Page 11 of Twisted Truths (The Sunburnt Hearts #4)

Chapter Eight

NASH

H adley .

I roll her name around in my mind. She’s the girl I spotted through the trees at the cult the other morning, and up close, she’s even more mesmerising.

With her curious bright green eyes and the smattering of freckles covering her nose and cheeks, she has an air of innocence that brings out the protective side in me.

Running into her was unplanned—my feet had moved of their own accord when I’d seen the circle truck, and I convinced myself I was searching for clues. Instead, I bumped into Hadley, and the unexpected way my heart galloped in my chest at the sight of her caught me by surprise.

I shouldn’t feel any type of attraction to her—she’s one of them. The enemy.

I force myself to believe it’s because she is a similar age to my sister. She might have known Ziggy, might have answers about what happened to her during her time in the cult.

When Gabriel Solomon appeared, it took every ounce of my self-discipline not to attack him for brainwashing my sister. But I promised Levi I’d be careful. I want justice for Ziggy, and it won’t happen if I go off half-cocked the first time I come face to face with a Solomon.

The private investigator hasn’t called me back, despite me calling him numerous times yesterday. I need to know how he got those images from inside the cult. Levi is suspicious, despite seeing the photos. He doesn’t think we can trust the guy when he won’t tell us who is paying for his time.

Someone calls my name, and I turn to see Shane Elliot walking towards me, dressed in his uniform, a frown on his face. “Did I see you talking to Gabriel Solomon?”

I shrug. There’s no point denying it.

He sighs. “I don’t want any trouble. I heard about what happened between you and Tanner Crawley at the game last night. It’s a small town, Nash. Things spread fast.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” I mutter.

“Threatening a guy in front of half the town isn’t a smart move.”

“If you do your job and investigate my family’s murder, you won’t have any trouble from me.”

“Nash—”

“She didn’t do it, Shane. You know Zara. Can you really see her murdering our family in cold blood?”

“The evidence?—”

“Is bullshit.” I can’t hide my frustration.

Shane glances around before pulling me away from the market, where we won’t be overheard.

“Look, between you and me, I agree with you. Zara doesn’t make sense, and off the record, I’m looking into something, but I need you to keep out of it.

There’s more going on in this town at the moment than you realise. Let me do my job.”

The low rumble of motorcycles vibrates through the air, and Shane’s jaw tightens as a couple of the Ridge Riders roll down the main street. His posture stiffens as they park in front of Whitmore House Café and climb off their bikes.

I recognise Rowan Knight, the older brother of Logan, a guy I went to high school with.

Rowan and his biker buddies head inside the café, Shane watching their every move, a flicker of unease crossing his face before he masks it with a practised calm.

His radio crackles to life with a distorted message he somehow understands, and he levels me with a serious look. “I mean it, Nash. Stay away from Gabriel and the Circle. Leave the police work up to us.” He doesn’t wait for me to respond before striding away.

With a frustrated sigh, I turn and make my way back to Paige’s market stall, where she and her best friend, Bianca, are busy arranging their collection of handmade jewellery.

Levi stayed home with Sawyer, but I knew I wouldn’t find any answers sitting around the house and combing over the police reports, which I have memorised, so I offered to help Paige instead.

As an added bonus, it also gives me the opportunity to observe Gabriel.

And Hadley.

My eyes continue to drift to the auburn-haired woman hovering by Gabriel’s side.

A sharp, uncomfortable tug pulls at my chest. I shouldn’t be noticing her, not when she’s involved with the Circle.

If she’s this close to Gabriel, she could be involved in what happened to Ziggy.

Though a gut feeling tells me she isn’t, and I can’t shake the attraction I feel towards her.

Gabriel leans down to murmur something in her ear, and her body stiffens. Her eyes flick up to meet his before she quickly looks away. He brushes a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and I clench my fists, fighting the urge to rip her away from him.

“Is everything okay?” Paige asks.

I force my gaze away from Hadley to find her standing next to me.

“Fine,” I mutter, trying to shake the unsettling tension coiling in my chest.

“Sorry,” she says with a grimace. “Silly question.”

I give her a tight smile. “Don’t sweat it.”

“I still can’t believe they’re gone.” Paige’s expression turns haunted. “I keep expecting to see your mum over there with her homemade jams.” She points to a stall where Mrs Krenshaw is setting up her famous pumpkin pies.

“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “I’m going to get a coffee. Do you want one?”

She shakes her head, blinking away the tears in her eyes.

I check if Bianca wants one before striding across the road to the café.

After placing my order at the counter, I move to the side, drumming my fingers as I wait.

My body is strung tight from being so close to Gabriel but being unable to do anything about it.

I need answers, and I know he’s the only one who can give them to me.

He was close to Ziggy—the surveillance photos prove that—and from his possessive demeanour towards Hadley earlier, he doesn’t seem like the type to let a woman walk away from him.

“Nash,” a gruff voice says, pulling me from my thoughts.

I turn to see Rowan, flanked by two of his motorcycle buddies.

The guys are built like bricks, their club jackets and gruff faces giving them an imposing presence.

There’s a darkness in Rowan’s gaze, one that says he’s been through shit and knows I’ve been through my own share.

The last time I saw him was at his brother’s funeral, two days before I escaped Barrenridge.

Logan took his own life the night of our graduation .

“Rowan,” I respond, nodding stiffly.

“I’m sorry to hear about your family,” he says, his tone blunt but genuine. His eyes soften slightly, a rare break from the usual hard edge he carries around.

“Thanks,” I mutter, my throat thick with emotion.

“If there’s anything we can do, don’t hesitate to reach out.” The Ridge Rider VP’s expression is unreadable, but his words are an unspoken understanding that he has my back. “I mean it. Anything at all.”

“Appreciate it.”

When my coffee order is called, I take my cup, nodding at the guys before heading back to the market.

The crowd has grown, the quiet peace from earlier now a chorus of laughter and conversation. Bianca and Paige are deep in the flow of business, chatting with customers and selling their homemade jewellery with practiced ease.

I settle into the background, nursing my coffee and trying to blend in.

But it’s impossible to stay invisible for too long.

Well-meaning locals stop to offer their sympathy, each murmured, “Sorry for your loss,” a painful reminder that I didn’t protect my family. I couldn’t stop what happened. I failed them.

Shifting uncomfortably, I nod politely, but inside, the weight of it all is eating me alive. Their pity is suffocating, and I find my gaze wandering, searching for something else to focus on.

Gabriel and his brother are deep in conversation with a group of women over by the Sunfire Circle stall.

My chest constricts as I watch the Solomon brothers exude their easy charm that draws people in.

I have no doubt they’re spewing their brainwashing bullshit, but there’s nothing I can do without drawing attention.

My eyes drift to the two girls behind the table passing out samples and serving customers.

I straighten, realising Hadley isn’t with them. Scanning the crowd, I search for her auburn hair, but there’s no sign of her. My eyes flick to Gabriel, who’s still commanding the attention of the locals. Before I can think about it, I move towards their truck, weaving between stalls.

My heart races the closer I get to the truck, anticipation swirling in my stomach.

I keep telling myself that finding her alone will give me the chance to question her about Ziggy, but deep down, it’s more than that.

I’m drawn to her in a way I can’t explain and desperately want to know more about her .

I shake my head. This is so wrong. I should be focusing on clearing Ziggy’s name, not getting myself caught up with a member of a cult that I’m sure is responsible for the death of my family.

When I round the back of the truck, I freeze. She’s leaning forward, reaching for a box of produce. For a moment, I simply stand there, transfixed as I watch her struggle with the heavy pallet.

“Need a hand with that, Hadley?” Her name feels so right falling from my lips, my voice barely a murmur as I step into her space. Without waiting for her response, I reach over her and pull the wooden pallet of fruit to the truck’s edge.

Her body stiffens from our proximity, and in her haste to move away from me, she trips. With lightning reflexes, my hand finds her waist, steadying her. She gasps, her eyes darting to the market before she slowly drags them back to me. She doesn’t meet my gaze, settling somewhere on my torso.

It both angers and pains me to see her so skittish. What have they done to her to make her feel this way?

“Are you scared of him?”

Him .

Gabriel.

The reminder is like a bucket of cold water thrown over us, and she twists out of my grasp, putting space between us.

“You need to leave.”

The desperation in her voice tugs at my insides, and I shake my head. “I can’t do that.”

“Please. I don’t know who you are, but this is improper, and?—”

“Nash,” I interrupt, taking a small step forward. “I’m Nash Stone.”

Her eyes widen, the recognition flashing through her green orbs stopping me in my tracks.

“You know who I am?”

“No.” Hadley shakes her head, but the lie is clear on her face.

Realisation dawns on me. “You knew my sister, Zara?”

She shakes her head again and turns to grab the box of produce from the back of the truck. “I have to go.”

“Why are you lying, Hadley? Who are you trying to protect?”

Ignoring me, she hurries away, not looking back.

I mutter a curse and slam my hand against the side of the truck. Goddamn it. What is it about this girl that has me twisted up in knots? I shouldn’t have touched her like that, but the moment I stepped into her orbit, I couldn’t control myself.

She knew Zara. The truth was written all over her face.

She knew my sister, and now I’ve scared her away.

I need answers, and she might be the key to finding them, but I stuffed up.

I let my emotions carry me instead of my brain.

What was I thinking? I’m here in this godforsaken town looking for answers and justice for my sister. Nothing else. No distractions.

I’m not here to play the hero, to save innocent women from the clutches of Gabriel and his arsehole of a father. Clearing Zara’s name is the only thing that matters to me.

So why the hell do I feel an inexplicable need to see Hadley again?

My phone rings, dragging me from my thoughts, and I pull it out of my pocket.

“Grimshaw.” My tone is curt as I greet the man on the other end of the line. “Nice of you to finally call me back.”

“We need to talk. Are you alone?”

I walk around the front of the truck, where I can see Paige and Bianca talking to Mrs Hargrove, the principal’s wife. Surrounded by so many people, I know they’re safe.

“Give me a second,” I tell him, crossing the road to the memorial for the mine explosion that killed my uncle. “What is it?”

“I got confirmation from a reliable source that your sister’s prints weren’t the only ones found on the murder weapon.”

My stomach drops, and I steady myself against the iron memorial. “She didn’t do it.”

“Don’t get too excited. It was only a partial. Her fingerprints are still all over it. There’s nothing conclusive to say the partial isn’t from whoever she got the weapon from.”

“Who was it? Was it Gabriel Solomon, or someone from the Sunfire Circle?”

There’s a pause. “I don’t have that information just yet. I’m working on it.”

Hope blooms inside me. “This is enough to reopen the investigation, right?”

“Theoretically.”

“What do you mean, ‘theoretically’?”

“There’s still a lot of overwhelming evidence against Zara.”

“This is bullshit!” I scrub a frustrated hand over my face. “ We’re going around in circles. Tell me what the fuck I can do to find out who killed my family.”

“I need you to make me a list of people who might have wanted to hurt your family. Anyone who might have had a problem with your sister, your mum, or Paul. If you can get your hands on their bank records, that would be helpful, too.”

I scoff. “Mum and Paul were well-respected in this community. They didn’t have enemies. This isn’t about them. It’s Gabriel and his fucking cult. They brainwashed my sister, and they killed my family. We need to bring them down.”

“If we’re going to find out who killed your family, we have to consider everything. Can you get me the list?”

“This is ridiculous,” I mutter.

“I need your help to do my job, Nash, whether you agree with it or not. Are you going to help me?”

“Fine,” I snap. “I’ll send you the list.”