Sanctuary Found (Pelican Bay 2)

So I kept my mouth shut and politely nodded and then followed him back to the house when he offered to reheat the lasagna from last night for lunch.

By the time we sat down around the table with Dallas, Nolan, and Newt talking about the most recent Cars movie, my phone had buzzed for a third time and the food in my belly soured.

Yeah, in twenty-four hours we’d be able to get the hell out of this place for sure.

No matter what the cost, either in dollars… or in what was left of my soul.

From the moment Newt and I walked into the town hall meeting, I was sure someone was going to point at us and tell us we didn’t belong. And yeah, I definitely got my fair share of curious looks, but that was nothing new. But no one seemed focused on us for more than a second as soon as Dallas and Nolan walked hand in hand down the aisle toward the small group of people seated at a long conference table at the front of the room. They were all stern-looking older people and something in my gut said this wasn’t going to go well. I saw the sheriff in the corner and while I normally would have been scared to death to even be in the same room with the man, he barely seemed to even notice anyone but Dallas.

Jesus, what was the guy’s damage with Dallas? I mean, Dallas seemed like the nicest guy in the world and yet the sheriff looked ready to spit nails.

The guy in the center of the table used a gavel to get everyone’s attention and as people settled down, I saw Nolan’s mother just a few seats in from the row closest to me and Newt where we were standing along the wall in the packed room. She waved at us and we quickly waved back. She’d seemed nice enough when I’d met her the previous day, but there was something about the way she’d talked about Nolan when she’d been giving me instructions on how to find the sanctuary that had made me think not all was well between the two.

It took a few seconds for the room to fall silent and for the guy to announce the issue that was up for discussion. I ignored some of the back and forth between the council members and focused on Nolan and Dallas, who were holding hands. For a couple where one of them wasn’t able to speak, I’d never seen two people communicate with one another more. I’d never even conceived that you could have that kind of connection with another person where words weren’t required.

I was once again envious, so I forced myself to focus on the conversation. One of the council members had said something the sheriff clearly hadn’t liked because the pissed-off-looking cop got all red and said, “How I do my job is none of your business.”

God, the guy sounded just like Gary.

I felt my muscles tense up at even the mere thought of the man who’d made my life a living hell, but fortunately, a commotion at the entrance to the room distracted me. I felt my insides bounce around with anticipation as I spotted Maddox standing in the doorway.

“It is when you cover up crimes,” he announced.

The whole crowd turned to look at him, but I followed Maddox’s gaze to the front of the room where Dallas and Nolan were standing. Whereas Dallas had been ramrod straight before, I saw him hunched over now. His free hand appeared to come up to wipe at his eyes, but the move was fleeting. But something told me I was witnessing something really profound, so I ignored everything but the two brothers. With his hand still tucked in Nolan’s, Dallas turned so he could look at his brother.

And that was when I saw the proof that something big was happening between the two men. It was there in Dallas’s eyes for everyone to see.

Relief mixed with disbelief mixed with something… more.

I turned to look at Maddox because I was just completely shocked he could bring out such a response in another human being, considering what a dick he was most of the time. But I was surprised to find not an arrogant know-it-all standing there, but a tense and very unsure-looking man who, for once, didn’t look entirely forbidding and unapproachable.

There was still a certain stiffness to him, but it seemed to be more like he was waiting to see how he’d be received. And was he…

I looked closer because I couldn’t be sure what I was seeing.

He was… sweating.

Did that mean he was nervous?

How was that possible? Guys like him didn’t get nervous, did they?

I wasn’t paying attention to what Maddox was saying, but I was surprised when he made a move to open the door behind him. Moments later, Loki entered the room.