Help Me Remember (Rose Canyon, #1)(83)

I look over at the two hulking men in the corner. “They will not let anything happen to me.”

I have never been in danger because Spencer wouldn’t allow it. He’s made sure I have someone here the entire time. My protection was always his priority.

Quinn grunts, and Jackson just grins. “She remembers and trusts us,” he says to Quinn.

“It would seem so.”

“Do you think we’ll get to watch her fix the other part?” Jackson asks.

“Probably not. We always miss the fun stuff.”

Jackson snorts. “It’s unfair, which is par for the course.”

I ignore the two of them as I zip my bag. “Well?” I ask impatiently. “Are you packed?”

Quinn smirks. “Oh, are you ready for another ten-plus hour drive, Sunshine? This will be more fun than the one here since you are eager for another reason. Yes, I am packed. I am always packed when I’m on a mission.”

“I used to like you, not anymore.”

Quinn shrugs. “I’m used to women disliking me.”

Jackson walks over. “You’re sure you want to go back? We can handle things from here.”

“Positive.”

My mother looks at him. “I can’t lose her. Now that she remembers who killed him and tried to kill her, she’s in danger.”

“She is, but we will do everything we can to protect her,” he promises.

I don’t care about any of this. I want to go home and fix this. I want to make sure Myles is safe from his father, have Bill arrested, and then I want to find the man I love and beg him to forgive me.

I was so stupid to ever think he could hurt me or Isaac. Not him. Not ever.

Mom wraps me in her arms, holding me tight. “I am so sorry you went through this, Brielle. I wish I could take it all for you.” She pulls back. “You are strong and courageous. You were trying to help that little boy and save your brother at the same time. None of this is your fault, and I just want you to be happy, okay?”

I nod.

“You only get one life, don’t waste it.”

I give her another hug, grateful that we were able to have this moment. Then I grab my bag and we head out to the car.

“I’ve already called Emmett. He is taking the information to the district attorney. In the meantime, they sent a unit to make sure Myles and his mother are safe. If they can, they’ll make an arrest before you get into town,” Jackson explains.

“What about Spencer?”

“Spencer Cross is not a helpless human, Brielle,” Quinn tries to reassure me. “He’s been trained by the best, and whether he’s used those skills or not lately, that doesn’t just go away. I honestly feel bad for whoever is stupid enough to try to go after him.”

“He can’t stop a bullet. That man killed my brother and would’ve killed me. He probably thought I was dead, which is why he didn’t shoot me. He wanted to take from me, and who better than the man who spent every day of the last month with me?”

I want to wail and scream and fly to him. I never should’ve left. If anything happens, I will never forgive myself. In my anger and hurt, I pushed him away, accused him of the unthinkable, and walked out just like the women before me.

No wonder he left town.

“We’ll find him.” Jackson’s voice is full of confidence. “Look, when guys are hurt, they need time to lick their wounds. He’s probably off in the mountains on a hike without cell service. Or he’s drunk in Vegas. One of the two.”

I roll my eyes. “Vegas and those boys are a bad idea.”

“Vegas is a bad idea for any boy,” Quinn says with a laugh.

“Well, at Isaac’s bachelor party, the four of them ended up in a shitload of trouble. Spencer was out thousands of dollars. Isaac almost didn’t get married once Addison found out about the money he spent. Holden hooked up with some girl in a bathroom. She left him blacked out in the stall, and Emmett spent the night sleeping on the hood of his car because he lost his keys. Trust me, he hates Vegas and vowed never to go back.” Plus, it’s where Spencer’s mother would go whenever she needed to get away from him and find herself.

The only way that Spencer would go there is out of desperation.

“Wherever he is, we’ll track him down and make sure he’s safe as well. Let us worry, Brielle. You just prepare your apology speech.” Jackson squeezes my arm and steps back. “Miller, make sure you’re giving me updates.”

Quinn nods. “I’ll be in touch every two hours.”

The car lurches forward, and I prepare myself for the longest car ride in history.





Chapter Thirty-One





SPENCER





It’s been a week of dead ends. I know this is part of the job, but I am at my wits end. I took the video of the altercation to my video guy. He was able to enhance the video, but the man’s face was in the shadow too much to make a positive ID.

He is working on digitally recreating it, but that takes at least a day.

All I have now is the boy she was protecting. If I can get information from him, then maybe he can tell me who Brielle was upset with.

I’m driving back toward town when I see the sign for the park we went to a few weeks ago. I can’t resist the pull, so I turn in.