Page 30 of Saving Jennifer

Noah shook his head. “You don’t understand. I trusted him with my life, with the lives of my team. And he sold us out. Just like that.” He snapped his fingers, the sound sharp in the quiet night. “Good men died, because I was stupid enough to follow his orders, even though I had questions, doubts. I did what I was told like a good little tin soldier, and my men—men who counted on me—died. How do you come back from something like that?”

“You come back to the people who love you,” Marcel said simply. “You let them help you carry the weight.”

Noah took a long swallow of bourbon, weighing his answer. “I didn’t want to burden any of you.”

Marcel laughed, a short, incredulous sound. “Burden us? Noah, do you remember when I was sixteen and wrapped your truck around that oak tree on Route7?”

Noah’s lips quirked despite himself. “Hard to forget. Dad was ready to skin you alive.”

“But you took the blame,” Marcel said. “Told him you’d been the one driving, even though you were away at college that weekend and had to drive back just to cover for me.”

“You’d have lost your scholarship if they pulled your license.”

“And what about when Caleb got into that mess with the Carlton brothers? Or when Gray got caught up with that girl whose father was the sheriff?”

Noah shrugged. “That’s different.”

“How?” Marcel challenged. “How is it any different from what you’re going through now?”

“Because I’m supposed to be the strong one!” Noah’s voice rose, startling a bird from a nearby tree. “I’m the oldest. I’m supposed to have my life together.”

Marcel was quiet for a moment. “You know what I’ve missed most this past year?” he finally asked. “Sunday mornings at the homestead. All of us around that big table, fighting over the last pancake, you home on leave telling us about your latest mission—the parts you could share, anyway.”

Noah closed his eyes, memories washing over him—the boisterous laughter, the easy camaraderie, the feeling of belonging.

“We’ve all missed you,” Marcel continued softly. “Dylan keeps asking when you’re coming back. Abraham saved that bottle of thirty-year scotch he found in New York, says he’s waiting for you to open it with him.” He paused. “We’re not just your brothers, Noah. We’re your friends. Your support system. Your backup when the world knocks you down. We’re the ones who’ll be there with a hand to help you up again.”

Noah stared into his glass, emotion tightening his throat. “I’ve got it covered, Marcel,” he said, echoing his earlier words but with less conviction. “It’s just a few more days until Jennifer has to be in New Orleans to testify.”

“And then what?” Marcel asked, his voice gentle but probing.

Noah closed his eyes briefly. The question he’d been avoiding hung heavy in the night air. When he opened them again, the stars seemed dimmer somehow.

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he admitted, the words feeling raw in his throat. “Even if we stop Karim, even after she testifies, I don’t think she’ll ever truly be safe.” He took a long swallow of bourbon, welcoming the burn. “There are more members of the Amir family who might come after her.”

“Abdullah is still the head of the family,” Marcel pointed out.

“Yeah, and he’s recovering from what his mother and brother did to him,” Noah countered. “He’s in no position to call off the dogs if they decide she’s still a problem.”

Marcel leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “We’ll do the best we can to keep her safe now, and in the future too.”

“We?”

“You’re not alone in this, Noah,” Marcel said firmly. “You’ve never been alone. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

“I know, I just—”

“No, I don’t think you do know.” Marcel’s voice was uncharacteristically stern. “You’ve been hiding up here on this mountain, cutting yourself off from everyone who loves you, like you’re the only one who can handle whatever comes your way.”

Noah couldn’t meet his brother’s gaze. “It’s my responsibility.”

“Says who?” Marcel challenged. “Where is it written that Noah Temple has to carry the weight of the world by himself?” He shook his head. “I’ve missed you, man. We all have. And not just because we need our big brother, but because we want to be there for you too.”

The words hit Noah like a physical blow. He’d been so caught up in his own pain, his own sense of betrayal and failure, that he hadn’t considered what his absence might mean to his family.

“Caleb, Jonah, Gray, Scott, Abraham, and Dylan are all at the family homestead at the base of the mountain,” Marcel said quietly.

Noah blinked in surprise. “All of them?”