49. Brooke

EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD

FORTY-NINE

The suitcase bounced on the steps behind her as she hurried downstairs. Tears blurred her eyes and blades of hurt gouged her heart into a mangled, mutilated mess.

It sucked so bad when you loved someone so much and they didn't love you back. It sucked even worse when that person was in love with your best friend.

Brooke had known it the whole summer. Had known it in the way Cody had watched Hailey like she was an untouchable angel that he admired from afar.

She choked on a tiny sound when she hit the bottom landing and the thought slammed through her aching mind.

Cody wasn't wrong. Hailey was an angel.

Brooke knew that, too.

She knew that Hailey had watched him the same way, though she had tried to pretend as if she were unaffected. She had tried to be supportive and encouraging while Brooke had thrown herself at a man who so clearly didn't return her feelings. A man she had told lies to, assuring him that the fling they were sharing hadn't meant a thing when she'd wanted it to mean everything.

She knew.

She knew.

But that didn't mean it wasn't agonizing. It didn't mean that seeing Cody embracing Hailey the way she'd longed for him to embrace her hadn't cut through her like a dull, cold knife.

It was that pain that drove her through the quickly darkening house and out onto the front porch where the sky was stretched in a wispy gray, the west edge only tinged in pink.

There, she stopped, trying to catch her breath.

To see through the disorder the sight of Cody and Hailey had stirred her into.

The slap of betrayal clashing with the smack of truth of what Hailey had said.

Hailey would never intentionally hurt her, and if she was being logical—rational and real—she'd admit that Hailey had been in the same type of pain every time she'd had to watch Brooke slink into the darkness with Cody.

God. Why did life have to be so complicated? She'd only wanted to have a fun summer with her bestie before she left for college, and now they were here.

Both in love with the same man.

Her phone started buzzing in her back pocket. Hailey, no doubt. She'd answer her later. When she wasn't so upset. When the sting had faded.

Right then, she just needed to find a place to lick her wounds and come to terms.

Because she didn't want to leave town like this next week.

With this ache or the riff stretching between her and her best friend.

Inhaling a shaky breath, she swiped some of the tears from her face and wheeled her suitcase across the porch toward the side steps where she'd parked her car.

She slowed when she heard hushed voices carrying from the direction of Mr. Wagner's office that was tucked just on the other side of the wall, a man she'd taken to calling Dad over the summer since hers sucked and Hailey's had been kind enough to let her stay there.

The two people talking must have been standing outside the office door.

She wavered when she heard the angered displeasure that reverberated from Hailey's father when he normally spoke gently, and her feet quieted to nothing as she tried to decipher if she should keep walking to her car and surely interrupt the intense conversation or stay hidden until it played out.

"Asshole seemed desperate enough. He came through on every job I gave him the entire summer. Passed every test. Thought he was going to be game." The voice sounded familiar, and Brooke struggled to pinpoint who it was.

"Yeah, well, he's not, and this has now become a very big problem," Douglas growled. "Cody Cooper cannot be out there knowing what he knows. He goes to ground."

A block of ice slipped down Brooke's spine. Shock and confusion confounded her senses.

No. There was no way Hailey's father was saying what she thought he was.

She had to be mistaken.

Fear tumbling through her, she edged closer to the wall, concealing herself more, her heart battering at her chest.

"I sent him away saying I didn't want to see him on the property again, told him to keep his mouth shut or else I was going to turn him in. I believe he's afraid enough of that happening that he'll stick to it for a bit. I want you to disappear from the ranch for a couple days and then take care of it, and do it clean," he continued.

"The guy has a reputation for partying."

Brooke finally recognized the second voice.

Brent.

The ranch manager.

"I'll make it look like he had too much to drink and took a little dip in the lake and didn't make it back out."

"Good. I don't want any ties to this ranch. Make sure it's done far away from here."

"I know the drill," Brent said, so casual, like this happened on the regular.

Terror shivered through Brooke, and she pressed herself tighter to the shadows that spread across the wall, locking her throat to stop the cries that wanted to erupt.

They were going to kill Cody.

Oh God, they were going to kill Cody.

Why? What did he know? What had he done?

She had to stop this. Warn him.

"That's why you're the one person I can count on," Mr. Wagner said. "After this, I want you in Austin to keep your eye on Pruitt. I want to know I can fully trust him before I send my daughter there."

"Yes, sir. I'll text you when it's done and I'm on my way to Texas."

"Good. Be safe."

Be safe?

Be safe?

Brooke wanted to screech it, unable to comprehend what she'd heard. Nausea curled her stomach and fear saturated her skin. She pressed to the wall, petrified when footsteps started to thud on the wood planks, coming her way.

She pressed her hand to her mouth, praying to cover the sound of her breaths as Brent rounded the corner and started across the main porch. Her eyes were wide in horror as he passed.

She didn't dare inhale until he had fully made it down the main porch steps and strode to the work truck parked in the distance, didn't move a muscle until he started the truck and whipped it around in the dirt.

Then she sagged, her shoulders slumping as she stumbled forward to watch his taillights disappear down the driveway. Both relief and horror clawed at her insides.

Then her stomach toppled over when she heard the regret in the voice that came from behind. "Ahh, Brooke, I wish you hadn't heard that."