“You know I hate phone calls. But I think maybe I will visit more often.”

I pulled back from a hug and smiled. “I’d like that.”

Chapter Sixteen

Talon

“The human instinct to survive is strong.”

My mind kept flowing back to Dr. Carmichael’s words.

“You may have thought you wanted to die during that horrific month you were in captivity, but inside, in the very essence of you, your id—the uncontrolled part of your personality that contains your basic and instinctual drives—you wanted to survive. You wanted to live. And that’s why you said those words. To survive.”

“But I hated myself every time I said them,” I countered.

“Humans often do things they hate to survive. You’re hardly the first to do that.”

Deep down, even hating my circumstances, had I truly wanted to survive?

“But what about the news article? I went back in to rescue those people, knowing full well I could get my ass shot off.”

“Maybe your instinct kicked in again, your id. You thought you were going into it to die, but instinctively you dodged fire and pulled others out. Your soldier training kicked in. It was instinctive.”

I scoffed. “Now you’re making me sound like the hero everyone else thinks I am.”

Dr. Carmichael rose from her chair, her eyes serious, her countenance strong and firm. She stood directly in front of me, looking down, her green gaze penetrating mine.

“It’s time you realize something. You are a hero. You saved six people that day who couldn’t save themselves. And even more, you saved a scared ten-year-old little boy. You saved his life, Talon. When the uphill battle seems unwinnable, when you’re ready to throw in the towel, remember that. Remember your strength. You are worth something. And you deserve happiness.”

 

Jade had texted me that she went to Grand Junction to visit her mother, who had awoken. After I was done with therapy, I drove out to the orchards and checked in with Axel. Everything looked good, so I went back to the house, prepared for one of Felicia’s awesome Friday-night dinners.

But again, Marj was in the kitchen.

“I thought you had cooking class tonight,” I said.

“I decided not to go. I’m just not in the right frame of mind for it.”

My poor baby sister. Maybe I had given her too big of a cross to bear by telling her my story. She wasn’t dealing with it very well.

“I’m making coq au vin,” she said. “It will be ready in about half an hour.”

I tunneled my fingers through my hair. “Look, Marj. I’m really…sorry.”

“You’re sorry? Talon, you have nothing to be sorry about. I hate that you went through all of that.”

“I know you do. But I hate seeing you like this. Sometimes I wish we hadn’t told you.”

She wiped a speck of spilled gravy from the counter. “Please, don’t feel that way. It’s just…”

I understood. She couldn’t put it into words. It was that dreaded mixture of pity for me and horror at the entire situation. I’d faced it before from my brothers. I hated it, but I couldn’t bring myself to blame my little sister for feeling that way.

“You cook when you’re upset.”

“It keeps my mind busy, you know? But even so…”

But even so, it still hovered over her. I got it. She had no idea how much I got it.

Time to change the subject. “So Jade’s in Grand Junction with her mom tonight.”

“Yeah,” Marj said. “She texted me. I guess it’s good that Brooke woke up.”

“Did she tell you that the mayor made her acting city attorney?”

Marj nodded. “Yeah, who can figure that out? How could Larry Wade just up and disappear?”

“He’s not the only one who disappeared.”

“Who else disappeared?”

“Her ex, Colin. Evidently he hasn’t been seen since the Friday night when he insisted on taking Jade to dinner.”

Marj dripped her jaw open. “I wonder why Jade hasn’t mentioned it to me?”

“I have no idea. Steve Dugan was talking to Jade about it. The jerk asked her out, too.”

That got a smile out of my sister. “I bet that didn’t go over well with you.”

Sometimes I was surprised how well Marj actually knew me. “Nope. So I told her we could make our relationship public.”

Marj smiled, and it almost looked like her real smile. “Really? That’s wonderful.”

“I hope so. I hope I can be everything she deserves. I’m just not sure sometimes.”

“Talon, despite what you may think, you are a whole person. You’re dealing with this now. All Jade needs is someone who will love her more than anything. If you can do that, you’re exactly what she deserves.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I am. But that’s totally weird about Colin.”

“I know,” I said. “It doesn’t look too great that Jade and Joe and Ryan and I were the last ones to see him. But I went home with Jade that night. So she and I can give each other an alibi. I’m more concerned about Joe and Ryan.”

“They probably each went home to their own houses.”

“Yeah, and then no one probably saw them after that.”

“Talon, our brothers had nothing to do with this.”

“I know they didn’t. But they’re going to be questioned—if they haven’t been already.”

“If they had been questioned, we probably would have heard about it.”

She was no doubt right, but still, something gnawed at the back of my neck. “I don’t know why, Marjorie, but I feel like something is about to go down. Something big.”

Chapter Seventeen

Jade

I ended up driving back to Snow Creek. I’d planned to stay the weekend in the city, to spend as much time with my mother as I could, but my father seemed to need to be with her, and I didn’t want to intrude on their time together. And that wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the main reason I drove back. I had an uncontrolled urge to be with Talon. I arrived at the ranch house at about eight o’clock. I knocked, and Talon let me in, Roger panting at his heels.