“He’s not here,” Noah said, looking over her shoulder.
“I can see that, but where is he?”
“Buster’s at The Hoot, even though it’s late. He said to call in if you needed anything,” Noah added. “I feel like a coffee; anyone else?”
“Where is he, Noah?” Something like panic slithered down her spine as she looked at her brother. His jaw was tight, and he wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“I need coffee,” Jake said. “Let’s go.”
They headed outside into the dark.
“Tell me where Ryan is, Noah.”
“Noah’s been a dumbass,” Lucy said. “And it’s a lucky thing I like him, because right now it’s a struggle to see his good points.”
“She’s my sister. I reacted,” Noah said.
They entered Main Street, the lights illuminating their town.
“Tell me, damn you!” It wasn’t exactly a roar but more a husky bark.
“He’s gone, all right!” Noah roared back.
They were outside The Hoot now.
“Gone where?” she barked.
“Get inside, you two. It’s late, and we don’t need to wake everyone up.” Jake grabbed each Harris twin by an arm and urged them inside the cafe.
Cubby, Buster, and the Texans were in there.
“What’s going on?” Faith looked around the group. “Where is Ryan?”
They looked at Noah.
“Shit. All right! I lost it with him. Told him this was on him.”
“This?” she said with icy control she was close to losing.
“You being injured was his fault.”
“What?”
“The tree, the fire. It was all deliberate. Noah added ten and ten and came up with five and decided to go after your man,” Cubby said.
“And you believed me!” Noah snapped. “One event could be a random attack, but with the cabin as well, it couldn’t be.”
“The parcel,” Faith whispered suddenly.
“What parcel?” Cubby asked.
“He got a parcel when I was with him one day. It was in the mailbox at the cabin. It had stuff in there, but the words were something like ‘we’re meant to be together, Ryan.’ He dismissed it as something that happens, but I had a feeling it spooked him.”
“How come no one told me about this?”
“That was up to him, not me, Cubby.”
The sheriff did not look appeased.