Echo (Bleeding Hearts #1)(76)

I had no idea who would be calling me repeatedly, but I guessed it was probably Ryland. He worried about me obsessively whenever something minor happened.

I padded towards the bedroom and picked up my phone, scrolling through the messages. Six missed calls from Norma-Jean. I dialed her number back and swallowed the lump in my throat when she answered on the first ring.

“What’s going on?”

“They know,” she blurted, her voice completely hysterical.

While Norma was always a little dramatic, I’d never heard her quite like this. There was real fear in her voice as she repeated the words over and over.

“Who knows what?” I demanded.

“They know Brayden’s his son,” she continued. “And that he didn’t finish the job. They’re coming after him, so he’s coming to get you.”

“Norma, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” I rubbed my temples in exhaustion. “You have to calm down and explain.”

“Frankie’s wife found out about Brayden,” she said. “And she put a hit out on him. But Brayden thinks she knows about you too that’s why he’s coming to San Francisco.”

Her words were a sucker punch to the gut. I knew that Frankie was a dangerous man. And I knew he had a wife and other kids, but I had no idea how much trouble we’d be in if she ever discovered us. But it all made sense when I pieced it together. Why we lived in some shit hole in the middle of nowhere for as long as I could remember. Why our mother had changed her name and given us her father’s last name. All the secrets that had piled up over the years, never fitting together, suddenly made perfect sense.

Had Norma really lived that way to protect us from Frankie’s family? It wasn’t something I could reconcile in my head. She didn’t have a maternal bone in her body, and yet Brayden’s words came back to haunt me.

She had a rough go of it, Brighton. Things weren’t easy for her either…

I wanted to ask her. But it wasn’t the right time.

“When’s he getting here?” I glanced at the clock on the wall.

“He’ll be there at 7:15,” Norma rattled off. “You have to take care of each other, Brighton. You have to hide. You don’t understand what these people are capable of…”

The panic in her voice scared me. Norma-Jean had never panicked over anything except for money. But right then, it was clear as day how much she loved us. And I couldn’t believe I was only just hearing it now.

“I’ll protect him,” I assured her. “I’ll figure something out.”

“Okay,” she sniffled. “Please make sure you do.”

“What about you, mom?” I croaked.

For the first time in forever, she didn’t reprimand me for using the word.

“I’ll be okay,” she assured me. “I have a cousin in Springfield who’s going to let me stay with her a while.”

A cousin in Springfield? Again, something I hadn’t been privy to.

“Okay.” I glanced up at the clock again. “I have to go get ready. Please be careful, Norma.”

“You too, Brighton. I love you.”





Chapter Thirty-Two



I had just slipped off the bracelet Ryland gave me when Nicole showed up.

“I thought you were sick?” she glanced at my purse and keys.

“I’m feeling okay now,” I muttered. “But, Nicole I need you to do me a favor.”

“What is it?” she asked.

“It’s a really big one.”

She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “Why do I get the impression I’m not going to like it?”

“I need you to cover for me with Ryland,” I explained. “If he calls, tell him I’m asleep, and that you’re here watching TV.”

“Why?” she asked curiously.

“It’s a family thing.” I wasn’t about to go into all the gory details with her already fragile state of mind. “I have to go do something for Norma, and if he knows he will freak out.”

She hesitated for a moment before shrugging in agreement. And even with all our past history, I knew I could trust her with this.

“Thank you so much.” I hugged her. “I’ll bring you back one of those cupcakes you like from down the street.”

“Okay.” She smiled. “Just be careful. And don’t stay out too long.”

“I won’t.”



***





If I had expected a warm reception from Brayden at the airport, I wasn’t getting one. He grabbed my arm as soon as he saw me and dragged me towards the ground transportation.

“Don’t say a word,” he hissed. “Not until we’re in the car.”

“What car?” I asked.

Again, he didn’t answer. He strode up to the rental desk and gave them a credit card with someone else’s name on it. The ID had a photo of someone who looked like him but definitely wasn’t.

The minute we were in the safety of the silver Kia, I shot him a glare.

“Whose card did you use back there?” I demanded. “I have money, you know.”

“You mean you have Ryland’s money,” he scoffed. “And how long do you think it will take him to track that down?”