Page 116 of Tell No Lies

Carter stood on the other side, carrying bags of takeout. “I come bearing gifts!” His smile was wide, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He seemed just as concerned as Brandon.

“Good. I just realized neither of us has eaten anything.” They moved into the kitchen and began setting the food on the counter. “Are you hungry, Aubrey?”

I shrugged but stood and made my way into the kitchen. I peeked into some of the boxes and saw Mexican, my favorite. My stomach rumbled, earning me a laugh from both of them.

“I guess you are. Thanks for grabbing this, Carter. We appreciate it.” Brandon shot me a look.

What a parent.

“Thanks, Carter.”

It was barely a whisper, but I guessed he heard. He turned and gave me a worried look before holding his arms out to me. Really? We weren’t allowed to see each other or date, specifically because of my brother, but he was fine hugging me in front of him?

I couldn’t think about that now. I was too worn down and needed him. I needed the reassurance only he could bring. I stepped into his arms and hugged him around his waist. He held me so tight I could barely breathe, but I didn’t mind. It felt good to have someone hold me, even if a few hours ago he’d stormed out on me. For the first time since I woke up, I felt safe.

I felt him rest his chin on my head. “I left you alone for one night, and look what happened. Do I need to stay here and keep guard from now on?”

I smiled against his chest, not wanting to break the hug yet.

“That’s not a bad idea,” said Brandon. “Would you mind staying over tonight? I have some things I need to finish at the office, so if you could hang out, I would really appreciate it.” He paused for a moment. “Only if that’s okay with you, Aubrey. If you don’t want me to leave, I won’t.”

I expected him to say something about us hugging, but since he didn’t I stayed in place and spoke against Carter’s chest. “I’ll be fine. I’m sorry you had to miss today.”

“Don’t apologize. You’re my first priority. I’ll be as quick as I can.” I watched as he put food in a container and closed the lid. “I’ll be back soon. We got the locks rekeyed today. Remind me later to get you a new key.”

He smiled at me on his way out the door and nodded to Carter as if they were speaking a code.

After Brandon shut the door, Carter released me and offered me a plate. “I got your favorite, but you can have whatever you want.”

I spotted the enchiladas and grabbed them.

Carter laughed behind me and nudged me toward the stools at the island. We ate in silence for a few minutes, but Carter quickly seemed to reach his limit.

“How are you doing?” His brow was furrowed, and I could tell he had been stressed all day as well.

I shrugged and pushed my plate away. “I just don’t understand.”

He reached forward and scooted me toward him so I was facing him in my seat. “I don’t understand either, but I promise I will be here for you. I don’t care if I sleep on the floor next to you from now on. I’m not going to let anything happen.”

There was such sincerity in his eyes, I knew he meant it. I watched as his gaze dropped from my eyes to my lips. I sucked in a breath. Is he going to kiss me again? I was surprised by how badly I wanted him to. Despite his flip-flopping between being a flirt and being another brother, I couldn’t deny my attraction to him.

I leaned forward just slightly. His eyes snapped back to mine, and he pushed his chair back and stood. He grabbed our paper plates and threw them away without another look at me.

Apparently, I’d been wrong. I was just the little sister. I sighed and shuffled into my room, shutting the door behind me, needing a few moments by myself.

I sat down at my desk and opened my laptop. An envelope icon was on the center of my screen. I gasped, remembering seeing it before packing for the trip. I had forgotten about it that night, and now there was a little number two attached to it.

I looked around my room, feeling like I was being watched. While I hovered the mouse over the icon, an internal battle was taking place. Should I open it or not? Finally, I clicked and waited for something to appear.

The older message appeared first. It was dated last Thursday, the night I’d been packing. I skimmed over the message and had a familiar feeling wash over me. Déjà vu. I tried to keep calm as I opened the newer message.

My body was trembling, but my mind was frozen.

As soon as I had the strength, I called out for Carter. He burst into the room exactly as Brandon had this morning. He scanned the room before looking at me. Concern washed over his face as he rushed over. Kneeling so he was eye-level with me, he held my face in his hands. This felt too familiar.

“What’s wrong?” His gaze was so intense I couldn’t turn away. I lifted a hand to point at the screen while keeping my eyes locked with his.

He broke contact and followed my finger. He read the message then moved the mouse to open the second. He swore quietly under his breath and pulled his phone out of his back pocket. After a few seconds, he began talking. “Brandon, you need to get back here. This is worse than we thought.”