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I stand before Braxton, watching as his features soften. The rigid line of his shoulders relaxing, loosening, as he looks past my anger, past his own anger, and allows his eyes to graze over me as though seeing me for the first time since he walked into Gray Wolf and found me sitting with Killian.
“Sit.” He pats the cushion beside him. “Please.”
Hoping he won’t mistake my compliance for surrender, I skirt around a table and join him.
“God, you’re so beautiful,” he says, his voice low and husky, though he makes no move to touch me, correctly sensing that it wouldn’t be welcome. “You have no idea how much I missed you.”
His hands lay empty and open on his lap. The sight of him looking so defenseless makes me remember how close I came to never seeing him again, and my heart peels apart in my chest.
And now that he’s here, sitting before me, hair dampened from the rain and left to curl in soft waves around his face, his eyes gazing upon me with such palpable longing, I realize how easy it would be to reach out and pull him so close, all our troubles would instantly melt away.
The lure between us is undeniable, but right now, we have more important things to discuss.
I guess he must sense my impatience because he’s quick to say, “How did you manage to get the diamond hair clip to Mason?”
“Wait—what?” Now it’s my turn to be confused. “Are you saying you didn’t send it?”
Braxton shakes his head, presses his lips together so tightly, they fade into the rest of his face. “No.” He sighs. “I didn’t send it. For exactly the reasons I told you. Which is why I can’t figure out how it ended up in his possession.”
The way he saysin his possessionmakes my stomach lurch. It’s the sort of phrase used when someone’s been charged with a crime. A moment later, my worst fear is confirmed.
“They found the clip, and he was busted for theft. I was already in place on the East Coast when I received word there was a change of plans.”
“Oh God, oh no…” My breath comes too shallow. My pulse thrums too fast. In an instant, the room recedes all around me as I wrap my arms at my waist, guarding against what I know will come next.
“I was sent to California, where I was instructed—”
“To go to my school.” I stare at Braxton with wide, frightened eyes. “Oh my God—it really is all my fault!”
“How did you manage to send it?”
I drop my head in despair, my mind straining to find a logical explanation for how this could’ve happened.
After a few frantic beats, I lift my gaze to meet Braxton’s. “I didn’t take you seriously. I thought you were being…” I bite down on my lip. I feel like such a fool, but I force myself to keep going. “I don’t know, I thought you were just in a hurry and didn’t want to be burdened with an extra task. I thought you might change your mind once you finished packing and got yourself sorted. So I left the diamond swan on the small table by your door, along with a note from me to Mason and another piece of paper listing his home address. I figured you’d see it on your way out and…”
“I never saw it.”
His words are like an ax chipping away at my heart.
“I rushed out of here not long after you. I was in a hurry to get off island so I could make it to the airport.”
“But if you didn’t send it, then who?”
Braxton’s features grow taut, sharpening at the edges as his eyes narrow to slits. “Who’s the first person who springs to mind? Our instincts are usually right.”
I close my eyes and sigh. Same person who always springs to mind when it comes to sabotage, trickery, fraud, and deceit. When I look at him, I say, “This is pure Elodie. Mason always disliked her. He never trusted her. And he warned me on multiple occasions that no good would come from my friendship with her. But how’d she get into your room—did you give her access?”
Braxton holds up a hand. “Not even when we were together.” He rests his arm along the back of the couch, his fingers straining toward me but not quite reaching. “Then again, she’s been here longer than any of us. I’m sure she’s found a way to access all sorts of things.”
“She managed to access Halcyon on a weeknight, so what’s stopping her from getting in here?”
“You went to Halcyon?” Braxton’s surprised, but I’m in no mood to discuss it, never mind his disturbing donation to the decor.
I sag against the soft leather cushions, glancing from the unlit hearth to the art-covered walls, then over to Braxton, who wears the same tormented look as those oil-painted subjects.
“She tried to sabotage my Trip,” I tell him. “I guess she figured it was a win either way. If I didn’t make it back, she’d still find a way to let Mason know I was to blame for wrecking his life. And if I did return, well, then I’d get the pleasure of witnessing Mason’s burning hatred firsthand.”
