Page 40 of Ranger Devotion

Annie had thought she was past all this. That she’d grown confident enough to trust herself. But this weekend was putting every conviction to the test. It was like she was back in high school all over again. Uncertain. And more insidious than the killer lurking among them were her doubts.

Was there anyone she could completely trust?

NINETEEN

The instant Tate stepped into the dining room, Brooke waved him over to the table she shared with Evan. Places had been set for him and Annie across from the couple, baked personal pizzas waiting on their plates. He smiled, even as guilt stabbed at him, and crossed the room. Evan greeted him with a nod, although his eyes reflected none of his wife’s warmth.

“Sit, sit.” Brooke gestured at a chair with her napkin. “Hope you like supreme. That’s Annie’s favorite, and I vaguely remember she mentioned you liked it too.”

Tate was impressed. “Good memory.” He claimed the chair across from Evan. The dining room had mostly emptied out, a few people lingering near the double-sided fireplace. His pizza crust was golden brown, the cheese melted around the toppings. “This looks incredible. Thanks, Brooke.”

She popped a pepperoni into her mouth and beamed. “It’s the least I could do. Where’s your trusty sidekick?”

“She’s checking on Heather.” Tate was starving, but decided to wait and eat with Annie. His gaze moved back and forth between the couple. Interviewing them required finesse. He didn’t want to cause an issue between Annie and her friends based on Caleb’s say-so. He eased into it. “How is everyone holding up?”

“They’re on edge.” Evan’s fingers drummed an absent rhythm against his coffee mug. “Scared. Worried.” He tossed an appreciative look toward his wife. “Brooke’s doing a great job of keeping everyone calm, but I’m anxious about what tonight will bring.” He leaned forward. “Any progress in figuring out who’s behind this?”

“Some.” Evan had given him an opening, and Tate took it. “What do you know about Seth’s family?”

The drumming stopped. Evan frowned. “What could they have to do with this?”

“The killer has been sending texts about Seth. Makes sense that it’s the people closest to him who might want revenge.” Tate spotted Annie entering the dining room and lifted a hand. She joined them and thanked Brooke for the pizza. Then Tate asked, “Should I say grace?”

She nodded. They joined hands and bowed their heads. Tate thanked the Lord for the food. He also sent up a silent prayer for wisdom.

Annie squeezed his hand, released it, and reached for her napkin. “What did I miss?”

“Tate asked me about Seth’s family.” Evan took a sip of coffee. “As far as I know, his dad is still in prison. I’ve never met him. His mom died about ten years ago, so that leaves Marcus, Seth’s brother. Last I heard, he lives up north somewhere.”

“When was the last time you spoke to Marcus?” Tate asked, cutting his pizza with a fork and knife. Eating with a bandaged hand was annoying. His stitches throbbed, warning him that he’d need more pain medication soon.

Evan glanced at Brooke, checking the date with her. “It must’ve been right after we got married, right? Five years ago or so.”

Brooke nodded, her curls bouncing. “Yeah. He was waiting for you on our porch, remember? I was surprised because we’d recently moved into our new house and I had no idea how he found the address.” She grimaced. “Honestly, it freaked me out initially. But Marcus was apologetic and really nice.”

Five years ago. Exactly the same time frame Caleb gave. “What did Marcus want?”

“To talk about what happened at the bonfire.” Evan’s expression grew distant. Sad.

Brooke placed her hand on top of his, and Evan interlaced their fingers. The love between the couple was clear. No wonder Annie hadn’t wanted to believe they were a part of this.

“Marcus was in the military during most of Seth’s teen years, and was deployed when they buried him,” Evan explained. “He only got bits and pieces of the story from their mom. After she died and he retired from the Army, I guess he decided it was time to find out what really happened to his brother.”

“How did he take it?” Annie asked. “When you told him?”

“He was upset. Understandably.” Evan’s tone hardened. “What happened to Seth was a horrible accident, but it didn’t happen in a vacuum…” His eyes widened, the color draining from his face. Horror flashed as his gaze darted to Annie before landing on his wife.

“Evan?” Brooke’s hand tightened on his.

“That’s what I told him.” He swallowed hard. “You went inside because your mom called, and Marcus and I were alone. He asked me for the truth, and I used those exact words. It didn’t happen in a vacuum. And then he asked me whose fault it was, and I—” He pressed his fist against his mouth. “I was angry. I’d been angry for years, and nobody had ever asked me before. So I told him. I told Marcus everything. That Kayla was using Seth to make Preston jealous, that Preston revealed their dad was in prison which caused the fistfight, that you and Tate tried to go after Seth but got into your own argument, that I…” He stopped and closed his eyes. “That I took an elbow to the face, and instead of taking off after Seth when he left the bonfire, I wasted time looking for ice.”

Pain vibrated in his voice. One Tate shared. He’d made his own mistakes. “This isn’t your fault⁠—”

“Don’t.” Evan’s eyes snapped open. “Don’t lie, Tate. I practically handed the man a hit list.”

“You told him the truth, which is what he asked for. You had no way of knowing what would happen.” Tate shoved aside his half-eaten pizza. Evan had included himself among the culpable. Perhaps he was playing them, but Tate didn’t think so. Evan’s distress seemed genuine. “We all have regrets about that night, but none of us are to blame for Seth’s death. It was exactly as you said. A tragic accident.”

“Tate’s right.” Brooke leaned closer to her husband. Tears shimmered in her eyes. “You’ve been beating yourself up for not stopping Seth from going into the woods, but there’s no way to know that anything would’ve changed even if you had talked to him. Seth was humiliated and upset. I doubt he would’ve listened to any of us.”