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She nodded, and he was relieved to see her following his orders not to talk. He also knew he couldn’t sit here stoically like she was just another suspect. She wasn’t. She was his sister and his heart was threatening to beat out of his chest and shatter right there on the table in front of them.
“I’ve missed you, Bren. Mom misses you, too. I was over there a few weeks ago. Her upstairs bathroom faucet was leaking again. I fixed it for the hundredth time.” He was rambling, but he would say and do just about anything to take her mind off of where she was, and the trouble she was facing. “Oh, and I brought Skyla with me. You’ll get to meet her as soon as you get out of here.”
Brennan sniffled and nodded. Her hands were folded on the table, but Blake didn’t miss how they trembled. He covered her hands with his, cradling them and offering a gentle squeeze. He needed her to know without him saying it out loud that he was on her side. She was his baby sister, and he wasn’t going to let her down. He’d find a way. “Okay, here’s what’s going to happen. Are you listening?”
She nodded, meeting his intense gaze with her own.
“I’m going to set up a meeting with you and your attorney in the morning. In the meantime, I’m going to see if the drugs that were confiscated from your possession are the same ones that are currently part of a major federal investigation. If they are, you’ll need to turn state’s evidence, testify in a court of law about how you came into possession of them, and offer up any names associated with them. Once that’s done, you’ll either be given leniency or immunity, depending on the severity of your crimes and the extent to which you were a participant in the drug trafficking ring. Now, without saying a word, just nod if you understand.”
Brennan bit her lower lip as tears pooled in her eyes, but she did as Blake said, and gave him a slight nod.
“I won’t lie to you. Actually, the FBI isn’t allowed to lie. So, I’m not going to sugarcoat anything. You are in a lot of trouble, but hopefully we can use your testimony and help you out somehow. Okay?”
Brennan nodded again, swiping at the tears streaming down her cheeks.
“I’m going to call Mom as soon as I leave here. Is there anything you want me to tell her?” He raised a hand, making her pause just as she was about to speak. “Choose your words carefully. Remember what I said.”
Brennan was quiet for a long moment. She drew in a ragged sigh and dropped her gaze. “Just tell her I love her. And you and Em, too.”
Blake knew that look on his sister all too well. She’d wanted to say more. Wanted to say she was sorry, but wisely chose not to.
“Okay.” Blake stood, his legs heavy like he was wearing lead boots. The last thing he wanted to do was leave her alone in this place. But he had to. “I have to go now, but I’ll be back tomorrow as early as I can. You’ll be okay,” he said with more confidence than he felt. “Just hang in there.”
Brennan nodded. This was tearing him apart, so he could only imagine the hell she was in. He turned and walked out the door while he still could. Never had leaving a room been so hard, but he’d also never had to walk away from his baby sister who was about to spend a night in jail.
As soon as Blake returned to the waiting area, Skyla was on her feet, throwing her arms around his neck. He staggered for a second, still off balance from seeing Brennan, but held onto Skyla, needing her support more than he even realized. “How is she?” Skyla asked, nuzzling her face into his neck.
“Scared, but unharmed. I just need it to be morning already, so I can start implementing my plan to get her out of here.”
“Come on.” Skyla pulled away from him to grab her purse, then wrapped an arm around his lower back. “Let’s get some dinner and find a motel nearby. We’re exhausted, and I’m sure we’ll be asleep before our heads even hit the pillows.”
“Yeah,” Blake agreed. All he felt was a numbing fear for his sister’s safety, and his growing need to get her out of there as soon as possible. But Skyla was right. He needed to eat something other than the packaged junk they’d been surviving on since they woke up before four in the morning, and he definitely needed to sleep if he planned to be functional and at his best tomorrow.
They stopped at a roadside diner across the street from one of those cheap motels that had a blinking vacancy sign out front. Blake ordered a burger and fries with a chocolate milkshake, but he barely tasted the food or drink, gobbling it down. As if rushing through the meal would somehow make time go by faster.
Skyla also ordered a burger, but skipped the fries, choosing onion rings instead. They sat in a comfortable silence, eating their meals.
Every day up until this one had been so perfect with Skyla. Blake just hoped that all this would end tomorrow and they could bring Brennan home with them, effectively ending this nightmare. His phone buzzed with a message from Caden.
Caden: Drugs found on Brennan are a match to those Arlo J is dealing. She’s officially ours.
Blake could’ve dropped down on his knees to thank his friend, but it wasn’t like Caden could take credit for anything more than rushing the results. A lot of it was just pure dumb luck on Brennan’s part. Another message from Caden lit up Blake’s screen.
Caden: I’ve put in the paperwork to have her brought to Texas. Assuming her attorney doesn’t fight it, you should be able to pick her up sometime tomorrow, as soon as the paperwork goes through. Just remember to do this by the book, Blake. I mean it.
Blake could hardly make a sound past the knot in his throat, but he picked up the phone and dialed Caden anyway. “Thank you,” he croaked out when the other man answered on the first ring. “I don’t know how you pushed her case through so fast -”
“Don’t mention it. Just bring her home and let’s get it figured out. She will need to testify, Blake,” Caden said.
“I know, and she knows. I just saw her.”
“Is she okay?”
“Scared, but yeah. She’s hanging in there.”
“Good. I’ll see you both tomorrow. Let me know what time you get back. No matter how late it is.”
“Will do.” Blake ended the call and looked across the table to find Skyla watching him intently.
