Claiming the Enemy: Dustin (Porter Brothers Trilogy 3)

When she saw the sheen of tears on his cheeks, her heart started pounding.

“Did something happen? Did Dr. Price come in?”

Tate shook his head. “No.” He raised the metal box so everyone in the room could see. “I found this in his bottom drawer.”

“Did you open it?” Rachel asked.

“Yes.” Tate opened the box. Crushing sorrow filled Dustin’s oldest brother’s features. “It’s where he kept his medicine.” Tate reached inside the box, moving the medications to the side to take out a stack of letters. “He wrote each of us a letter.”

Giving the box to Greer, Tate started handing out the closed letters. He gave Rachel and Cash’s theirs first. Then gave Greer and Holly theirs.

Tate lifted his eyes to hers. “The last ones are for me, Sutton, and Logan.”

Jessie felt as if an ax had cleaved her soul from her body with one stroke.

“He didn’t have a letter in there for me?” she asked huskily.

“No, I’m sorry. I’m sure he was—”

“It doesn’t matter. I know he loves me,” she told herself and his family. “I need to go home to shower and change. It’ll be another two hours before I can go back in again. If he wakes up, will you call me, Tate?”

“Of course.”

Jessie gave him a slight smile before abruptly leaving.

She left the waiting room without a thought about how she would get home. She had left her cell phone at the daycare when she left to find Dustin.

Traversing the corridors, she saw a sign that had an arrow pointing toward the entrance of the hospital. It was where she and Holt had come in yesterday.

Planning on asking the receptionist if she could use the phone, Jessie lagged her footsteps, following the sign down the hallway. She turned the corner to find the hospital waiting room full to capacity and spilling out into the parking lot.

When Holt and Asher saw her, they stood up and went to her. Her composure broke when they were close enough to throw herself into Holt’s arms.

“I need to go home and change,” she sobbed onto his shoulder.

“Asher, get the truck.” Holt’s comforting arms supported her as they left the lobby.

Through her tears, she saw how many people cared about the Porters.

Holt held her firmly as they went through the doors. Jessie brushed her tears away when she saw there were as many motorcycles as cars.

When Asher pulled the truck up beside the door, Holt opened it, both getting inside. On the way home, she told them about Dustin’s condition.

Getting out when they got home, they went inside in silence.

Excusing herself to take a shower, she went to her room to get a change of clothes before going to the bathroom. She showered and got out to pull on a cream, long-sleeved sweatshirt and jeans. Brushing her wet hair into a tight ponytail, she went into the living room to tug on a pair of brown suede boots.

“Can I make you something to eat?” Asher asked, smearing peanut butter on a slice of bread.

“I’m not hungry.” The thought of food repulsed her. “I’m ready to go back,” she said, looking at her brothers.

Holt stood up from the couch. “Give us ten minutes to shower, and we’ll be ready.”

“I’m going to go for a walk. I need to stretch my legs. Don’t be long.”

Jessie grabbed her jacket before going outside. The cold air hitting her in the face drove the cobwebs from her tired brain.

Walking aimlessly, she found herself battling back hurt feelings that Dustin hadn’t left her a letter. Didn’t he love her enough to take the time, or did he think she wouldn’t need one? She tortured herself, coming up with reasons after reasons of why he hadn’t.

Finally looking up, she saw that she gravitated toward the tree that she and Dustin had met at when they were younger. The memories had her crying in despair.

Blinking through tears, she saw where Tate had carved his and Sutton’s names, and where Tate had his and Holly’s. Frowning, she wiped her tears away. Someone else had made more marks on the tree.

Jessie fell to her knees when she saw that Dustin had carved his and her initials. Dropping to her bottom, she laid her head on her knees, crying as she stared up at the huge tree.

A bittersweet smile came to her lips when she remembered the hole where she used to hide things that she wanted to show Dustin. She had used the hidey hole to hide the bead bracelet on his birthday. It was the last time she had used it.

Without knowing why, she reached inside, expecting to be bitten for waking any small animals in their resting place. Then she became confused when her nails scratched something plastic. Going to her knees, she grabbed it, tugging it toward her.

A clump of dried leaves came out first, then the plastic bag. It was a freezer bag that had been zipped closed with a cigar box inside.