Breaking The Bro Code (Hawthorne Brothers 3)

“Let me go.” Joel tries to push her off but she puts her weight on him and holds his arms.

I get back on my feet.

“Go!” she tells me.

I give her a puzzled look. She wants me to run?

“Go!”

I see the plea in her eyes as she struggles to keep Joel pinned down.

So I run.

I run through the darkness, through the rain, not really knowing where I’m going.

All I know is that I need to get out of Joel’s sight so that he can calm down. I need to give him space to think.

Maybe he’ll forgive me. Maybe he won’t. For now, I’ll have to leave him in Claire’s care and hope they’ll be alright.

I hope she’ll be alright.Chapter Twenty-ThreeClaire

“Shh.” Natalie rubs my shoulders as I sit on the edge of the bed in the dry clothes she helped me change into. “Everything will be alright.”

Really? I’m not so sure.

Right now, everything is a mess. Ryker is gone. I have no clue where he is. Joel is out looking for him, still intent on hurting him. And I just feel alone and helpless and clueless as to what I’m supposed to do. Plus I think I might end up catching a cold.

I sneeze.

Natalie leaves my side to get me the robe. She wraps it around me.

“There.”

“Thanks,” I mumble as I pull it tighter around my shoulders.

Then I turn my head to look at her.

“And I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Natalie asks.

“For causing all this trouble.”

She gives me a puzzled look. “You didn’t cause all this trouble. Your brother did, and I’m going to give him an earful when he comes back.”

I doubt he’ll listen, though. He’s angry. He doesn’t listen to anyone when he’s angry.

“It’s my fault,” I say as I look away. “I’m the reason Joel and Ryker fought.”

And if either of them gets hurt, I won’t forgive myself.

“Don’t say that.” Natalie holds my hand. “They fought because they’re men, and sometimes men need to fight to sort out their feelings.”

I still think it’s my fault.

“I tore them apart. They’re best friends. They’ve known each other for years, and I tore them apart. I turned them on each other.”

“And you’ll bring them back together,” Natalie tells me. “They both care about you. As soon as they realize that, they’ll be friends again. And if they don’t, I know you’ll find a way to bring them back together.”

I shake my head. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know if I want to do anything. I feel like I’ve done so much damage.”

Natalie squeezes my hand. “You haven’t. So stop punishing yourself.”

I meet her gaze. “What if Ryker gets hurt?”

“I’m sure Ryker can take care of himself.”

“What if Joel gets hurt?”

“He can take care of himself, too.” Natalie touches my cheek. “They’re both fine. I’m sure of it.”

“You don’t think Joel will kill Ryker?” I ask her.

She snorts. “Joel isn’t capable of killing anyone, least of all someone he’s known all his life.”

“You’re forgetting that that someone had sex with his sister. That’s a heinous crime in Joel’s eyes, a crime punishable by death.”

“Maybe,” Natalie says. “But I still don’t think Joel will kill Ryker. He’s probably just wandering on the beach trying to figure things out.”

“In the rain?” I ask. “He’ll catch a cold.”

Natalie shrugs. “Or maybe he’ll get a clear mind. Sometimes, the rain can give that.”

“If he catches a cold, you might have to postpone your wedding,” I say. “And even if he doesn’t, I might have already ruined it.”

“Ruined the wedding? How on earth do you think you did that?”

“Because even if your wedding pushes through, it’s not going to be the same after what happened. Joel isn’t going to be happy, which means you’re not going to be happy.”

Natalie looks confused. “Why wouldn’t Joel be happy? He may have lost his best man, but he still has his bride.”

“You know what I mean.”

She sighs and puts her arm around me. “Joel will be fine. If he doesn’t forgive Ryker in time for the wedding, then we’ll just have to find another best man. And everything will be fine.”

I frown. I don’t know how she can be so optimistic. I can’t do it. I can’t believe everything will be fine.

How can I when Ryker isn’t here? What if he’s already left me behind? What if he’s decided he doesn’t want me after all and I never see him again?

Just then, the door to the cottage opens. Joel comes in. His clothes are dripping wet. A puddle forms at his feet.

Natalie goes over to him and starts to dry him with a towel.

“Where have you been?” she asks, worry in her voice.

I guess she was worried, too. She was just trying to hide it.

“I was looking for Ryker,” Joel answers.

I thought so.

He looks at me. “He’s gone.”

My chest grows tight. “Does that mean you killed him?”