Chapter 14

Jakob

All I wanted to do was go home and wrap Rhett in my arms. But I'd taken a morning call from my boss, who wanted to offer me extra pay to cut a tree blocking some rich man's drive. I didn't want to turn down the money, but was also worried about Rhett and Hansel.

Holzhauer was a good place to work, with one glaring exception: Helga.

She had been whispering in the boss's ear a few days before, and I couldn't help feeling like she wanted them to fire me. In retribution for ignoring her or dating Rhett, I wasn't sure, but the proverbial axe was hanging over my neck.

When I was with Rhett, I stopped worrying so much.

While I wasn't a big reader, Rhett had turned me on to audiobooks and they helped pass the time while doing menial tasks much more quickly. He had me trying out science fiction, first. Then I'd come home and we'd discuss the characters and plots, which he'd already read, on walks or sitting outside until the sun set.

Nights were where Rhett turned me on to more than fiction. We'd spent the past week of evenings curled up in the blankets, trading kisses. I'd learned his body more intimately, and he mine, but I was holding back. Rhett needed to feel fully safe and comfortable, and I knew he wouldn't with Helga next door.

When it was just the two of us, Rhett let his guard down. For the most part. He had concerns about Hansel sleeping on friends' couches when he needed a stable place to study. My solution was to ask my bosses if I could take the bigger cabin with the two boys, but he didn't want Helga to retaliate.

There wasn't much I could do to help them when a large portion of my salary was the small cabin I got to call mine.

So, when I was offered extra work for cash, I jumped at the chance.

Rhett deserved to be treated like the treasure he was, and one way I could do that was by taking care of our first real date. I wanted to take Rhett to Munich to stay in a fancy hotel and eat at restaurants instead of thinking he had to prepare the meals. Plus, he hadn't left the area around our nearby town since Helga came into the picture. I would arrange everything and give him a weekend of pure enjoyment.

Still, I worried.

The tree took longer to clear than expected with the landowner breathing down my neck. The text from Hansel telling me an approximation of where they were calmed some of my nerves, but then I couldn't look at my phone again for hours. I had to cut the wood, clear the road of debris, then load up the full cord of wood into my truck.

My boss, Carl Meyer, was at the Holzhauer lumberyard when I pulled up around lunchtime, instructing me to unload and then check in. By the time I was done and came for my paycheck, I'd missed a couple meals and needed an extra-long shower. I cringed at the trail of first and sawdust I left in my wake, but at least Helga wasn't at the reception desk to give me dirty looks.

"Braun," Carl greeted from behind his desk. "I thought that would take another hour or two to finish."

"I didn't take any breaks," I explained, hoping I still got the amount he promised for the work. "I'm starving and heading straight for a wash now."

Carl chuckled and counted out the euros by the hundred as I did a little happy dance in my head. Maybe I could take Rhett out tonight, if we left right after I got clean and packed an overnight bag. We could pick up food on the road for a snack.

"Well, you are a hard worker, Braun. I'm glad we hired you."

Still, Carl hadn't handed over the cash.

"Thank you, sir," I added to be polite, growing impatient as the man tapped the bills to line them up.

"How is the cabin?" Carl started to hand the money to me but bent it back, waiting for my answer and adding, "Your neighbors?"

"It's good. Hansel and Rhett are great guys to live by," I started, wondering what Helga had said. Had she told him I was dating Rhett? Did he take issue with Rhett's gender or my sexuality? I really hoped this wasn't a repeat of the bigotry I'd gotten at my last job. "Quiet. Helpful."

"Good, good," Carl muttered, still holding onto the cash. "And Ms. Hinder?"

Fuck. How did I not say she's a royal bitch to the boss we shared?

"Ah, I don't know her well," I ground out. Coughing to clear my throat from the anger rising in me, I put my hand out to make my intentions clear. "I appreciate the extra work. I'll see you on Monday, then."

"Oh, right. Of course." Carl finally gave me the cash I was owed and nodded to himself. "Monday."

Ignoring his odd behavior, I rushed home and saw Helga's car was missing. I knocked and no one answered, so I tried texting Hansel. My shower was fast, but I'd still expected the technology-addicted teenager to have replied by the time I got out. He hadn't so I called… He didn't answer.

This felt like a repeat of the week before. I paced and packed a bag in case they came back soon. I checked social media, but there were no clues. I tried calling again and it went straight to voicemail.

Something was majorly wrong, but there was nothing I could do about it.

Technically, Helga hadn't said they would only be out for the morning. She wanted to get a headstone after showing the boys the spot she'd picked, which could take longer. Kleinholz didn't have all the amenities of a bigger town. Maybe Rhett was in a city with his stepmother and brother?

It didn't make sense that Hansel wouldn't update me though, since he'd promised. I'd been getting twice daily updates from him so Rhett didn't worry. Granted, they were together. He didn't need to text me with his location for Rhett, when Rhett was probably in the same room.

After staying up late staring at the neighboring cabin, willing a light to turn on, I'd finally fallen asleep. The sound of tires on the gravel drive woke me, and I realized I'd slept late. The sun was coming in bright, and I was hoping to have Rhett in my arms within seconds.

He was my own personal sunshine.

My clothes were rumpled after sleeping in them, and I didn't bother with boots as I ran outside. Rounding the Hinder cabin, I saw Helga getting out of a shiny, new red car and rounding it to get bags from the back.

What I didn't see was either of the brothers.

"Where are Rhett and Hansel?" I barked, my voice rough from sleep.

Helga startled and banged her head on the open hatchback, almost dropping her shopping bags. They weren't for groceries, but designer clothing stores.

"Where have you been?" I demanded.

"That hurt." Helga righted herself and rubbed at the back of her hair. Hair that looked fresh from the salon instead of bottle-bleached. "And I don't answer to you."

"Like hell you don't," I roared, causing birds to fly en masse from the nearby trees. Seeing red, I stalked toward her.

Helga put bags in between us like they would stop me.

"Where are they?"

"They are working." She turned her nose up and grabbed a couple more bags before turning for the house. "Maybe you should do more of that and less canoodling with children."

My first instinct was to grab the horrible woman and shake her. She'd probably call the cops on me, and then I'd be stuck in jail.

"I worked all day yesterday, while you took Hansel and Rhett god knows where." A thought occurred to me, and I voiced it. "You knew I was working yesterday, didn't you? Did you ask Carl to keep me busy all day?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Helga scoffed, walking into her cabin without looking my way, trying to close the door in my face. I stopped it with a hand, despite her best effort to smash my fingers. She was no match for me in the strength department.

"Rhett wouldn't go away to work without telling me, and Hansel has school."

"Hansel is off this week," Helga reminded me. "And Rhett agreed to work to cover the cost of the headstone."

Neither of those things sounded like a lie, and I remembered Hansel telling Rhett he would be with friends studying all week. Reluctantly, I let go of the door, allowing Helga to slam it closed an inch from my nose.

Her disappearing for a day and returning with shopping bags felt off, if the brothers had to work for a headstone, but I had no leg to stand on. I'd give it a day. One day to hear back from Hansel before I went digging.

Except the next day they were still radio silent.