blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but all except the smallest lingering doubt fled from
Lee’s mind.
It had to be Stefan.
And if it was, whatever life he’d been living had been hard on him. Lee took a picture of
the guy with his cell phone, hesitated a second, then sent it to Ramirez, adding,
it’s him, isn’t it
?
before sliding out of the truck. It blocked himself from Stef, should he turn around.
Stef was alive. All these years, he’d been alive. He’d sent the tickets, left the warning note
about the dance studio, shouted at Gev when someone was about to mow him over—but who the
hell was doing all the other crap?
There was one way to find out.
Lee stepped around the truck. Stefan turned at the movement, a look of despair crossing his
face when he recognized Lee—and then he took off running.
What the hell
? “Stefan! Stop!” Dammit. Lee took off after him. Out of the corner of his
eye, Lee saw Nina walking out of the coffee shop, but there wasn’t time to worry about it.
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Stefan darted between two cars and disappeared around a corner. A car drove in front of
Lee, forcing him to skid to a stop, then run around the back of it. Adrenaline gave him the energy
he needed to speed up. He had to catch Stefan now, or the chances were good he never would.
He ran around the corner he’d seen Stefan turn. It led to a dead-end alley filled with cars.
There was no way he could’ve gotten out without Lee seeing him. Lee stopped, catching his
breath. This was crazy. “I know you’re here,” he called out, walking toward the back fence. It
was too high for anyone to climb, he hoped, or else he was talking to himself. “I know you’re
following Gev,” he said loudly. “I know you don’t want to hurt him. Just come out; talk to me.
Tell me what the hell is going on.” He sucked in his breath, running both hands through his hair.
“Dammit, just
talk
to me.” Then he decided, what the hell, go for broke here. “Stefan, I know it’s
you.”
Back in the corner, he heard a rustle, a can kicked over. He ran toward it and found Stefan
about to slip through a narrow gap in the fence. A gap Lee wouldn’t be able to get through.
“Stop,” Lee said. “Please.”
He did stop and slowly turned around. Someone came running around the corner and saw
them. Lee flicked his gaze over, knowing it was Gev. He froze, looking from Lee back to the
hoodie guy. Nina came up behind Gev, but he held her back. Had they recognized Stef? Lee
didn’t think so.
“I’m sorry,” Stefan said, then slipped through.
Lee lunged for him, grabbing the hoodie as he was about to slip off for good. He curled his
fingers around the hoodie and yanked, making Stefan stumble. “Wait, dammit.”
“Let me go. I can’t. Lee—” The guy’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry. Don’t tell them it’s me.
Please.”
Lee didn’t know what to do except let Stef go. He took a step back, staring dumbly at the
now empty space where Stefan had gone. It really was him, alive.
Lee turned and walked back toward where Gev and Nina waited. “He got away.”
“Did you see who it was?” Gev asked.
“No, he slipped through the fence too fast,” Lee said, hating himself for lying. He put his
arm around Gev and started walking back toward the Starbucks. “You guys okay?”
“We didn’t see anyone else,” Nina said, falling into step beside Lee. “If you guys don’t
mind, I’m going to go. Kids will be out of school soon.”
They’d reached the parking lot. “Where’s your car?” Lee said.
“Over there. The black Lexus SUV.” Lee headed for it, then walked around it when he
reached it. Nothing looked strange, out of place. Tires were untouched. “I watched it from the
window,” Nina said. “I doubt anyone was able to do anything to it without my knowing.”
Lee looked down the street, then back the other way. “He’s not the one I’m worried
about.”
“What did Ramirez say?” asked Gev.
“I didn’t even get to see her. She was out on a call.”
“Good. I want to see her. And we need to tell her about that guy.”
Yeah, he sure did. He knew the second she looked at that picture he’d sent, she too would
know for sure it was Stefan. “I got a new rental.”
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Carolyn Gray
Nina opened her car door. “Where?”
Lee hoped they didn’t notice that he was trying to get them out of there. He needed time to
think. He hit a button on his key fob, and the massive truck, parked a few spaces away, flashed
its lights.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Gev said, disbelief on his face as he looked from the truck to
Lee. “You thought you’d got all the Texan out of you.”
“I’m not a Texan,” Lee insisted.
“Yeah, right.” Nina slid into her seat. “Keep on believing that.” Gev walked around to her
car door and leaned in to say something to her that Lee couldn’t hear. He looked around them
again, making sure no one lurked, that the car that had tried to mow Gev down was nowhere in
sight. “See you guys later.”
“I’ll call you.” Gev closed Nina’s door. He had a booklet of some sort in his hand, which
he rolled up as she backed out with a wave. He rejoined Lee, and they walked over to the truck.
Lee went around to his side and hauled himself in; Gev did the same.
“Where to now?” Lee asked.
“Home, I guess. Such as it is.”
Lee pulled his cell out of his jacket pocket, then laid it next to him on the seat and started
up the truck.
Gev leaned back, the curled-up booklet clutched in his hand, and stared out the window.
“Maybe that guy is stalking me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. It’s happened before, I’m sur—” Gev stopped. “Of course it has. Nick was
stalked by that guy before he kidnapped him, right?”
Lee turned the corner. “Yeah. For quite a while.”
Gev thumped the paper on his thigh. “I really am getting tired of this. I haven’t worked out
in two days. I’m going to lose my flexibility soon if I don’t.”
“What about at the ballet school? Didn’t you go?” Lee turned onto their street and parked
in front of the house.
“They’re going to hate this truck on sight,” Gev said. “And no. Nina had something to
show me. And now I have to show it to you.”
“What?” Lee said, turning off the engine.
But Gev had opened the door and jumped out already. Lee paused, then did the same. He
slid his phone into his jacket pocket and headed after Gev, checking up and down the street, as
always. Gev rang the doorbell, watching Lee as he scanned the streets.
“Becoming habit, isn’t it?”
Lee grimaced as he joined Gev. “It has been for a long time.” Even when Mutt was around,
Lee couldn’t put being vigilant on hold.
Gev knocked on the door. “Dammit, I don’t think anyone’s here.”
“Drew gave me the back-door key,” Lee said, pulling it out of his pocket.
Gev plucked it from his fingers. “Give me a sec.”
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Lee watched as Gev ran around the corner of the house. It didn’t take long for him to open
the front door. Lee shut the door behind him and locked it, then followed Gev into the kitchen.
“Want something to drink?” Gev asked.
“Sure.”
“Water or coke?”
“Water’s fine.” Lee took off his jacket and draped it over the couch. Khyra looked up from
her bed in the corner and yawned at him, then lay back down. Lee was trying to shake the feeling
that something was up with Gev, but it wouldn’t leave. “Be right back.”
He headed up the stairs and into the bathroom, then splashed his face with water. This was
not going well. He couldn’t do it anymore, he realized. Ramirez wanted him to keep quiet until
they knew for sure it was Stefan who had been trailing Gev. Well, now he knew for sure. He’d
told Stef he wouldn’t tell, either, but he knew he had no choice—Gev was more important.
After taking a piss and washing his hands again, he eyed himself in the mirror. It was the
right thing to do. Gev deserved to know, and Ramirez could stuff it. He opened the door and
headed down the steps. Gev was standing next to the couch, holding Lee’s cell phone in his
hand. Lee slowed, reaching the last step.
Gev looked up, his eyes flashing, his expression tight. “Ramirez texted you back.”
Lee’s mouth went dry. Shit. But what came out of his mouth was not what he should’ve
said. “Why’d you look at my phone?”
“I thought it might be important.” Gev shoved the phone into his hand. “Why didn’t you
tell me?”
Lee felt disembodied as he read Ramirez’s message:
It’s Stefan. No doubt now
. “I
couldn’t,” Lee said, his heart pounding. This couldn’t be happening.
“Why the hell not?” Gev threw his arms out wide. “When were you going to tell me?
Were
you going to?”
“Of course I was. Ramirez asked me not to say anything until she was sure.” Lee took a
step toward Gev, reaching for him, but Gev pulled back. Lee’s hand clutched air; he let it drop to
his side, defeated by the look on Gev’s face. Fear shot through him.
“No.”
“Gev—”
“No, don’t,” Gev said, his eyes glassy. “Fuck.” He rubbed his hand over his face. “You
lied to me. Oh, sure, you didn’t directly, but you lied to me.” His accusation stabbed Lee in the
chest. “Why? You want him—Fuck. My brother.
Shit
.”
The haunted look on his face tore at Lee. He couldn’t move. He had to fix this. He couldn’t
let Gev think he was glad Stef was back because—
But then it was too late. Gev blinked, his expression hardening. “Guess you’ve got what
you wanted now.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Stef, that’s what. It’s what you want, isn’t it? That’s why you weren’t going to tell me.
You’ve known it could be Stef behind all this for how long?”
“It’s not like that.”
“How long have you known.”
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Carolyn Gray
Dammit. “Only since night before last,” Lee said, feeling sick. “I’m sorry. I wanted to tell
y—”
“So why didn’t you?” Gev made a face. “How did you react? When you learned Stef might
be alive? You can have him back now. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
“No,” Lee said, wrenching the word out. “That’s not what I want. I want
you
. I’m glad he’s
alive. I don’t understand it, but—”
“Why did you let him go? You stopped him, behind that store. You let him go.”
A crushing weight sat on his chest. “He begged me to. Asked me not to tell you it was
him.”
“And his feelings are more important than mine. And Nina’s. Dammit.” Gev clenched his
hair in his fingers, his expression tormented. “You knew, Lee. You knew and didn’t tell me.”
The look Gev gave him was the worst thing he’d ever seen directed his way. He hadn’t
meant to hurt Gev, but he had. And he didn’t know what to say, because Gev was right—he
hadn’t told him, because a part of him had hoped Stef was alive.
Gev saw it on his face. “I have to get out of here.”
Gev tried to push past, but Lee grabbed him by the shoulders. He wasn’t sure he was
stronger than Gev, but he was bigger. Gev stiffened under his hands. “
Wait
, dammit. Yes, I wish
I had told you. I was about to.”
Gev laughed bitterly. “Yeah, maybe.” He looked up at Lee. “Maybe you were. I don’t
know. But this isn’t something I can—” He closed his eyes, his body suddenly drooping in Lee’s
grip. “Please, let me go,” he said softly.
Lee knew he had no choice. He took a step back, releasing Gev. “What are you going to
do?”
Gev turned his head away. “I don’t know. Just…leave, okay? I don’t want you here right
now.”
Nothing Gev could’ve said would have hurt more. Everything inside Lee blackened. It was
over; there was nothing he could say in his defense.
Gev moved toward the staircase. “I was going to give you that booklet. Take it.”
“What is it?”
Gev looked at him then, his eyes red, his expression lost. “Take it and go, Lee.” And then
he went up the stairs.
Lee stared after him, numb. Trish had been so right. Exactly what she’d warned him would
happen just had. He grabbed the booklet, then went out the front door and locked the doorknob
lock behind him. It wasn’t until he’d reached the truck that he realized all his things were inside.
Fucking hell. He’d have to wait until Drew or Trish got home. No way would Gev open the door
for him now.
As he got into the truck, he realized he was shaking. Gev was wrong. Lee had no intention
of trying to get Stefan back. The person whose face he’d looked into in that alley was Stefan, no
doubt about that, but he wasn’t
his
Stefan. That person was long gone, lost to him and maybe to
everyone else. He had to think that was why Stefan had stayed away all this time. He’d looked so
exhausted and sad.
Lee laid his head back, closed his eyes. Images formed in his mind, memories of when
he’d been a kid, Stefan and him playing together first with trucks and water balloons and then
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playing on a baseball team together. Stef had been horrible, but everyone liked him so much that
they stuck him in outfield while Lee’d played first base. Then images of later, hiding in the