Chapter 9

NINE

Before Bella had a chance to congratulate herself on her immense discipline and self-love mastery by letting Falcon leave, her phone rang, startling her. Falcon? She pulled it out of her back pocket, then sighed when she saw it was Brody. “Hey,” she said, trying to sound cheerful.

“You okay?”

She frowned. “Yes. Why?”

“Where are you?”

She sat up, her heart starting to race at the urgency in his voice. “On the deck of the cottage I rented.”

“Do you have your gun on you?”

Bella tightened her grip on the phone. “It’s inside. Why? What’s going on?”

“Go get it while I talk to you.”

Crap. This was why she wanted to get off the Hart Ranch. Because drama followed the Harts everywhere. She just wanted to be normal, or feel normal, for once in her life.

But today wasn’t that day, apparently. She instinctively checked the beach as she stood up, carefully assessing everyone in sight. No one felt suspicious, so she turned and headed inside. “Okay. Going to get it. What’s up?”

“Your house was broken into last night.”

Her belly did a little flip. “Was anything stolen?”

“No, but they got in and out without triggering the alarm. Dylan is working on it to figure out how they did that, but it means they knew what they were doing.”

She pressed her lips together. “If they didn’t take anything, why did they break in?”

“We watched the video. They looked like they were looking for you, and they took their time doing it, like they wanted us to know that they knew they hadn’t triggered the alarm, and they had all the time they wanted. When you weren’t there, they left. Walked right out the front door and left it open.”

Bella’s heart started racing, and she hurried into her bedroom and grabbed her gun from her nightstand. She put on her harness and then put the gun on. Then she stood and looked at herself in the mirror.

This was her life. Walking around with a gun.

Sudden tears filled her eyes. I don’t want this life anymore. “Who was it?”

“We haven’t been able to get an ID on them. We can’t see their faces. But we’re working on it.”

“Okay.” There were so many possibilities.

“Have you seen Falcon yet?”

Oh. Falcon. “Yes.”

“Is he there?”

“Not anymore.”

There was a pause that told her that Brody knew why Falcon had come, and therefore knew why he wasn’t there anymore. “You all right with him?”

“Of course.” She didn’t want to get into that with Brody.

Brody, fortunately, was too focused on the break-in to press her for details. “Did he tell you anything about what he’s been doing for the last twenty years?”

She sat down on the bed, continuing to stare at herself in the mirror. She looked like a normal woman, except for that freaking gun. And the sadness in her eyes. And those weights on her shoulders.

She had felt basically content on the ranch before meeting Maddie and Piper. Now? She didn’t belong anywhere anymore. Meeting them had ripped the veil off her eyes. A part of her wanted to go back to being the Bella who had found peace in her little life on the ranch. Maybe she would have been so happy to dive into Falcon’s arms and not think twice about committing to forever on the ranch.

But she couldn’t go back, because these women had changed her, and left her with…nothing. Nothing but possibility, right? Just because she didn’t know where she was going didn’t mean it wasn’t going to be wonderful, right? “Falcon said he’d been hunting a man, and he found him dead, so his quest was over.”

She almost felt Brody’s nod. “Did he tell you what he found in the cabin?”

Oh, God. “No.” Did she want to know? No. Yes. No. Yes. “What was it?”

“The dead man had a picture in his hand of you and Falcon. In the cabin were pictures of the rest of the Harts, and the ranch, and plenty of you.”

She ground her jaw. “So? He’s dead.”

“Right, but someone killed him. Who killed him? And do they have any reason to target the Harts and Falcon?”

Of course the journey never ends. “Well, I always carry my gun, so I’m good.”

“Bella, these guys were pros. They could take you down easily if you’re alone. I know you want to start a life out there, but I’d like to request that you return to the ranch until we get this sorted.”

Her heart sank. “Go back home?”

“Just for a little bit. Might be only a few days. Dylan has his team on it. He’ll figure it out.”

Her brother Dylan was a great investigator with a dangerous team, but she knew that if these guys were good, Dylan would have a challenge. It could take longer than a few days. “If I go back home, I might never leave again.”

It had been harder than she’d thought in Boston. She’d thought she’d jump right in, have clarity and purpose, and feel like an empowered, independent free woman. The temptation of the ranch and Falcon’s offer was significant.

“When it’s over, I’ll put you on a plane myself, I promise. I won’t let you give up on your dreams.”

But what if she forgot her dream? What if being comfortable felt so much better than feeling uncomfortable that she dove right back in, buried her head, and found a way to be content again? “I can’t, Brody. I feel like my soul will die if I don’t listen to it right now.”

He swore under his breath. “Bella, I’m not willing to risk your life. These guys were pros, and I don’t know why they were in your house. You can’t stay out there alone.”

She jutted her jaw out. “You don’t control me, Brody.”

“I know, but I would never be able to live with myself if I gave you freedom and it got you killed. If I have to be a controlling bastard to keep you alive, I’ll do it. You can hate me for life, but at least you’ll be hating me from this side of the grave. My job isn’t to be your best friend. It’s to be your big brother, and the parents you never had.”

Hello, Mama Wolverine. “I’m staying in Boston.”

Brody swore. “When you’re sitting there staring into a gun that’s pressed against your forehead, are you going to feel great about that choice, Bella? Are you going to feel like yeah, that was worth the risk?”

Bella pulled out her gun and pointed it at herself in the mirror. She imagined it being a stranger holding that gun, or one of the men from her own past. Chills ran down her spine. She wasn’t ready to die. But if she went home, she’d die in a different way. “Can you send a team?”

Even as she said it, her stomach churned. Walking around with a team of armed bodyguards was not the path to feeling normal and free.

“Dylan’s team is here, protecting the ranch. We don’t know if they’ll target one of us. I’m bringing everyone in. Come back.”

She lowered her gun. “Brody?—”

“I’m sending one of the planes. I’ll text you when I know the timing. Be on the plane, Bella. We love you.” Then he hung up, pulling rank as the big brother.

She wanted to be mad at him, but she wasn’t. He’d kept them all alive as kids. It was what he did, and she appreciated it. They all did. Family was forever, even if they pissed each other off.

Bella dropped the phone onto the bed and stared at herself in the mirror. Her little personal quest for freedom was over already? Trapped as always by the violent pasts that held all the Harts in their shadows. Maybe this was her shadow. Maybe one of her brother’s. Maybe Falcon’s?—

Falcon.

He couldn’t be more than a few minutes away.

What if he played bodyguard? Then she could stay, right? He was a complete badass.

Could she handle the temptation of him being around her all the time?

Maybe. Maybe not.

But if she succumbed to him out here in Boston, it was less dangerous than succumbing to him on the ranch.

Besides, she knew he wouldn’t let her soul die.

He simply wouldn’t.

And neither would she.