. . tears having long since run dry and sure I wouldn’t be able to shed another.
World sufficiently crumbled, the way everyone had been waiting for.
Mangled heart vainly trying to find a regular rhythm when every thought of Beau made it stutter and falter.
More terrified than before that we couldn’t survive this.
I took the turn onto the gravel drive a little too fast but was too pissed to care. My anger only grew when I saw all the cars gathered in front of the house. The sight of Cayson’s truck adding fuel to the fire even though I’d been told I would find him there—find Emberly there.
Skidding to a stop, I yanked my keys out of the ignition and got out of my truck, slamming the door as I went. My steps hard and furious as I stormed up the familiar path to my childhood home, a hell of a lot different than how I’d gone walking up with my kids just two days before.
Crossing the wide porch, I yanked open the storm door and slammed my fist against the solid wood of the front door, calling out, “Cayson.”
I waited for what felt like minutes but was maybe only a second, my body twitching and trembling with soul-darkening anger before I started reaching for the handle.
But the sound of laughter coming from the barn had me stalking off the porch and in that direction just as my brothers stepped through the large, open doors.
Hunter’s expression shifted from surprise to his own form of aggression as soon as he noticed mine. Then he was hurrying to release the little girl in his arms and pushing her toward Madison.
But I wasn’t there for them.
“Cayson,” I snapped as I continued toward the group. “Where the hell is—” My hands curled into fists as the girl I really wanted to see came bouncing out of the barn, reaching for Cayson and coming to an abrupt stop when she saw me. “What the fuck, Emberly?”
My brothers started for me as the girls stayed behind, both wearing identical expressions that plainly said they were preparing to stop me.
“You need to go,” Hunter said, voice all a low warning in a tone he knew he shouldn’t use with me.
“I’m gonna kill her.”
Cayson reared back at the words before launching at me. “Touch her, and I’ll kill you.”
My eyes rolled as I stopped directly beside them. Letting all that red in my world and poison in my veins consume me.
“Beau, one more step, and I’m letting him go,” Hunter ground out, teeth clenched as he tried to hold Cayson back. “You need to leave.”
I held out my arms to show I hadn’t moved before tossing one in Emberly’s direction because this was Emberly we were talking about. The girl could scrap with all four of us because she’d been raised with us—but I’d never hurt her in my life, and I wasn’t about to start today.
But she’d still pushed too far.
Turning on her, I demanded, “The hell did I do to you?”
Her eyes darted around before landing on Cayson and Hunter, her lips parting as confusion marred her face.
“Emberly.”
Her stare shot back to me, her shoulders bunching up. “I don’t—I don’t know what I did. I tried—I helped—I mean, I thought I helped.”
“How the fuck is what you did helping me?” I shouted, causing Emberly to jerk back as Madison rushed Avalee toward the house.
“Enough,” Cayson snapped as Hunter said, “That’s it, you need to go.”
“I haven’t moved,” I said, turning a cold glare in their direction.
Hunter gave a hard nod. “That can change fast.”
“I’m in control,” I said, voice low and filled with steel. “Keep him away from me, and it’ll stay that way.”
“Stop yelling at her,” Cayson demanded from where he was now only being held back by a firm grip to his bicep.
I slanted my head. “I’m not promising that. Not after what she did.”
“I don’t know what I did other than try to help,” Emberly cried out from where she stood a dozen feet away.
“Seriously, Beau, she did that for you,” Cayson ground out. “For Savannah and you.”
I waited.
Counted backward.
Let myself feel all that racing anger and aggression before I asked him, “You knew, and you didn’t think to warn me?”
“There was nothing to warn you about,” he said with an irritated huff.
I gestured to where Emberly stood but didn’t take my eyes off him. “Stephanie Webb was waiting in my office almost completely naked this afternoon. Tell me how that wasn’t something to