East hesitates. “His wife dying.”
Knox frowns. “You mean Candace’s mom?”
East nods. “Yeah.”
The silence hangs thick. My pulse hammers. Her mom is dead and the whole damn time she’s been dragging her father back from the edge, no one said a word.
“Jesus,” I whisper. “That woman’s absence didn’t just break her. It built her. Built the silence. The pride. The way she keeps everything locked up like letting someone help would split her in half.”
Nash runs a hand over his jaw. “And he let her carry it alone.”
Knox’s jaw tightens. “That’s not just shameful. That’s weak.”
I nod slowly. “James needs to talk to him. If he’s drowning, we help. But I’m not tolerating this. Not another day. She should’ve never had to shoulder that alone.” My voice drops, rough with the guilt clawing up my throat. “I should’ve seen it. I should’ve seen her.”
Knox’s gaze meets mine. “Want me to check in with James?”
“Yeah. Give it a few days. If Chuck won’t talk, we dig.”
East exhales hard and pushes away from the table, the tension sliding off his shoulders as he stands. “Well, if that’s all, there’s a brunette at the bar who swore on her grandmother’s grave she could ruin me. I’m about to find out if she’s right.”
Nash snorts. “She’ll probably steal your wallet.”
“I don’t carry a wallet. I carry bad decisions.” East flashes a grin and disappears through the door.
The moment he’s gone, I flex my hands, pain radiating from the knuckles. I need ice. Maybe whiskey. Neither will fix the ache settling deep in my chest. The kind that has nothing to do with fists or blood.
Nash leans back, folding his arms behind his head. “Hell of a night.”
“Understatement,” I mutter, then pause, jaw working as the heavier truth creeps in. “Still no movement on Donovan?”
Nash’s mouth flattens. “Not yet. Leo’s been digging, keeping it quiet like you said. But the bastard’s slippery.”
Knox leans forward, elbows resting on the table. “You think he knows where Jared and Amelia are?”
I nod once, slow and grim. “It’s a hunch I can’t shake. He disappeared around the same time they did. And Cornelius...”
Knox’s gaze sharpens. “You think he had something to do with Cornelius’ death.”
I don’t answer. I don’t have to.
The silence stretches long.
“We need more than suspicions,” Knox says finally. “But we’ll dig. Quiet and deep. If Donovan’s tied to any of it, we’ll find the thread.”
Nash nods. “I’ll keep working Leo, and loop in Vic once we’ve got more. But if Donovan’s sniffing around again, it’s only a matter of time before he makes himself known.”
When he does, I’ll make sure it’s the last mistake he ever makes. I nod again, eyes narrowing. “Once he does, I want him to regret ever crawling out of the hole we put him in.”
He nods toward the closed door. “You gonna talk to her?”
I don’t answer.
Knox, ever quiet, speaks. “You should. She needs someone steady. And whatever you are to her… you’re not neutral.”
I glance at him. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You get under her skin. She gets under yours. That’s not nothing.”
