Into the Light (University of Isles #2)

15. Chapter 15

Chapter fifteen

I woke up to a warm hand against my stomach and my body pressed tightly against a chest. It also felt like one of those weird déjà vu moments, where it felt so familiar yet so different, and I couldn’t quite place where I was.

I blinked in the morning light, realizing I was in Rain’s bed and his arm was wrapped around me. Rolling over, I faced him. His chest rose and fell, and his thick lashes rested on his cheek. His body was hard . . . all over. His boner poked my stomach, and he moaned.

“Are you going to stare at it or do something about it?” he murmured.

“Ew,” I exclaimed, playfully punching him on his rock-hard abs. He chuckled, stretching out and opening his eyes.

“Mornin’,” he mused. “What’re you doing today?”

I rolled over, lying on my back and gazing at the blank ceiling above me.

“I think I’m going to see Walsh,” I murmured. “But then I figured if you’re not busy, we could walk around campus and work on our project.”

“I know you want me to come with you to see him . . . I just can’t right now.”

I pressed a finger to his lips. “I know.”

As much as I wanted him to join me, I also understood the reason he couldn’t. Any movement toward the house would alert the others that we were investigating what was happening, and not in the way that Ash’s dad wanted us to. We were searching for the truth, trying to uncover the evidence.

I jumped out of bed, got dressed back in the same clothes I had worn yesterday, not caring I wasn’t dressed up, and shot off a text to Walsh, asking him to meet me at the coffee shop in town, away from the center of campus.

I grabbed my purse and looked at Rain, who was still watching me, propped up on his elbows.

“What?” I asked, shaking my head at him.

“You just got dressed in front of me.” I playfully slapped him on his chest again. “Come on, mi pareja, don’t fault me for being a man and looking.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I laughed and then started to leave the room before he grabbed my hand.

“Wait . . . you’re not waiting for me to walk you down?”

“Uh, honestly, I don’t know how this is supposed to go?” His hand held mine as he got out of bed.

“At the end of the day, Ember, I am your friend. If you were at a friend’s house, would they walk you to the door?”

“Yeah.” I remembered Marissa often walked me to the door.

“Okay . . . friend.” He let go of my hand before laughing, knowing my comment carried a weight of untruth.

Once Rain got dressed and we got downstairs to the foyer, I realized the last time I’d been in this foyer without a party and walking out of the front door, it had been under way different circumstances.

“Are you okay?” he whispered. We didn’t hold hands walking down the stairs, and I didn’t feel this compulsion to reach up and kiss him, but being with Rain felt safe. All those anxious thoughts threatening to surface didn’t spill over. In fact, I remained calm as I stood in the empty room.

As if Rain could sense my emotions, he encouraged me to walk outside, trailing behind me. That’s when I noticed Santiago at the end of the gate.

“You called him,” I stated.

“If you’re going to see your brother, which I am not telling you not to, I understand why you do. But you need to have him come with you if I cannot be there.”

“Okay,” I said, not wanting or seeing a reason to fight. I kinda agreed with him.

We paused at the end of the walkway, and I gazed up at Rain, whose hair still had that messy, slept-in look. His eyes seemed a brighter blue today, and the lines on his face seemed to have disappeared overnight.

I glanced over his shoulder at the house where some of the guys would be waking up. A pang of guilt took over. It felt like I was doing something wrong and dirty, as if I were cheating on Ash even though I knew he wasn’t around. The whole situation made me uncomfortable.

“Is it okay that we’re seen together?” I asked him, my voice tinged with uncertainty. Indecision and the whirlwind of thoughts flooded my brain.

“Ember, we’re just friends, remember?” Rain reassured me, but I knew he felt the turmoil in my mind.

“Yeah,” I murmured before nodding goodbye. I turned my back to him, exited through the gate, and headed toward Santiago.

“Don’t even.” Santiago laughed as I approached him in my day-old clothes. “Nothing happened.”

“I didn’t say anything, mija.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we walked down the block to where I had arranged to meet Walsh.

“Tell me about the plan for today?” Santiago asked as we turned the corner, leaving the Den behind. I couldn’t help but glance back, and Rain was still standing there, hands in his pockets, in the front yard.

It didn’t feel fair, what I was doing to him. We were more than friends and understood the unspoken emotions between us, but acting on them was a colossal step, one I wasn’t ready for. I just hoped that today, my brother would cooperate.

“I just need some answers,” I explained, “and it’s been almost a year since Ash’s . . . well, whatever happened. I need him to finally tell the truth.”

“Do you think he’s going to tell you now? What makes today any different from yesterday?” Santiago asked, a hint of skepticism in his voice.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’m hoping time, the approach of the spring bonfire this year, and the fact that I’m finally willing to confront him face-to-face will make a difference.”

“I hope it works out in your favor,” Santiago said, and his face dropped, his eyes soft as he looked in my direction. Even he didn’t want to believe that Walsh would share the truth with me.

“And after?” he inquired.

“After Walsh?” I confirmed.

“Yeah.”

“I guess I’ll hang out with Rain for a little bit.” Santiago stopped in his tracks and shot me a knowing look.

“Hey, it’s not like that,” I protested. “We’re in the same class and have to do a project together.”

“Whatever you need to tell yourself, mija.” Santiago chuckled as we continued walking, heading past campus and toward the center of town. I had chosen to meet Walsh off campus so someone like Tana wouldn’t see us together and report it to someone at the Den. I didn’t want it getting back to Mr. Ortiz and ultimately, then getting Rain in trouble. This seemed like the safer option.

I grabbed a coffee for Santiago and me at the counter, then sat at a booth in the back corner so we were somewhat hidden from anyone who walked through the front door. Santiago sat beside me at an adjacent table.

“You didn’t have to pay for me,” Santiago clucked. “You pay me enough in salary.”

Another thing that Ash had left me in his will was a portion of his fortune, which is another reason his dad had it out for me. Only Santiago knew, but now that I thought about it, I needed to ask Rain about it.

My thoughts were interrupted when someone cleared their throat from above me.

“Hey sis,” my brother said. He looked different. His hair was cropped short and gelled back, but he looked as put together as he’d always had, wearing designer threads and polished, slick black boots.

“Walsh,” I responded coolly, gesturing to the seat next to me, not bothering to get up. He gripped his cup of warm coffee as he slid into the booth next to me before his eyes darted over to Santiago who was not so hidden.

“Your bodyguard?” he asked. I knew the implications of the question. Santiago wasn’t part of the Mafia, and Walsh knew it.

“From Ash,” I whispered. Santiago was a gift from Rain, not from Dad. Based on the wince on his face, Walsh understood I was not accepting the family’s help.

“Not from Dad . . .”

“I didn’t need any protection from Dad. Because the person that I needed protection from is sitting in front of me,” I stated, not letting Walsh see my hands shaking under the table. I was no longer the little girl who needed to be locked in the closet while he and Dad did the dirty work. Because I was a different Ember than Walsh knew growing up. Even from what Walsh knew when he brought me to Isles with Dad last year. I didn’t need saving, I needed answers.

“Are you ready to tell me what happened?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest.

“Nope.”

“I figured that’s what you were going to say which is why I came prepared.” I pulled out some of the photos that Rain had given me before I left.

“There are clearly two prints in the mud, Walsh.”

“That doesn’t prove shit, Ember.” But I saw through his mask. I saw him crack, just slightly.

“Walsh, I am your sister. We went through hell and back together and you won’t tell me what I already know. You were there, Walsh.”

“You don’t know that, Ember.” Walsh fidgeted with the cup in his hand.

“I do, but no one else does,” I whispered so I was out of earshot from Santiago and anyone else in the restaurant. I leaned in, pointing at the second pair of boot marks in the mud photo.

“Walsh, you are the only person around who has these specific sneakers. These are the GG imprints on them.” I pointed out, knowing my brother’s obsession for designer items and that he would be the only person to wear designer sneakers out in the woods.

“Those are not specifically made for me, Ember. Just because I own the same brand of shoe, doesn’t mean shit.”

“But no one else knows this, Walsh. You can tell me without saying anything else. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Except your new boyfriend,” Walsh mumbled, and I slammed a hand on the table.

“Excuse me?” I barked at him.

“Nothing, sis.”

“No, I need you to repeat what you said to me,” I demanded, my voice edged with frustration.

“It’s just that I’ve noticed you’ve been getting cozy with the new leader of the Den.” His words only fueled my anger.

“Stop having me followed, Walsh. You’re my brother. If you’ve got something to say, pick up the damn phone and say it,” I yelled, not caring who might overhear our heated exchange.

“I’ve tried. You don’t answer,” he replied, leaning back in his chair and taking a sip of his drink.

This time, I felt myself breaking down. Why he wouldn’t share what I already suspected and knew was beyond me. I wanted desperately to cry, to rage, to beg Walsh to tell me the truth, but I kept it in because I didn’t want to fall apart in front of him. I had done so much falling apart that it felt like it was finally time to hold it together.

Part of the reason for all this, was knowing Rain was right there with me, desperately seeking the truth. Knowing I could go to him after this, felt reassuring and only fueled this need to hold it all together and be strong.

“Please, tell me the truth, Walsh,” I begged as he fiddled with his hands. When he was a kid, this was always the first sign to our parents that he was anxious and didn’t know what to say. “I’m your blood. Dad and you always preached to me that blood was thicker than water. I just don’t get why you’re doing this now.”

Walsh closed his eyes and then finally opened them, gazing directly at me. All I could see was our mother, the way she used to implore us to stay close because in the world we lived, people would always try to pull us apart.

“I will tell you what I’ve told everyone, including Dad. I don’t know what you are talking about or what happened that night. I cannot tell you what happened because I am protecting you.”

I lifted my brow. “If I find the truth, will you eventually tell me?”

“If you find out what happened at the rock with Ash, then I will be able to tell you.” He said his words deliberately, which made me realize I needed to go back to the rock . . . without Rain because I was meant to figure this out alone.

I hesitated, still upset with my brother for not sharing the truth, but I knew what he wasn’t telling me might hold clues to unraveling the mystery of that fateful night.

“I have to go,” I said as I slid out of the booth and stood.

“Can I see you again?” Walsh asked, his voice filled with uncertainty, and I shook my head.

“Not until I can figure out what happened, then I can find peace in our relationship,” I explained.

“Ember.” Walsh grabbed my hand. His face twisting in despair. He was suffering. I knew my brother. I’d grown up with him and knew he would do anything to protect me.

“You don’t need to protect me anymore,” I said one last time. Santiago stood until I gave him a gesture that I was okay.

“I do, sis.” He whispered so softly that if I hadn’t been looking at him, I wouldn’t have been able to hear. “I promised him.”

I ripped my hand away from his, shocked. Without telling me what I needed to know, he told me what he knew.

“You-you were there?” Tears formed in my eyes, but Walsh slid out of the booth and stared straight at me before giving me a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m telling you, sis, I would do anything to protect you.” He turned to walk away before he paused and looked back. “Dad told me what happened. I realized from that moment on, I needed to do this for you. It’s my duty.”

I can protect myself was what I wished I could have expressed to him, had I found the words. Instead, I stood there, fighting back tears. Sniffling, I watched him exit the coffee shop. Overwhelmed by emotions, I slumped back into the booth, signaling to Santiago I needed a moment to collect myself.

I could rely on myself. It sounded like something Ash might have said or asked my brother to do because Ash always felt the need to protect me. Maybe last-year Ember needed his protection, but today, I needed no one to shield me. I was entirely capable of unraveling this mystery on my own.

As I sat there in the booth, a mix of emotions flooded over me. Walsh’s evasiveness about that fateful night, my brother’s secrets, and the burden of the questions all weighed heavily on my shoulders. Yet, a newfound determination surged within me.

Over the last nine months, I had grieved, and I had done it mostly on my own. I had learned to stand on my own two feet in the face of adversity. Ash’s absence had forced me to become more resilient, to become Ember Solis, a woman who could confront her fears and pursue the truth, no matter how elusive it seemed.

To find the answers I sought, I couldn’t rely on anyone else. It was a journey I had to undertake alone, a path of self-discovery and resilience. This quest for the truth wasn’t just about finding closure for Ash’s sake; it was about finding closure for myself, too.

I wiped away a stray tear, took a deep breath, and stood from the booth. Santiago’s brows furrowed as his eyes locked onto mine, silently conveying their unwavering support. A gentle hand reached out, offering reassurance and solidarity in that fleeting moment of connection. “You okay, mija?”

“Yeah,” I replied with a newfound determination in my voice. “I’m more than okay. I’ve got some leads to follow up on. Thanks for being here, Santiago.”

I left the coffee shop with a renewed sense of purpose. It was time to unravel the mystery of that fateful night, to find out what had happened with my brother, and to prove that I could stand on my own two feet and face the darkness that lay ahead.