MADISON WAS STILL ticked over Hamilton’s not-so-subtle insult, basically calling her crazy, and threatening to put her in jail. “I told you the police would have arrested me if I’d called them the day of the shooting.”
She immediately regretted saying anything. Pierce’s jaw tightened and his knuckles whitened on the steering wheel as his car bumped along the dirt road leading to his house. He hadn’t said anything at all to her since the lieutenant’s tirade.
Was he having the same doubts Hamilton had about her? Was he regretting that he’d ever offered to help her?
“When we get inside, I want you to level with me,” he said, his voice tight, harsh. “I want to hear all about that note, and the phone call, and anything else you forgot to mention.”
She tensed in the seat beside him.
When the house came into view, he had to quickly turn the wheel to avoid another car parked in front of the cabin. He killed the engine, but instead of getting out of the car, he stared through the windshield at the man standing on the cabin’s porch. “What’s he doing here?”
The man’s arms were crossed and Madison had to squint to make out his face in the shadows from the overhanging roof. “Isn’t that Braedon?”
“Unfortunately.” He sat back in his seat, seemingly in no hurry to get out of the car. “Maybe if we sit here long enough, he’ll leave.”
“Why don’t you like your own brother?”
His face mirrored his surprise. “What makes you think I don’t like him?”
“Oh, I don’t know—maybe because you frown and complain every time you see him.”
He rolled his eyes. “It’s not my brother I have a problem with. It’s the notches in his bedpost.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Never mind.”
She huffed out a breath and opened her car door. “Well, I’m not going to sit here all night. I happen to like your brother. He seems very nice. And he’s a lot more cheerful than you.”
Pierce jerked his car door open. “Might as well see what he wants.”
When Madison and Pierce were close enough to see Braedon’s face, Madison saw that his brows were a dark slash across his forehead. He didn’t even look at her. Instead, he directed his ferocious glare at his brother.
“Why didn’t you tell us you got shot?”
Pierce groaned. “Who told you?”
“Hamilton called Alex, all up in arms, saying you and . . .” He glanced at Madison then, as if noticing her for the first time. His face flushed a light red. “Sorry, Mrs. McKinley. I shouldn’t air family problems in front of you.”
She waved her hand in the air. “Don’t apologize. If you’re upset about something Hamilton said, then you can lay that at my feet. Your brother has been trying to help me with . . . a little problem I have. It’s because of me that he got shot.” She crossed her arms and stepped in front of Pierce. “If you want to yell at someone, yell at me. Leave him alone.”
She squeaked in surprise when Pierce’s hands wrapped around her waist, and he lifted her out of his way.
“You don’t owe Braedon an explanation. None of this is any of his business. And it’s not Alex’s business either.”
“It’s none of my business that my little brother almost got himself killed and didn’t bother to tell his family?”
“Who is Alex?” Madison asked.
“Bruised ribs and a few stitches aren’t something to call home about. I don’t need any of my brothers looking out for me.”
“Who’s Alex?” Madison repeated. “Wait. Any of your brothers? Exactly how many brothers do you have?” She glanced back and forth, but neither of the men seemed to even remember she was there.
“You supposedly moved back to Savannah to be close to family again,” Braedon said. “Being part of a family means letting each other know when something bad happens. You’ve worked those serial-killer cases way too long. You’ve forgotten what ‘normal’ is.”
Pierce aimed a pointed look at Madison. “Let me get her inside. We can discuss this in private.”
“We can discuss it at the house. It’s Friday night, or had you forgotten?”
Madison frowned. “The house? Whose house? What’s so special about Friday night?”
“I can’t make it this week.” Pierce shoved past Braedon to unlock the front door.
“Austin’s home.”
Pierce slowly turned around.
Madison watched the staring match between the two brothers for a full minute. “Um, guys, what’s going on? Who’s Austin?”
Braedon sighed and shoved a hand through his hair. “Alex is . . . was . . . married to Pierce’s mom. Austin is our youngest brother. We don’t get to see him too often these days. He’s been . . . ill. Which is why I’m not going to let Pierce blow off Friday night.” He crossed to the top step. “Dinner is in two hours. If I have to come back to get you, I’m bringing the whole family with me.”
“THE HOUSE” BRAEDON had mentioned turned out to be a rambling ranch-style home half an hour south of Savannah. Situated on several acres of land, it was surrounded by a white-washed wooden fence on all sides of the property. A fishing pond stretched out to the right side, from behind the house, all the way to the tree line. And just like with Madison’s house, there wasn’t a garage. Instead, there was a massive, gravel, circular drive out front.
Pierce pulled his car to a stop next to the white pickup, with its bold B&B lettering, Braedon had driven earlier. Two more pickups, all domestic brands, were lined up beside Braedon’s truck. A massive SUV—a black Cadillac Escalade—was parked at the end. But front and center, right by the ramp that led to the front door, was one vehicle that didn’t seem to match the rest.
It was a custom, blue van with a wheelchair lift on the back.
She glanced over at him, but he’d made no attempt to move once they’d both gotten out of the car. Instead, he stood sullenly beside her, staring at the van.
“This is your father’s house?” she asked.
“Technically he’s my stepfather, but he’s only ten years older than me, eight years older than Braedon. We just call him Alex.”
“So—do you like him or not?”
He tore his gaze away from the van. “Why would you ask that?”
She threw her hands up in the air. “No reason. You and your family get along so well. And you seem so excited to visit. Why on earth would I think you had any negative feelings about any of them?”
His mouth quirked, but the threatening grin didn’t materialize. Instead, he grabbed her hand, and headed toward the trees on the left side of the property, away from the pond.
She had to jog to keep up with his long-legged strides. “Where are we going?”
“Into the woods.”
“Yeah, I can see that. Why are we going into the woods?”
“I need to explain a few things before you meet my family.”
“Okay. Maybe you could have explained those things during the drive over here?”
He didn’t answer. He kept moving with those ground-eating strides while she was forced to run behind him. When they reached the trees, out of sight of the house, he finally let her go.
She immediately plopped down on a fallen tree and took several deep breaths to slow her racing heart.
He frowned. “Why are you breathing hard?”
“Maybe . . . because I just ran . . . a quarter mile?” She drew a couple more quick breaths. “My legs . . . aren’t nearly as long as yours . . . in case you hadn’t noticed.”
His face flushed. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” He joined her on the fallen tree. “When I saw that van, it brought back some . . . painful memories.”
When he didn’t say anything else, she crossed her arms, hugging her jacket against her body. The sun was going down, and here in the shade of the pine and oak trees, the sun’s warmth couldn’t penetrate.
He scooted closer to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his side.
She snuggled gratefully against him, already feeling warmer. “Thanks.”
“My pleasure.” His voice sounded oddly thick.
“So, you wanted to talk.” She was desperate to keep from thinking about how good it felt, how right it felt, to be held by him.
He let out a harsh breath. “The house is kind of like my family’s home base, where we all gather once a week and on holidays.”
“Whose house is it?”
“It was my mom’s, passed down through generations. Now it belongs to Alex.”
“Then your mom, she’s . . . gone?” She hated to think of him losing his mom, the way she’d lost her dad. She put her hand on his.
He twisted his hand beneath hers, interlacing their fingers. “In a manner of speaking, yes. She left when I was in high school. She said she was bored. She ran off with a younger man. Sent the divorce papers back to Alex through a lawyer. She didn’t want anything but her freedom. Didn’t even want custody of any of us kids. She was more than happy to foist us off on Alex, even Austin and Matt, who were just babies at the time. They’re Alex’s only biological children, but he took care of all of us like we were his own.”
Madison froze. Oh God. His mother had abandoned her children, had abandoned Pierce, giving a similar excuse that Madison had given when she’d left—that she was bored and wanted to move on. She suddenly felt lower than the lowest pond scum. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
His arm tightened around her shoulders. “It’s okay. We all pulled together. When my mother left, Alex became the glue that kept the rest of us together, has been ever since.”
She opened her mouth to correct him, to let him know she was apologizing for her own behavior, not his mother’s. But she decided now was not the time. This wasn’t about her. It was about him, and whatever he’d brought her out here for. “Go on,” she encouraged. “What else did you want to tell me?”
He rubbed his hand up and down her coat sleeve. She couldn’t help but wish his hand was tracing across her bare skin instead.
“We don’t all share the same mom or the same dad. It’s a bit . . . complicated. But we’re brothers, regardless of whose blood flows through our veins.” He watched her carefully, as if waiting for her approval.
She nodded, wondering why he felt he owed her this explanation about his family. Was that why he’d brought her out here? To tell her about his family tree?
“Alex lives here alone most of the time. When Austin isn’t in treatment somewhere, he lives here too.”
“Treatment?”
“Austin has a neurological disorder, similar to muscular dystrophy, but not quite the same. It’s more . . . unpredictable, one of those ‘orphan’ diseases that’s so rare there hasn’t been a lot of research on it.” His jaw tightened. “Every time Alex hears about some new kind of experimental drug, or a study, he signs Austin up for it. One of these days, probably sooner than later, Austin is going to refuse to enroll in more studies. Alex is way too protective.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I didn’t mean to get into all that. But I didn’t want you surprised when you walked in. I wanted to prepare you.”
“I’m so sorry. I can tell you love him, and all of your family, very much. I shouldn’t have teased you earlier.”
He gave her a pained look as he pulled his arm back from around her shoulders.
She scrambled up from the log. “Is it your ribs? Did I hurt you?” She reached out to open his jacket to see if he was bleeding again.
He grabbed her hands and stood. “My ribs are fine.”
“Then, what—”
“In spite of how I’ve been behaving, my family and I are actually quite close.”
She sensed she wasn’t going to like what he was about to tell her. “So is mine. Or, at least, my brother and I are close. Mom’s another story,” she teased, trying to coax a smile out of him. But he wouldn’t even look at her.
Not a good sign.
She hugged her arms around her middle, feeling the chill much more now that she wasn’t snuggled against his warm body. “Go on,” she urged, “before I become a Popsicle out here.”
“Stop joking,” he said. “I need to tell you something.”
She wasn’t joking. She really was freezing. But judging from the harsh frown on his face, she didn’t think he’d be interested in hearing that declaration. She stared up at him, waiting.
“Braedon was angry about the shooting earlier, because we have no secrets from each other,” he said, tensing up, as if expecting her to be upset.
Was she missing something here? “No secrets. Okay, got it. Is that supposed to mean something to me?”
He sighed heavily. “If you’ll remember, we were going to meet my family once, back when you and I were dating. We were going to go to Savannah, but something came up at work and we had to cancel.”
The weekend before she’d left him. She remembered it vividly, because that’s when she’d realized how serious he was getting. She knew he wasn’t the type to casually invite someone to see his family, and neither was she.
“I remember,” she said quietly.
“That was the weekend before—”
“I know.” She glanced back toward the break in the trees, growing more miserable the longer this conversation dragged on. Not just because of the cold.
“A few weeks later, I made that trip to Savannah, by myself.”
Her stomach jumped with dread as everything clicked. “They know about us? About . . . how it ended?”
He nodded. “No secrets.” His expression turned wary, as if he expected her to explode.
She wished, for once, that her infamous temper would come to her rescue. But instead of exploding, she felt like imploding, crumpling in on herself and curling into a tight ball. “They must all hate me,” she whispered.
He gently squeezed her fingers. “They don’t hate you. I won’t let them.” His brows drew down in a harsh line. “Then again, it might be better if they did. Then they’d leave you alone.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, alarmed by his tone.
“You’re too beautiful by far. Once they’re certain you and I aren’t involved anymore, they’ll see you as fair game. Well, Braedon and Devlin will. You’re exactly their type, and they’re outrageous flirts. I should have told you before we came out here. You don’t have to face my family. I can take you home, have Casey or another agent watch over you for a few hours while I get the required family visit out of the way.”
She was still trying not to choke up over his matter-of-fact statement about them not being involved anymore, and she was having trouble focusing on what else he’d said. Something about a required family visit? She didn’t buy that. He wanted this, to see his brothers, Austin. And he was already here. She didn’t want him to have to miss dinner with them or postpone his visit because of her.
Especially since they weren’t involved anymore.
She blinked against the burn of unshed tears. She deserved this, feeling miserable, after how she’d treated him. Taking the easy way out, leaving without facing his family, was incredibly tempting. But that wasn’t fair to Pierce. She sensed he wanted her with him to face his family, so she wasn’t going to abandon him now, not if he needed her. She could consider it her penance.
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s go up to the house. I want to see this family of yours. If they’re anything like Braedon and Matt, I’ll consider myself honored to meet them. And if they’re mean to me, I’ll just be mean right back. I can take care of myself.”
She could see some of the tension go out of his shoulders, the relief in his eyes.
“All right, tough girl. Let’s go.”
This time, as they walked back toward the house, he slowed his stride to match hers, so she wouldn’t have to run to keep up. When they stood outside the front door, he leaned down beside her. “Come on, beautiful,” he whispered. “Let’s get this family reunion over with. I have a feeling I’m going to have to bash a few heads in to teach my brothers some manners.”
She blinked at his compliment, and looked up at him, wondering if he’d even realized how his voice had softened when he’d said it. Was it possible he still cared about her, even after the “no relationship” comment?
He pushed the door open, and she dragged her gaze away from him to face the gauntlet she was about to run. The low hum of conversation went silent as five pairs of eyes centered on them from the couches in the middle of the family room. She instinctively stepped closer to Pierce. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side.
“Don’t worry,” he spoke in a low voice, only for her. “They’ll love you.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her forward into the enormous room that resembled a hunting lodge. A massive fireplace took up the far wall and had a roaring fire inside. All the walls were painted dark brown and displayed paintings of wildlife, except for one wall that was filled with what looked to be family pictures.
He pulled her to one of three large brown leather couches in the center of the room. Three men were sitting on the first couch, a fourth sat on the couch across from the first one, and a young man sat in a wheelchair between both couches.
“Madison, meet Alex, one of the best defense attorneys to ever practice law in the state of Georgia.” He waved his hand toward the man closest to them.
He had coal black hair with tiny threads of silver running through it, and brilliant blue eyes that looked far too sad, even though he was smiling. “I’m sure Madison doesn’t care about my status as a semi-retired attorney,” he corrected. “Besides, I can’t imagine her ever needing a defense lawyer.” He gave her a firm handshake. “Nice to meet you, Madison.”
“You too.” Her stomach jumped at his reference to needing a defense attorney. Her last night with Damon, their argument, and what she’d done, loomed in her mind. It was all she could do not to yank her hand away and run.
“You already met Braedon,” Pierce continued. Thankfully he didn’t seem to notice her discomfort. “And his constant shadow, Matt.”
She nodded and shook both their hands as they stood and reached out to her.
Pierce turned to the lone man on the far couch. “This is Devlin, better known as Devil, with good reason. Stay away from him.” Pierce gave his brother a warning scowl.
Devlin grinned and took both of Madison’s hands in his as he towered over her. He was the tallest of all the men so far, including Pierce, and Madison had to tilt her head way back to meet his dark-eyed gaze.
“Why don’t you sit over here with me, gorgeous?” He tugged her toward the couch.
Pierce plucked Devlin’s hands off her and shoved his brother onto the couch.
Madison let out a shocked gasp, but Devlin only laughed.
The low hum of the wheelchair’s motor had all eyes turning to the last occupant in the room as he pushed a lever and brought the chair to a stop in front of Madison. When she looked down at him and held out her hand to shake his, her mouth dropped open in surprise as she glanced back at Matt.
Matt sighed as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. “Twins,” he said, confirming what she’d just realized. “I’m the older, responsible one. Austin’s the baby.”
“Five minutes doesn’t make me the baby. It makes you the jackass.”
“Austin, watch your language.” Alex’s deep voice filled the room, even though he’d barely spoken above a whisper.
Austin rolled his eyes. “I’m twenty-one, and he still treats me like a two-year-old.”
“Trust me, I know the feeling,” Madison said. “My brother calls me ‘trouble’ and still thinks I need a babysitter.” She glanced pointedly at Pierce.
Austin’s youthful face broke out in a smile as he shook her hand. “Sorry if I offended you with my language.” He didn’t look apologetic in the least, in spite of his words. He was slow to let go of her hand and gave her a warm squeeze before he did.
Braedon clapped his hands together and rubbed them back and forth. “It’s about time you two got here. I’m starving.” Devlin and Matt got up too, and the three of them headed out one of the sliding glass doors on the back of the house.
“Pierce, why don’t you ice down the drinks,” Alex said. “Austin, you can help. I’ll escort this young lady outside.”
Pierce didn’t look at all happy with Alex’s suggestion, but he nodded curtly and headed toward the front of the house with Austin following behind.
“Madison?” Alex offered his arm. His mouth curved in a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
A feeling of foreboding went through her, but she took his arm and walked with him through the glass doors to a wide deck that extended off the back of the house. The brothers were on the right side, taking steaks out of a cooler and loading them onto two grills that were already smoking. Devlin caught sight of her and gave her a broad grin, before Matt elbowed him in the ribs and got his attention.
“Don’t mind them.” Alex led her to the railing several feet away from the others.
“I don’t mind them at all.” She sat beside him. “They all seem very nice.”
He nodded. “They’re good kids.”
“Kids?” She looked toward the grill where the three brothers were arguing about the best placement of the steaks. “Braedon’s what, thirty-eight, forty?”
“Thirty-nine. Matt’s twenty-one like Austin, of course. Devlin’s a precocious thirty. But it’s not age that defines how old you are. It’s attitude. Trust me, they all have the attitude of a randy college kid. Well, except for Matt maybe. He’s always serious.” His smile dimmed. “And Pierce. He’s serious too, even more now than he used to be. Something changed him a few months ago.” He turned the full intensity of his ice-blue stare on her.
This was what he’d wanted to talk to her about. The family patriarch looking out for his son. And he obviously saw her as a threat.
She swallowed and dug her fingernails into her palms. She looked away, out over the acres of winter-brown grass and oak trees that dotted the landscape behind the house. “It’s beautiful here. Pierce told me this is your house.”
She heard his sigh, and from the corner of her eye she saw him turn to look out over the yard as well.
“It’s the family house. It belongs to all of us. I’ve lived here for . . . oh, twenty-five years now, give or take. Most of the time it doesn’t seem that long. Other times, it seems a whole lot longer. Pierce said you were from New York?”
“Originally, I’m from the Florida Panhandle. But when my family moved to New York, I fell in love with the city.”
“And yet, you moved to Savannah. Any particular reason?”
She glanced around, wondering what was taking Pierce so long. “My brother thought I’d like it here. He’s the reason I bought my house.”
“What kind of house?”
“An old colonial, on East Gaston Street.”
“Nice part of town. What square are you near?”
She could well imagine this man facing a witness in court. He was quite good at interrogating. “The closest square is Calhoun. I’m less than a block from Forsyth Park, between Drayton and Abercorn.”
“You aren’t far from that amazing center fountain at the end of the park then. I used to roam the historic district whenever I had a chance to get away from work. That’s how I know Lieutenant Hamilton, by the way, from the courthouse. We were often on opposite sides of the law, but we’ve always been friends outside the courtroom.”
She clutched the railing and waited for his next question.
“I know about the shooting. We all do. I also know a few more details the rest don’t know.”
She stiffened and turned to face him. “What details?”
“Everything.”
She glanced back at the house and crossed her arms. “Hamilton told you he thinks I’m some hysterical female who’s faking threatening notes and believing her stalker is her dead husband. Let me guess. You agree.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“What I think is that you have a ghost in your past that is coming back to haunt you. Whether that ghost is your dead husband, or something you did, remains to be seen.”
There was no mistaking the threat in his deep tone. “Why don’t you just speak plainly? Are you trying to warn me about something, sir?”
“That depends.”
“On?”
“On whether you hurt Pierce again.”