My heart hammered in my chest, but I did my best to keep my expression blank. “About?”
“You deserve a warning.”
“A warning?”
Eli tapped his fingers against his thighs in a staccato beat, and his mouth twisted in ways that weren’t natural. “My brother isn’t who you think he is. He likes to swoop in and play the hero. The fixer. But it’s for his own selfish wants. He doesn’t actually care about you.”
My fingernails dug into my palms, all the times Boden had tried to fix things for me playing in my mind. “Good thing I’m not looking for anyone to solve my problems, then.”
Eli grinned, revealing stained teeth. “He’ll throw you away as soon as he has his hit of feeling all good about himself. He did it time and again to Carissa. And she came running to me every time.”
My stomach cramped, nausea sweeping through me. “What?”
That grin widened. “Hey, when he throws you away, I can be there for you, too. Numb all that pain Bo likes to dish out.”
“Get out.” The words grated against my throat as I spoke.
Eli gave a casual shrug. “Just offering to be a friend. Trust me. When he’s through with you, you’ll need all the friends you can get.”
32
Boden
I pulledmy truck into the sheriff’s department parking lot. My shoulder throbbed, but I hadn’t had a chance to fill the prescription Beckett had written for me. I did my best to ignore the pain as I climbed out of my vehicle and headed up the front steps.
A buzz sounded as I opened the door. The woman behind the desk looked up, and her jaw dropped. I pretended not to see the reaction and forced a smile. “Hi, is Hayes in?”
“Y-yes. Just a second.” She lifted the phone and punched a few buttons. She whispered into the receiver and then set it down. “He’ll be right out.”
A few seconds later, a door opened, and Hayes appeared. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be home, you know, recovering from being shot.”
I grimaced. “I need to run something by you.”
He must’ve recognized the seriousness in my tone because any hints of humor fled his expression. “Come on back.”
Hayes led me through the maze of desks. Most of the officers remained focused on their work, but a few sent us sidelong glances. Hayes ushered me into his office and shut the door behind us. “What’s going on?”
I lowered myself into a chair opposite his desk, careful not to bump my arm. “I had a run-in when I got back to Ramsey’s.”
Hayes was instantly on alert. “Do you think it was Robert Aaron? Why the hell didn’t you call 911?”
I shook my head. “Not that kind of run-in. My brother.”
Hayes sat, his chair making a squeaking sound. “I take it you weren’t expecting a visit.”
“My brother and I don’t have a relationship.” I let out a long breath, trying to think about the easiest way to explain things. Searching for the words, guilt grabbed hold. Hayes shouldn’t have been the first person in Wolf Gap I shared this with. It should’ve been Laiken.
“My brother has been an addict since he was in high school. My parents have tried everything they can think of to get him help.”
“But an addict has to want that help,” Hayes filled in for me.
I nodded. “Eli has always had anger when it comes to me. The more successful I became, the worse it got. He’s tried to tear me down in every way imaginable. Sold stories to tabloids, tried to ruin deals for me, trashed personal belongings. I don’t know if you heard about my girlfriend passing away six months ago.”
“I did. I’m sorry for your loss.”
I swallowed, my throat sticking on the motion. The next words were nearly impossible to get out, but I had no choice. “He was with her. I’ll never know exactly what happened. Apparently, they were sleeping together. They got high, and she took too much. While he was passed out, she was choking on her own vomit. Not even the sounds of her dying were enough to wake him up.”
Hayes muttered a curse. “I don’t have words, Boden.”