Page 53 of Tainted Tempos

He’s quiet for a long beat, and I know he won’t refute me. “I’d tell her first.”

I roll my eyes and tap the mouse on my computer. The monitor flickers to life, and all the information I’ve been collecting on Bran appears.

There’s gotta be something.I scan the documents as the words run together.

“When was the last time you ate?” Jameson asks.

I startle, forgetting he was on the line.

“I don’t know,” I mumble. “Got more important things to take care of.”

“Jesus, Mav. I’ll be there in thirty.”

No! This is what I was trying to avoid. This is why I shouldn’t have picked up the damn phone when I could have been researching.

“No, I’m fine. You don’t have to come.” I try to shut him down.

Jameson snickers. “Shower. We’ll grab a bite. Swing by the studio. You want to get some writing time in?”

His question causes the rock of guilt in my stomach to expand into a boulder.

“I can’t leave until I check in with Greg,” I whisper.

“Okay,” my brother agrees.

“I want to make sure Mckenna isn’t alone for dinner tonight,” I continue.

“She can come with us,” he offers. “Send her a message to meet us after her last class.”

“No, she has a study group until...” I squint at the sticky pad I use to jot down whatever Mckenna mentions about her schedule. “Seven.”

I don’t want to ask her point blank for her daily agenda, but I need to know her comings and goings to...plan. Prepare. Help.

Jameson sighs. “We’ll bring her back food.”

“Okay,” I agree. “We can pick her up from the library.”

“Doesn’t she have her car?”

I nod, then realize he can’t see me. It will be dark after seven when Mckenna walks to her car. What if Bran is out there lurking? What if Greg gets a call and isn’t paying attention? No, I can’t leave it to chance. “We can follow her.”

“Maverick! You’re going to fucking scare her. Just talk to her, man. You’ve gotta snap out of this. You’ve become obsessed and paranoid and?—”

“I can’t let anything bad happen to her!” I erupt. Doesn’t he see I’m doing my best? Doesn’t anyone understand how big my feelings for Mckenna are? I’d rather cut off my arm than see her cry. Or hear her sobs in the middle of the night. Witnessing her agony is pure fucking torture, and I need to mitigate the situation so Bran doesn’t hurt her or any other woman again.

“You’re gonna lose her, Mav.” Jameson’s voice is flat.

I frown.

“You’re gonna lose her by loving too damn hard. Pushing too much. Interfering when she might not want you to. It’s not how you feel; it’s how you’re showing it,” he continues, surprising me into silence. “She doesn’t need you to run her life; she needs you to stand by her side while she runs it.”

“Jameson,” I say, carefully measuring my words.

He understands my tone. “I know you’re thinking I know jack shit. I mean, look at me and Amelia, right?”

“Well...yeah.”

“Learn from my mistakes, Mav.Tread lightly.”

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