The little nudge in my chest catches me by surprise, and I massage the pain away. This shouldn’t be a shock for me; it was only yesterday that I got hit with the realization that I’m not on anyone’s team. There’s them. And then there’s me.

This is St. Clare’s brother, and I’m just the guy who’s always in the way and made him come a few times. There’s no competition there.

It really shouldn’t hurt to have them confirm everything I already know.

Once there’s a short break in their conversation, I push aside the hurt and shove open the door like I haven’t heard a thing.

“Forgot my stuff,” I explain, doing everything I can to sound as happy as ever.

I grab my bag, make sure my mask, gun, and wallet are all in there, and then I head for the door again.

Neither of them has moved, and before I walk out, I can’t stop from letting that pain sneak back in a touch. It has my mouth moving before I can stop it. “This whole being on the run thing sucks, but at least I have you two. It makes things a bit less lonely.”

And knowing that I don’t really have them makes me feel lonelier than I ever have in my life.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

ST. CLARE

I’m terrified he heard everything we were talking about, and it’s not until I hear his car come alive with an admittedly dying sound that I dare talk again.

“We can’t do it.”

Lars groans and buries his face in his hands. “Do we have any other options? I’m worried about Colin. I’m worried about that damn disaster who just walked out the door. And I’m worried about you. None of us are equipped for any of this.”

“You think I don’t know that?”

He slowly looks back up at me. The whites of his eyes are streaked with red, and his curly hair is a hazardous mess. “This place has a bad feeling to it. It’s getting to me.”

“I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we’re sitting in a murder cabin right now.”

“Do you think he’s right though? Could Perry’s phone have been tracked?”

“Have you seen his phone? It’s basically a fossil.”

“Yeah, but …” He tucks his thumb between his teeth as he thinks. “If there’s any possibility, maybe we should move on again.”

Lars clearly can’t grasp the concept of having nowhere to go. “We’re not involving our parents in this.”

“No, but I was thinking Colin’s place might be an option. It’s got that drain that runs between his and his neighbor’s place. We could follow that, pop out one of the fence panels, and go in through the back.”

“And if there’s someone in there?”