-Marine? Doesn’t really reek of peaceful.”

Marj flung a pair of jeans out of my suitcase and onto the floor. “At least Colin wasn’t hurt.”

I picked up the jeans. “Wasn’t hurt? Okay, so there isn’t any lasting damage, but his face is pretty beaten up, his nose is most likely broken, and he’s damned lucky he doesn’t have any broken ribs from all the kicking. If he wasn’t an athlete and didn’t know how to protect himself…” I couldn’t finish.

Marjorie finally stopped going through my suitcase and sat down on the bed, her brows arched. “Why do you suppose it bothered Talon so much to see him kissing you?”

Marj had always slept like a baby. Four years of rooming with her in college had taught me that. As Talon had said, she would sleep through World War III. So it was no surprise that she had no idea what had gone on between Talon and me. Just as well. How exactly was I supposed to bring the subject up? Oh, by the way, I’ve been having a little midnight fuck fest with your brother. Really didn’t think that would go over too well.

“Talon’s been a little off lately,” Marj continued.

Off? The man was way beyond simply off.

“This morning I woke up early. Came to the kitchen and found a broken glass. Water and shattered glass all over the floor. I cleaned it up. Thankfully I’d put my slippers on this morning.”

Shattered glass of water… “Do you know what happened?”

She didn’t need to answer. Talon had been sitting at the table with his glass of water, as usual, and for some reason, he decided to break it. Or maybe it was an accident. But why would he have left it there for anyone to walk into?

“I’m pretty sure Talon threw the glass.” Marj bit her lip. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

What did Marj know? “So you know that he goes out to the kitchen most nights and sits with a full glass of water?”

Marj nodded. “I rarely get up during the night. I sleep the sleep of death, as you know. But every once in a while I get up and walk around. Talon is usually in the kitchen, sitting with a glass of water. Sometimes I sit down with him and we chat for a few minutes. This morning was the second time I’ve woken up to a broken glass of water in the kitchen. It’s possible that it’s happened other times and either Felicia or Talon himself have cleaned it up.”

I frowned. “Is this something new since he got back from overseas?”

“As far as I know. At least breaking the glasses. He’s always gotten up at night, ever since I can remember. He’s just a really light sleeper. He’s had insomnia most of his life.”

“Has he seen a doctor?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I was just a kid for most of the time, and then I went off to college and then travels. But now that I’m an adult, I’ve noticed more things about my brother.”

I sat down next to her. Time for brutal honesty. “Marj, I think Talon needs help.”

Marj nodded and bit her lip. “Remember when you asked me whether he had post-traumatic stress disorder? I think he does, from being in the military.”

“Yeah, that would make a lot of sense. Have you talked to him about it?”

She shook her head. “No, but Joe and Ryan have. Talon refuses to see anyone.”

Talon… He’d already shown me so much, and even though I had to leave, part of me wanted to stay. Part of me wanted to help him, be with him, show him that everything would be okay. But I had no training in psychology. Lawyers were trained to analyze and argue, not delve into someone’s emotions and psyche.

“Look, Jade, you don’t have to leave because of Talon. He’s harmless.”

“Harmless? Anyone could have slipped and fallen on that mess you cleaned up this morning. And you didn’t witness his attack on Colin.”

“In Talon’s defense, Jade, Colin is an ass.”

I couldn’t help a slight chuckle. She had the right of it. “Well, I’m afraid I still can’t—”

A fist pounded on the door. “Marjorie, you in there?”

“She’s here,” I said. “Come in.”

The door burst open, and Jonah rushed in. “Marj, thank God I found you. We need to leave. Talon’s in the hospital.”

 

* * *

 

Marj and I sat in the waiting area while Jonah spoke to the nurse in charge at the emergency room in Grand Junction. I strained to hear but could only make out mumbling. My heart beat rapidly, and fear pounded through my veins. He had to be okay. He just had to be. He’d come to mean so much to me in so little—

But no. We could not be together. That poison inside of him… That unknown…

And he didn’t want me anyway. Said he could never love me.

 

But, God, please let him be okay. I can’t lose him. I’m falling in—

Stop! Don’t go there, Jade. You’re not in love with this man. You are not.

 

After what seemed like an hour, Jonah came back to us.

“What happened, Joe?” Marj asked.

“Apparently he fainted at the doctor’s office.”

“Doctor?” I said. “What doctor? Is he sick?”

Jonah raked his fingers through his mop of dark wavy hair. He looked so much like Talon, except his hair was starting to gray at the temples. “Jade, I’m not sure I should—”

“Joe, Jade’s family,” Marj said.

“It’s okay.” I patted Marjorie’s thigh. “I understand. There’s something your brother doesn’t want me to know.”

Joe shook his head. “No, I think it’s all right to tell you. Marj would probably tell you anyway. Today Talon went to see a psychologist.”