Page 46 of The Way Back Home
The video ended. No one said a word. The muffled sound of excited children playing with their new toys was surreal in the silence.
“Lying son of a bitch,” Noah spat out, disgusted by the performance he’d just seen.
The fucker had had everyone fooled, but Noah had seen the glimmer of madness, of cruelty, etched in those handsome features.
Now he knew why Teagan had been running for all these years. Why she kept to the shadows.
“It wasn’t just her stepfather abusing her,” Noah said, feeling the truth of it in his soul.
“Christ, Noah. Are you sure?” Brandon asked.
“I knew she was running, but not from what. He’s been hunting her all this time.”
Alex’s brows lowered. “Talk to me.”
Noah hesitated, then decided to share what he knew, rationalizing that it wasn’t a betrayal if they could end her nightmare once and for all. Hell, she was planning on leaving the next day. That didn’t give him much time to work with.
“The sheriff came to Hopewell, looking for her. She bolted the moment she saw him.”
“You think he knew?”
“He told Mona he was investigating a string of local robberies.”
“So, how did she end up with you?”
Noah gave them a CliffsNotes version of what had happened. Their faces grew even stormier.
“You think this poser’s behind it?”
“I had my doubts, but after seeing the piece of shit and listening to that bullshit, I’m sure of it. Jesus, I can’t believe this all happened in Saughannock. When I asked her to come home with me for the holidays, I had no idea I was bringing her back into the lion’s den.”
“How could you have known?” Daniel asked.
Fair point. Didn’t make him feel any better, though.
“How do you want to handle this?” That was from Eli, who was looking as determined as the rest of them.
Noah felt a surge of appreciation for their unconditionalwillingness to help. He exchanged a glance with Alex.
Words passed unspoken between them, then Alex offered a slight nod. “With extreme prejudice.”
The tightness in Noah’s chest loosened slightly. Alex specialized in covert ops, reconnaissance, and human intelligence gathering. He was skilled in disguise, extraction, psychological ops, and manipulation. Noah had never been more grateful for it.
“Where’s Teagan now?” Alex asked.
“In the stables. Bear’s with her.”
“What are you going to tell her?”
Noah blew out a breath. This was where things got tricky. “Nothing.”
“Is that wise?” Eli asked.
“If she didn’t tell me any of this, it’s because she didn’t want me to know,” Noah said, realization dawning as Teagan’s cryptic words at Hopewell came back to him. “She agreed to come with me because she was already planning on heading this way. I think she’s planning on putting an end to this thing once and for all.” Noah shook his head. “And she’s not going to stop until she does.”
“Well, she’s not going to do it alone,” Daniel said firmly, prompting murmurs of agreement from the others.
Noah’s chest squeezed. His brothers had his back. More importantly, they had Teagan’s.
