Reckless Faith

“Elle, I can tell something’s going on,” Sadie said quietly. “What is it? Are you thinking about the attack last week? Or the person who was tailing you?”

Elle swirled her cup of coffee. It was the first day they were open since Boyd’s attack. She was on a break with Sadie, who’d dropped by both for a coffee and to check in. The place wasn’t busy, and honestly, Elle was grateful.

She’d told Sadie about the car that had tailed them and the person who’d been identified as renting the car. But even if she hadn’t, Eastern would have told her, and Elle was fine with that. “I don’t want to make this about me.”

Sadie cocked her head. “Make what about you?”

“It’s going to sound silly and petty and like a non-issue after everything that’s been happening.”

“Tell me.”

Elle sighed. “Since that car tailed us, Jace has been…distant.”

Sadie frowned. “Distant how?”

“It’s just little things. He hasn’t been smiling or cracking his usual jokes. He used to stay in bed and we’d snuggle in the morning, but he’s been getting up early to work out. It kind of feels like he’s…pulling away.” Man, that hurt to say out loud.

“Oh, Elle…he’s probably scared about something happening to you. Someone did try to kill you. I know they’re not around anymore, but now with this woman out there…it’s a lot.”

“I know. But I guess a part of me, the insecure part, is worried that…”

“What?”

Elle tightened her hold on the mug. “It just scares me. I’ve always had this idea that he’s way out of my league.”

Sadie opened her mouth, but Elle spoke first.

“Jace has done so much to convince me that isn’t true. Over the years, I’ve also done a lot of work on myself. It’s just, after these last few days, those old insecurities have started to creep back in.”

Sadie reached across the table and slipped her hand over Elle’s. “Hey. I’ve seen the way that guy looks at you. When you’re in the room, you’re all he sees. Trust him to stick around.”

“Thank you. I do need to trust him. I obviously just like to overthink everything.”

“Oh, I know all about that. I’m a queen overthinker. It’s a woman’s prerogative. Maybe talk to him tonight?”

That was the thing, she’d been trying to talk to him. And she always got the same response. That he was fine. That everything would be okay.

Sadie sipped her coffee. “Did Eastern tell you he questioned Alice’s family and they told him she was on a retreat?”

“Yeah, but they couldn’t tell him which retreat she’s on.” A retreat would be convenient seeing as she wouldn’t be able to answer her phone. She shook her head. “Sorry, we’ve been talking about me this entire time. Tell me about you. How’s it going with Eastern and how’s beautiful Avery?”

A soft smile immediately curved Sadie’s lips, and for the next ten minutes, Elle listened as Sadie spoke about her boyfriend and his daughter. She was so happy that her friend had found love with Eastern. It was only fitting, seeing as she’d basically nannied his daughter her entire life. They made a beautiful family.

When her break was over, Elle rose and hugged Sadie. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you. And I hope your chat with Jace goes well. I think it will.”

Elle smiled as she pulled back. “Let’s hope so.” She watched as her friend left. She was clearing the table when the door opened after Sadie and Casper stepped in.

Oh, Jesus. What the heck was he doing here? Elle almost rolled her eyes. Would the jerk not just leave her alone?

Of course he walked straight over to her. “Hey, Marshal.”

“What are you doing here, Casper?”

He cocked his head. “Now, I might be wrong, but this is a public café, is it not?”

This time she did roll her eyes as she grabbed the cups from the table. “So you’re here for coffee?”

“Sure. Why not?”

She rounded the counter, hearing his footsteps close behind her as he stopped on the other side. Molly was making a bagel at the other end of the counter, and there were half a dozen people in the café, but right now, all her focus remained on Casper.

She put the mugs into the sink before turning back to him. “What can I get you?”

He leaned over the counter. “Dunno. What’s good?”

“The coffee. Would you like one to go?”

“To go? You trying to get rid of me?”

“After what you said to me in the bar, you’re lucky I’m not kicking your ass out.”

“After you threw a drink in my face, you’re lucky I didn’t press charges.”

She scoffed. That comment didn’t even deserve a response. “You can have a coffee to go, or you can get out.”

An arrogant smile curved his lips. “There you go again, thinking you’re too good for me.”

She didn’t think—she knew. “Is that a no for the coffee?”

“No, I think I’d like one.”

She ground her back teeth together and turned to the coffee machine.

Molly came up beside her, bagel in hand. “Hey. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m going to make his coffee and send him on his way. It’s fine.”

“Okay. Let me know if you want me to take over. I’m great with captain douchebags.”

Elle laughed as Molly went out to the floor.

“So,” Casper started. “I was wondering. What do you think will happen if you put the weight back on?”

Her back stiffened, and she turned to glare at him. “Excuse me?”

He lifted a shoulder. “Well, he had years to get you into bed. You were obviously obsessed with him. He wasn’t interested in you in that way back then. And it wasn’t because he didn’t like to date. Fuck, he had a new girlfriend every week, and he flaunted every one of them in front of you.”

She grabbed the cup and poured milk in, anger rolling over her flesh. The milk was probably still cold, but she didn’t care. “Why are you saying this to me?”

“I’m just looking out for you, Elle.”

She snorted as she pressed the lid to the cup and turned. “You expect me to believe you have my best interests in mind?”

“Of course. I mean, we all saw how pathetically into him you were in high school. You loved him, right? But did he keep in contact with you when he left?” At her silence, he offered a sympathetic look. “Didn’t think so. And once he gets bored, or you put on a few pounds—because people always regain the weight—he’ll probably leave you again. And even if you don’t, he gets bored pretty easily, doesn’t he?”

“Don’t presume to know him or me.” She hit the amount into the digital cash register a bit too roughly, then put the coffee in front of him.

He swiped his card before lifting his cup. “I don’t need to know either of you well to know how this ends. He’ll leave you, you’ll go back to looking like the ugly duckling, and then you’ll be heartbroken.”

“Get. Out.”

He smiled as he straightened. “Give me a call when you need that shoulder to cry on. I’ll try to muster up some sympathy. Or at least an ‘I told you so.’”

“You still haven’t been able to make contact with the sister?” Jace asked, fingers tightening around the phone he pressed to his ear.

He needed to find this woman. Figure out what the hell her end game was here in Misty Peak.

Eastern’s exhale was loud over the line. “I’m doing my best, but her phone always goes to voicemail, and her family can’t confirm which retreat she’s supposedly at.”

Bullshit. All of it.

Anger pummeled his veins, but it wasn’t Eastern’s fault. “I appreciate the time you’re spending on this.”

“You doing okay?”

He looked out over the trees below the skywalk. Usually when he came up here, the view allowed him to let go of any other shit he had going on in his head. Today, it wasn’t so easy. Hell, this last week hadn’t been easy. “It’s just bringing it all back up, man.”

There was a pause from Eastern. “Your teammate’s death?”

“Yeah. I feel like I was just getting to a good place. A place of accepting that his death wasn’t my fault. Allowing myself to move on. And now with his sister likely targeting me, probably because she blames me…” Fuck. He’d blamed himself since the day Dean had died. Granting himself peace hadn’t been easy.

“Jace, you’re right when you say his death wasn’t your fault. And if those messages on your phone were her, and she’s gotten it into her head that it was your fault, then that’s her trauma speaking. It has nothing to do with you.”

“But Elle could get hurt in the crossfire.” And that would confirm everything he’d felt for most of his life. That people in his orbit got hurt. His best friend growing up. Both his parents. Dean.

“Hey! Stop it. I can almost hear you blaming yourself,” Eastern said firmly. “We’re going to figure this out together. You hear me?”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, I hear you.”

“Don’t shoulder blame for anything that isn’t yours to carry.”

His jaw clicked. “Thanks, brother.” But it was easier said than done.

When he hung up, he didn’t move right away. Instead, he let the breeze run over his skin. Watched the branches move in the wind. He loved being home, but he hated bringing his past here with him. It was starting to feel like danger and loss would follow him forever. Haunt him. Maybe that was why he’d been somewhat withdrawn from Elle the last few days. He didn’t want to be, but he also didn’t want her to get hurt because of him.

He stepped off the skywalk. He was just nearing the visitors center, passing the parking lot, when he saw Casper in the parking lot.

Jace stopped. What the fuck was he doing here?

When Casper caught his gaze, the asshole smirked at him before lifting a coffee cup in a mock salute, as if to fucking brag that he’d just been in the café with Elle, before climbing into his car.

The fuck? Had Jace’s warning to stay away from Elle not been fucking clear?

He watched the guy’s black Mazda drive away before covering the remaining distance to the café. The second he stepped inside, his focus beamed straight to her. She was standing at the coffee machine, facing away from him.

He crossed the space between them. Not caring that he didn’t work here and wasn’t supposed to be behind the counter, he stepped up to her back.

“Hey.”

She jumped and turned, her gaze colliding with his. “Jace. What are you doing here?”

“It’s two, your finishing time.”

Her brows rose, and she checked the clock on the wall. “I had a late break and lost track of time.”

There was something in her voice. Some sadness he didn’t like.

“I’ll just finish this coffee order,” she said quietly.

She turned back to the machine, but he touched her hip and lowered his head. “Are you okay?”

“Of course.”

He didn’t believe her. Her voice was too high-pitched, like she was forcing herself to sound okay when she wasn’t.

“I saw Casper leaving.”

Her body stiffened. He not only felt it beneath his hand, he saw it. “Yeah, he came in.”

“What did he say?”

She poured milk into the cup before sprinkling some chocolate on top. “It was nothing.”

It wasn’t nothing. The asshole shouldn’t have been here in the first place. “Tink—”

“I need to take this coffee out, then we can go.”

He wanted to push. To find out every fucking word that jerk had said. But this wasn’t the time or place.

Reluctantly, he nodded and stepped back. He’d stop asking for now, but he would find out what Casper had said. That was a guarantee.