Page 14 of Brick (Chosen Few #5)

N atalie climbed the stairs of the motel.

Brick ascended behind her, and the nape of her neck warmed beneath his gaze.

She wanted to ask him why he was being so kind to her.

Of all the ways she’d anticipated he might react to seeing her again and learning the truth, his response wasn’t even in the top ten.

Ellie stood on the walkway outside the room, her arms crossed and worry shrouding her face. “Oh, thank god,” she said, when she spotted them. “I was just about to call Brick.” She swept Natalie into a hug. “I was so scared they’d caught you.”

“No, but we need to get my things and move quickly.” She shifted out of Ellie’s embrace, took out her room key, and unlocked the door.

“I’ll wait outside,” Brick said.

She nodded, and then she and Ellie entered, closing the door behind them. Ellie placed a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay? You look like death.”

Natalie chortled. “Thanks, sis.”

“I mean it. I’m worried.” Ellie’s brow folded with concern.

Natalie grabbed her sister’s hand and squeezed. “We went to Mary’s house.” She sniffed back a wave of sadness. Mary’s response had stung even though she’d anticipated it.

When she first met Mary, before Shelby died, Natalie had hoped they’d have a relationship—that she’d find the loving mother she’d never had.

Darla Shaw had given up both Natalie and Ellie when they were five and three.

Although Natalie had spent countless nights crying and praying for the abusive woman to come back for her, she never had.

Nor had the father she’d never known. So many nights she’d wished on twinkling stars, asking the heavens to send her daddy to care for her, to be her knight in shining armor.

Her heart had learned the hard way that she had only herself to depend on. Then she’d met Keetan. He’d fit the caretaker role she’d always craved—long enough to hook her for a decade.

Emotions churned inside her like a hurricane in a plastic bottle. God, she was stupid to think she’d ever not be alone.

Well, until Brick came along. Their path might still be rocky and full of twists and turns, but he’d proven that he cared about Bray. And heck, he seemed to care for her, too.

She had to stop breaking down. While she couldn’t control her fears, she could control her responses, and crying constantly wasn’t going to do a damn thing to bring back her son. “I just really hoped Keetan was hiding Bray there.”

“Maybe Mary was lying,” Ellie offered.

She shook her head, replaying the woman’s spiteful reaction in her mind. “I don’t think so.” She moved away from Ellie and snagged her bag from the floor near the bathroom. “I’ll just be a sec,” she said, as she disappeared into the bathroom.

Other than some toiletries and the dirty and bloodied pajamas she’d fled in last night, most of her things were still in her bag.

God, she hadn’t even brushed her teeth. Brick’s words rang in her head.

He was right—she had to take care of herself to some degree.

Even if that meant looking a little less the worse for wear when she finally found Bray.

He was such a sensitive boy. Always attuned to her feelings.

No doubt because he’d been raised in a household where his mother was always backed into a corner or verbally spat at.

While she’d done her best to shield Bray from witnessing Keetan’s disrespect, their living with him had done enough harm.

She quickly squeezed toothpaste onto her toothbrush. After she’d run it over her teeth, her mouth felt a million times better. Next, she grabbed her hairbrush and yanked the bristles over her strands until the tangles came free.

She splashed cold water on her face and toweled off, then threw the items back in her bag and came out of the bathroom. After taking her phone charger from the wall near the bed, she glanced around one more time to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.

Ellie waited by the door. “Where are we going now?”

She crossed the room and placed her hand on her sister’s elbow. “You’re going home. I know you didn’t sleep much.”

Ellie scoffed. “I’m not going anywhere until I find my nephew.”

Natalie’s stomach flipped, and she closed her eyes as terror surged inside her. She forced it down. “Like Brick said, there’s nothing we can do until his team gets here. Go home. Sleep. I’ll call you in a few hours.”

Ellie lifted her eyebrows. “Promise?”

“Absolutely.” She hugged her sister and inhaled the sweet, comforting scent of her perfume. “I love you.”

Ellie squeezed her hard. The pressure on her ribs made Natalie wince. She hadn’t even looked at her abdomen after Keetan’s beating, and she wasn’t going to mention it now and upset Ellie further.

A gentle knock sounded, and she pulled back and opened the door. Brick stood there leaning against the doorframe, one hand in his pocket. “Sorry to rush you, but we should really get going.”

“Okay.” She said goodbye to Ellie, and then she and Brick dropped off her key at the office.

As she lowered herself into the passenger seat of his vehicle, pain shot up her side. She hissed.

Brick froze and pinned her with his stare. His gaze swept over her body and back to her face. “What’s wrong?”

She reached for her seatbelt and clicked it into place. “Nothing. Where are we going now?”

His eyes narrowed a fraction, suggesting he didn’t like her changing the conversation. But there was no point in going over every bump and bruise. She’d heal eventually.

“Food,” he said, apparently deciding not to press. “You need to eat. Any preferences?”

She didn’t tell him that the idea of eating made vomit crawl up her throat. “I really can’t think of anything appetizing right now.”

“All right. I’ll handle it. I’ll also rent us a place for the next couple of nights. I came right to your motel after landing.”

She gaped at him. “You don’t think we’ll get Bray back, do you?” The accusation came out on a moan.

He placed his forearm on the console. “I already told you we’re going to find him. I promise. But we’re gonna need somewhere safe to take him, no?”

She wet her lips. “Yeah.”

His gaze turned soft, understanding. God, she could get lost in his mocha eyes for days. “Okay, then. I’m going to find us a short-term rental. Something with lots of space for the tyke to run around.”

Her throat tightened. She couldn’t speak without crying, so she just nodded.

“Good.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “Gimme a minute. Hopefully I can find something with immediate check-in.”

After five minutes or so, he handed her his device. “This place has a backyard with a playset and a room set up for a toddler. It’s not a crib, but I think he’d like it.”

She flipped through the pictures. The rental had an inviting kitchen with a large island and a living room decked out with overstuffed couches and oak floors.

There were three bedrooms, one with a king-sized bed.

One of the other bedrooms had a toddler bed with a fall-protection rail.

“It’s beautiful. You really don’t have to go to the trouble. I could rent my own place.”

She didn’t have much money left, but he didn’t need to know that.

He hiked up an eyebrow. “That’s a little too risky with your picture being shared everywhere. This way you can stay hidden. We need somewhere to sleep anyway, and this place is available right now.”

“Okay, it’s perfect.”

“Good.” He took back his phone before she could look at the price.

Not that it mattered much, but curiosity nagged at her.

She didn’t want him to spend all kinds of money, and she couldn’t help but wonder if this rental was in his price range.

He tapped the screen a couple of times. “All set. Let’s go get food. I can order groceries tonight.”

Her brain spun with how fast he moved. Brick seemed to be the type of man who saw something that needed to get done and did it. He didn’t hesitate, he didn’t drag his feet. He just jumped in. Add in the way he’d made sure the space would be suitable for Bray—it was enough to make her heart explode.

Keetan hadn’t given Bray’s needs or comforts a second thought. Sure, he’d provided. But only because he hadn’t allowed Natalie to get a job. She wished she could say that was because he cared about Bray having his mother around, but the real reason was that he wanted her—them—isolated.

Brick started the car and a few minutes later found a drive-thru. “What do you feel like?”

Natalie glanced at the big screen with the menu. “Um, I guess a Greek wrap would be good.” She should have some kind of appetite, but it was as if parts of her body had shut down.

Brick placed their order and pulled forward. Five minutes later they were driving toward west Detroit. The scent of grilled chicken and onion filled the car. She hadn’t even listened to what Brick ordered. Hunger still hadn’t hit, but the idea of eating was less revolting now.

Fifteen minutes later they reached the neighborhood of Sherwood Forest. Every mile covered was another punch to the gut. It didn’t feel right being this far from Bray’s home. Her mind circled back to the memory of standing in her son’s stark empty room.

What had Keetan done with Bray’s things?

Her heart ached. She fought the overwhelming anguish and watched the trees and houses whiz by her window. Bray was being hidden somewhere. Maybe in one of these very houses.

Oh, god. He could’ve been taken out of the city. Panic flooded her, and she gripped the door handle for support.

“You okay?” Brick’s cautious question rubbed her like sandpaper.

“No,” she said, her voice strangled. “I-I can’t do this. I can’t act like things are normal. I can’t eat. I can’t be away from him. I’ve never been away from him.”

Brick pulled into a driveway, and she immediately recognized the home with light-blue siding and a large cedar porch from the picture of the listing.

“Hey.” His gaze ensnared hers. “I get you’re scared. I get you don’t want to be here. But we’re doing everything we can.”