“What gives, guys?” I asked. “The two of you go into your bedroom with Melanie for ten minutes, and then she leaves. What aren’t you telling me now?”
I was alone with my brothers, and we had retreated out to the deck. Joe’s dog, Lucy, was out with Jade chasing a ball.
Talon cleared his throat. “Maybe we should just—”
Talon stopped abruptly. Had Joe nudged him? I wasn’t sure, but he could have.
“What is it, Tal?” I asked.
“It’s nothing,” he said.
“It’s not nothing. I’m sick of feeling like the odd man out around here. What’s going on?”
“You know everything we know,” Joe said soothingly. “And right now, I’m really concerned that we haven’t heard from Mills.”
“I am too,” Talon agreed. “Mathias has proved he can get to anyone. Look at poor Colin. I admit he’s an asshole for what he did to Jade—though I’m glad he did, or I wouldn’t have her. Still, he didn’t deserve what he got at Mathias’s hand.”
“You think Mathias has done something to Mills and Johnson?” I said.
“I wouldn’t put it past him,” Talon said. “Nothing is off limits to him, and if he found out that Mills and Johnson were working for us…”
“Mills and Johnson can no doubt take care of themselves,” Joe said. “At least I hope they can.”
“I do too,” Talon said. “We don’t need any more casualties because of me.”
I tensed. I didn’t like when Talon put this all on himself. He was the least guilty of all of us, and he’d been through the most. “None of this is your fault, Tal.”
He raked his fingers through is hair. “If I’d just left it alone. Let sleeping dogs lie.”
“Then you wouldn’t be happily married now,” Joe said. “You deserve happiness, Tal. You deserve healing. Don’t take this on your shoulders.”
“Yeah, please don’t,” I agreed. “We all want you to be happy.” I gestured out to the green grass where Jade was playing with Lucy. “Look at all you have to live for now.”
“I know.” He nodded. “I know. Thanks, guys.”
“So,” Joe began. “We need to talk about the elephant in the room.”
I was pretty sure they were talking about Ruby and me. So I started to open my mouth to speak, but Joe continued.
“Dad. We need to figure out how Dad was involved in all of this.”
Good save. Of course. We’d recently found out that our father, Bradford Steel, former lover of Wendy Madigan, had been a member of the future lawmakers club at Tejon Prep School, along with Wade, Mathias, Simpson, Wendy, and Rodney Cates, Gina Cates’s father. In addition, he had been the financial backer for the club’s activities, which, as far as we knew, were masterminded by Theodore Mathias, Tom Simpson, and Larry Wade—Talon’s three abductors. Tom was dead and gone, and Larry wasn’t talking.
“I agree,” I said. “But how?”
“We go back to Larry Wade, for starters,” Joe said.
Tal rubbed at his forehead. “I can’t, Joe. I’m sorry.”
“You already faced him. That’s all you have to do. We understand you can’t do it again, don’t we, Ry?”
“Of course,” I said.
“But I do need someone to go with me. I’ll see if Melanie—”
“What about me?” I interjected.
Joe’s face went white. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”