Page 158 of Corpse Roads
“Something like that.”
“Hunter has a good point, big guy. Sometimes the way forward is to go back. This is Harlow’s past to unravel. She needs to be there.”
“She isn’t you, Brooke. The things she has suppressed, years of abuse and torture… pulling at those threads could break her. We’d be taking her straight back to her own personal hell.”
“Maybe that’s necessary,” she murmurs, her eyes on a gruesome crime scene photo. “You helped me put myself back together, once upon a time.”
“And it nearly killed you in the process. We had no choice but to tear your memories apart. Harlow doesn’t need to be there when we hunt this bastard down.”
Brooklyn’s silver eyes pierce my skin. “She watched every single one of those women be brutally murdered in front of her eyes. This is her decision to make. You can’t stop her from coming.”
My forehead collides with the nearest whiteboard. “Dammit, wildfire. This is so fucked.”
She rests a hand on my arm, causing her sweater sleeve to ride up. Brooklyn’s body is more scar tissue than skin, but unlike Harlow’s marks, it was entirely self-inflicted. If anyone knows what it’s like to drown in their own demons, it’s Brooklyn West.
“I can help her,” she offers in a low voice. “She doesn’t have to be alone when we go into this place. I’ll do what I can to help.”
“You’d do that?”
Her smile is crooked. “We owe Sabre a debt that can never be repaid. You didn’t let me do this shit alone. I want to be there for Harlow now.”
Pulling Brooklyn close, I ruffle her platinum hair while hugging her tightly into my side.
“You don’t owe us shit. We’re family.”
“Then let’s solve this case together, as a family,” she replies. “Harlow is a part of that now. We can help her.”
We seal the bargain with a bone-crunching hug. This angry, sarcastic slip of a woman has become an adoptive sister to us all. I know she’ll take care of Harlow, in ways that we never could.
“Alright,” I grumble into her hair. “I really fucking hate this plan, for the record.”
Brooklyn snorts. “You hate any plan that doesn’t involve sushi-rolling us in bubble wrap and killing anyone that gives us a second look.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
She pats my back before releasing me. “Nah, it’s not a bad thing.”
Together, we return to the group. Hunter looks ready to declare his early retirement as Kade and Theo argue about the best route into the thick woodland.
Hudson’s feet are propped up on the table as he happily smokes a cigarette in the chaos. Without Jude here to keep him in line, he’s reverted back to his caveman ways. Typical.
“Harlow will come with us,” I declare.
All eyes snap to me.
“What changed your mind?” Hunter asks.
“As much as I hate it, she has the right to choose. If we take that from her, we’re no better than the people we’re hunting.”
He nods, checking with Theo, who also inclines his head in agreement. The three of us are the only family Harlow has right now. Her life is our responsibility.
“We’ll bring in extra agents to beef up the perimeter,” I add sternly. “I also want a helicopter in the air and drones surveying the surrounding land for any trouble. Nobody gets near her.”
“And if the Michaels are in the church?” Theo replies.
I crack my scarred knuckles. “We rip those pieces of shit apart and let them rot in motherfucking hell, where they belong. I’ll do it myself and let Harlow watch the damn show.”
With the decision made, Theo sets his team to work mapping a suitable route to our location. This will be a huge logistical operation with lots of moving parts, and we’re running short on time.