Page 32 of Twisted Truths (The Sunburnt Hearts #4)

Chapter Twenty-Six

NASH

A fter Hadley leaves the barn, I return to the boxing bag, trying to ease the tension thrumming through my veins.

When that doesn’t work, I punish my body with a gruelling workout of push ups, box jumps, squats, and sit ups.

Still, I can’t get the image of her beautiful, tortured face out of my head.

She fucked up by not telling me about Franklin sooner, but I can’t ignore the way her presence has been the only thing to bring me peace since returning to Barrenridge.

I felt it when I first bumped into her at the market, and it only grew from the moment I kissed her, twisting and conforming into something dangerous. Something that feels a hell of a lot like hope, even when I don’t want it to.

Yet, I don’t know if I can forgive her for keeping my nephew a secret from me. I feel so fucking betrayed, but I’m also confused, because as much as I hate what she did, I don’t hate her—not even a little bit—and it’s messing with my head.

When I came home to bury my family and find justice for my sister, I wasn’t counting on being hypnotised by a stranger, let alone one who is involved with the Sunfire Circle.

Giving up on my workout, I drop onto the mat and rest my hands behind my head, staring up at the wooden beams lining the roof of the barn.

Ever since I met her, Hadley has invaded my every thought.

It started because she was intrinsically linked with the Solomons and the Sunfire Circle, and after I discovered she knew my sister, I thought I could use her for answers.

Yeah, I know how much of a hypocritical bastard that makes me.

But then she called me out for thinking I was the only one who cared about what happened to Ziggy and I realised she wasn’t merely a pawn on my chessboard.

I was drawn to her vulnerability and ensnared by her selflessness in putting her life at risk for someone she’s only known for a short time.

Hadley is heart and fire and the kind of fierce loyalty I never knew I craved until she kept showing up when I didn’t even realise I needed her—Friday at the river, yesterday at the funeral, last night when I was feeling so alone.

Does that outweigh keeping this secret from me?

Hadley didn’t keep Franklin’s existence a secret to hurt me.

She did it to protect my nephew. If I’m honest, she was also protecting me from doing anything stupid and reckless, and that somehow makes it worse, because it means her heart was in the right place, where mine feels like it’s being ripped in two.

A groan escapes my lips, and I cover my face with my hands. I should be focussing on finding the murderer, not warring with myself over starting something with Hadley. Yet no matter how hard I try, I can’t forget the feel of her soft lips on mine, the way she felt in my arms this morning.

The way it felt so right.

I push to my feet, knowing I can’t hide out here forever. Gabriel and Hadley aren’t going anywhere, and if I’m going to uncover the truth before I have to head back to the States then I need to work with them. The rest I can figure out later.

As I climb the steps to the back deck, my phone beeps with an incoming message. I slip it from my pocket and wince when I see who it’s from.

Levi: Want me to swing by after training to pick you up?

I run a hand over my face. With Gabriel and Hadley hiding out here, I need to keep Levi away. My gut tells me he won’t understand why I’m trusting them. I’m still not sure I understand it.

Nash: Raincheck on dinner? I’m not very good company.

Levi: I can come over. Keep you company.

Nash: Thanks, man. I appreciate it, but I just need some time alone to process everything. I’ve got the keys to Mum’s car. I’ll come past in the next day or two. Tell Paige I’m sorry.

Levi: You don’t have to do everything on your own.

Nash: I know. I’ll reach out when I’m ready. Thanks for checking in.

Blowing out a deep breath, I pocket my phone and push open the back door. Gabriel’s low tone comes from down the hall, but as I head in his direction, I glance in the living room and come to a stop.

Gabriel has completely ripped up the carpet and rolled it into two piles against the far wall.

The furniture is back in its general location, but everything feels slightly off-kilter.

The angle of the coffee table is wrong. One couch is too close to the door.

The other is too far to the left of the window .

Hadley stands with her back to me, looking at the photographs lining the mantle over the fireplace. The floorboards creak underfoot as I step into the room, and she startles, her eyes going wide when she turns to face me.

“Sorry,” she murmurs. “I was only?—”

“It’s fine,” I cut her off, striding over to stand next to her. Her comforting scent of lavender and mint causes me to draw in a deep breath, but I make sure to keep a small distance between us.

My gaze drifts over the array of photos my mum proudly displayed, lingering on one from my high school graduation—the last family photo we have of all of us.

I pick it up, cringing slightly at the cocky smile on my face.

That arrogant bastard knew he was getting out, chasing his dreams. I run my finger over Mum’s cheek, eyes stinging at the proud look on her face.

Paul’s arm is wrapped around her shoulder and she’s leaning into him, wearing a carefree smile I never saw when she was married to Dad.

Rylan’s not looking at the camera. His head is angled towards me, while Ziggy’s making a cheesy kissy face as she leans in and presses her cheek to mine.

We look like we don’t have a care in the world. Back then, we didn’t.

I replace the frame and drink in the other memories lining the shelf. Zara’s thirteenth birthday. Rylan’s baptism. My first championship game. They’re interspersed with photos of events I wasn’t here for. Mum and Paul’s tenth wedding anniversary. Rylan’s first basketball game. Zara’s graduation.

Hadley is staring intently at that particular photo, a small frown marring her features. “Who’s this?” she asks, pointing to Tanner Crawley, who’s wrapped around my sister from behind, like the greasy octopus he is.

“He was Zara’s boyfriend.” I can’t hide the disgust in my tone .

She bites down on her bottom lip, picking up the frame to take a closer look.

My heart races. “What is it?”

Hadley glances at me before looking back at the photo. “I can’t be sure. It was dark, but I’m pretty sure I saw him at the Circle.”

Her words twist in my stomach. “Tanner? What was he doing there?”

She shrugs. “Like I said, it was dark, but I’m almost positive I saw him talking to Seraphina. It was a Thursday night after Reflection, maybe a month or so before Zara had the baby.”

“You think he was looking for her?” My fists clench by my sides.

“Maybe,” she says. “I don’t know.”

A thought occurs to me, turning my blood cold. “He’s probably the father. Do you think he knew she was pregnant?”

“He had no idea,” a confident voice says from behind us.

We glance over our shoulders to see Gabriel standing in the doorway. “How do you know?” I challenge. “How do you know your precious mother hasn’t known all along that Franklin wasn’t yours?”

He crosses his arms. “Because I helped Zara get away from him before he could find out she was carrying his child.”

The way he says it, so calm and sure, alleviates my fears that my nephew is in any immediate danger, but I can tell Gabriel knows something he’s not sharing.

“What did Tanner do to her?”

Something akin to fury flashes in Gabriel’s eyes, but he shakes his head. “You don’t want to know.”

I turn to face him, anger bubbling inside me. “What did he do? ”

Gabriel’s gaze darts to Hadley, then back to me. “Knowing won’t bring her back.” There’s a hint of pain in his voice.

“What did he fucking do, Gabriel? She’s my sister. I want to know what that slimy fucker did to her.”

I don’t even realise I’ve taken a step towards him until Hadley’s delicate hand lands on my tense forearm. She squeezes, and a tingle shoots up my veins, straight to my heart.

It does the trick.

I take a deep breath and lower my voice. “Please tell me.”

Releasing a sigh, Gabriel hangs his head. “He was abusive. He’d get angry and put hands on her. She tried to leave him once on her own, and he—” He closes his eyes, his face twisting as if this physically hurts him. Gabriel may not have loved my sister, but he cared for her. “He raped her.”

Hadley gasps, her fingernails digging into my skin, and I welcome the pain. My pulse pounds in my ears, and I wonder when the hits will stop coming.

“I’m going to fucking murder the bastard,” I grit out.

“Get in line,” Gabriel mutters.

“Tanner will get what’s coming for him,” Hadley says in her soft, calm tone. “I promise we’ll find a way to make it happen, but right now, we need to focus on figuring out who murdered your family, and how to get Franklin back safely.”

I clench my jaw, but I know she’s right.

“Unless Tanner had something to do with the murders?” Gabriel muses.

“You think he was working with your parents?” I ask.

“I don’t know. We’d need to see if there’s a connection.”

Hadley bites her bottom lip, her wide green eyes meeting mine. “Do you think Seraphina told him Zara was pregnant?”

My stomach sinks.

“There’s no way,” Gabriel says, shaking his head. “She wouldn’t tell an outsider anything. ”

I stare at the photos on the mantle, my mind racing over all the possibilities. “Unless he was no longer an outsider to her when she realised she could use him.”

Gabriel looks at me sharply. “What do you mean?”