Hayden sank into the wooden desk chair she’d bet also came out of the storage area in the barn below. It had character that most newer, factory-made furniture didn’t. Attention to detail and charming inconsistencies showed someone had crafted it with their own skills instead of a computer or a laser.

Right off the bat, she tried emailing her father at the last known email address she had for him. Like it had last time she’d attempted to reach out, her message failed and came back instantly. Automatically.

So she spent the better part of an hour scouring the internet for any hint of his whereabouts. None of the searches on his name turned up people who looked like him, even taking into account the effect of the years that had passed since he’d left her behind.

Eventually she blew out a sigh and studied the impressive raw beams of the apartment’s sloped ceiling. There was only one other thing she could think of to try. Brenda, her father’s new wife, who probably wasn’t actually the Cuntess of Cuntington like Hayden’s immature mind had made her out to be. She had the woman’s email address from the lame attempt they’d made to get to know each other before everything had imploded and the silent treatment on both sides had engaged.

Still, she kept her note brief and to the point. I need to speak with my father. Please ask him to call me at his earliest convenience. Thank you—Hayden.

She hoped Austin wouldn’t mind that she copied and pasted his cell number from the messaging-slash-videochat app he’d told her he used. It was the only reliable communication she had at the moment.

Her finger trembled as it hovered over the button that would send her SOS. If there was any other option, she’d take it. Angry at herself, her father, Bobby Joe, and the world in general, she brought her finger down. Sent.

As she sat there for a moment, head in hands, she debated crashing on the couch. Although it was early, she was exhausted. She’d spent a lot of the night awake, though resting, in Austin’s arms. It had seemed impossible to drift off when she was burning up inside. His hard-on had imprinted itself on her hip, but he hadn’t made any move to put it to better use. So she had pretended like she hadn’t noticed it or her own matching desire. It was probably some reflexive instinct anyway. Maybe she’d have been attracted to anyone who’d rescued her.

A nap sounded amazing.

Right before she closed the lid of Austin’s laptop, a bleep notified her of an incoming message. A handsome guy’s face appeared in a flashing circle in the center of the screen. The text below it proclaimed it was Austin’s cousin Bryant.

She tried to swipe it out of the way but must have poked it instead.

The screen flashed connecting.

Oh fuck! Her options now were to hang up or explain. In the split second she had to decide, she tried to consider her options. Austin had offered to introduce her to his family. So he wouldn’t mind if she answered, would he?

Nah, she didn’t think so.

He’d probably prefer that to her being rude to his cousins.

Besides, she was dying of curiosity and it seemed like a safe way to ease the unexpected loneliness creeping up on her without Austin around. In the silence of Austin’s deserted apartment, it was too easy to remember that until she reconnected with her dad, it was her versus the world.

Her panic intensified when the screen split into four squares. Each one held a face—three smoking hot guys who bore a slight resemblance to Austin, and herself.

“Hey shithead! Why haven’t you called—”

“Good job, Doug,” James said before he and Bryant roared with laughter as they realized the mistake their cousin had made by talking before the program had fully connected. “Go ahead and insult Austin’s new lady friend. I’m sure it won’t hurt that much when he kicks your ass for it.”

Hayden laughed. “I won’t tell if you don’t tell him I accidentally answered you guys instead of closing the app. He went to let his parents and Jake know that he’s home.”

“He wouldn’t give a shit that you’re talking to us.” Doug eased her anxiety.

“You didn’t go with Austin because…” James wondered.

She shrugged. “It’s complicated.”

“Would you really want to be surrounded by all those nosey strangers at once?” Bryant asked his cousin as he waved his hands in front of his chest. “No, thank you.”

“Well, you got the better end of the deal anyway,” Doug said. “We’re a lot more fun to talk to.”

“Sexier to look at, too,” James added.

“Ignore those idiots.” Bryant came to her rescue, though it wasn’t really necessary. Hayden’s face ached from grinning so wide already. They were fun and easygoing like Austin. She bet they had no trouble at all finding women to entertain. “How are you? Do you need anything since you’re there alone?”

“Oh! I know!” Doug jumped in. “Check the second drawer on your left.”

“I don’t think I should rummage around in Austin’s desk.” Even she had some boundaries. She’d invaded pretty much all of his personal space already.

“It’s fine,” Bryant assured her. Somehow she knew he wouldn’t lead her astray. He seemed a little more reserved than his cousins. She could tell from the way he spoke as much as the stories Austin had shared. “Go ahead.”

So she did.

“A chocolate stash!” She grinned. “Hell yes! You guys are the best.”

They cracked up as she plucked a mini candy bar from the jar and unwrapped it. Hayden swept her hair out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear so that she could pop the candy into her mouth. She instantly regretted it.

James growled as Doug unleashed a steady stream of profanity including some curses she’d never heard before. Bryant winced and said, “Oh, honey. That had to hurt. I’m so, so sorry.”

She angled the chair so that her undamaged side was visible to the camera, then went back for a second helping of sweets. Her audience didn’t seem to hold it against her.

When she looked up again, her shame was burned off by the trio of fierce, protective, honorable men who pegged her with a concerned stare very similar to the ones Austin had been giving her for days now. They truly were alike in all the ways that counted.

“There’s probably ice cream in the freezer, if that helps,” Bryant offered.

They were saved an awkward conversation then because Austin returned. He smiled when he crossed to her and saw she was chatting with his cousins. “I see you’ve met the rest of the Compass Boys.”

“They’re great, like you.” She turned and put her arms around his waist. He ran his fingers through her hair, inspiring her to close her eyes and bury her cheek against his washboard abs for a moment. Maybe some of his strength would rub off on her.

“I can’t believe you kept her,” Doug blurted with a goofy grin, lightening the mood.

“Shit. She’s not a puppy!” Austin crouched beside her so that he was at eye level with the laptop’s camera. He put one hand on her knee—maybe for balance, maybe because he could sense something wasn’t quite right. “She needed somewhere to lay low for a while.”

“And it doesn’t hurt that she’s sexy as fuck.” James peered into the screen as if trying to see what might be blossoming between them.

Hayden would like to figure that out for herself. Confused and overwhelmed, she decided a nap was definitely in her near future. If she was lucky, Austin would join her.

He joked around with his cousins for a while, letting her unwind as she listened to their banter. It startled her when he jerked.

“Something bite you?” Doug asked with a laugh.

“Nah, it’s my phone, vibrating. Someone’s calling.” He took it from his pocket and glared at the screen. “Nobody I know. Unidentified caller. Probably a telemarketer or some crap.”

He swiped it off his screen and sent it to voicemail as the guys began to debate who was going to win that night’s baseball game. Hayden loved eavesdropping on their exchange and witnessing how they ragged on each other without any real malice. She pictured what it might be like if she had a close-knit group of friends like that to share the highs and lows of her life with.

“Damn.” Austin picked up his phone as it began ringing again. “Persistent fucker. Hang on. Let me get rid of them quick.”

“Can I help you?” His stern tone shocked her. He sounded nothing like the man she’d gotten to know. Hayden wouldn’t want to mess with someone like that. It would probably be best to remember that although he’d never been anything but gentle and kind with her, he had the capacity for something meaner.

“Oh. Uh, yeah. Sorry. She’s right here.” His gaze whipped to her as his brows drew together. “Hold on one second.”

Austin held the phone out to her. Her stomach bottomed out. Only one person knew to reach her at his number.

“My dad?” She reached for it, her arms shaking as her hands turned icy.

He shook his head and said quietly, “No, it’s a woman.”

Brenda. Was her father so angry that he refused even to speak to her? Or had that bitch decided not to pass along her request? Hayden wasn’t sure she was ready to have this conversation.

“Go ahead.” Austin shook the phone at her. “You’ve got this. I’m right here.”

He wrapped her fingers around the cell, then waved to his cousins before severing their connections. Not before she saw three very concerned faces staring back at them, though. Damn it!

She swallowed hard, gathered her courage, and croaked, “Brenda?”

“Hayden! I am so surprised. I never expected to hear from you.” Why did it sound like that sort of made Brenda sad? She’d never been overtly rude, despite Hayden’s juvenile reactions to her dad falling in love and uprooting their micro-family, but Brenda had never seemed eager to inherit another man’s daughter either. Maybe her dad had suffered, as she had, in her absence.

Had they both been too stubborn to overcome their rift?

Hayden suddenly felt foolish for wasting so much time.

“I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have bothered you, except it’s an emergency. Can I talk to my dad?” Hayden chewed the nail of her middle finger. When Austin drew her onto his lap, she was glad for the security and weight of his arms around her.

“Is this a joke?” Brenda sounded less welcoming now.

“No, I really need to speak with him. Please.” Her voice cracked. She hated having to ask for something that should have been her right as his child.

“Hayden, you’re scaring me.” Brenda sounded every bit as upset as Hayden was. “How would I know where he is?”

“Because you’re his wife? Because he left me for you? Because…”

“What?” the other woman whispered. There was a crash, as if she had fallen to her knees on the floor. “Hayden, your dad chose you. Why don’t you know where he is? Why are you asking me about him? I haven’t seen him in five years, since he pulled into my driveway long enough to tell me that you had to be his number one priority. He kissed me goodbye, turned right around, and went back to you. I never heard from him again.”

Hayden couldn’t move. Couldn’t talk. Couldn’t breathe.

“Are you still there?” Brenda asked, crying openly now. “What’s going on?”

Austin gripped Hayden tightly enough that she couldn’t slip to the ground. He began to rock her as what Brenda told her sank in. There was no chance her father had abandoned both of the people he had loved most.

Something horrible had happened.

And no one had known. No one had been there to help him.

Hayden might not have the facts about how or why, but she was certain.

Her dad was gone forever.

It took a minute to realize that the screaming she heard was coming from her own mouth. Pain bubbled up from her guts then exploded through her lungs. She couldn’t stop it. When the first rush subsided, her shriek morphed into sobs.

Austin took the phone from her. “I’ll have her contact you when she’s able.”

He disconnected then tossed the phone onto the couch before scooping Hayden into his arms. He stood, carrying her to his bedroom. “Jesus Christ, I’m so sorry. Oh God, I’m sorry.”

She couldn’t do anything except cling to him and bawl.

Every muscle in her body tensed to the breaking point.

A coughing fit interrupted her wails. Agony seared her side. At first she thought it was her cracked ribs protesting until she realized it went deeper than that. And when she raised her hand to wipe her mouth, it came away speckled with blood.

Hayden’s eyes widened. She turned her palm to face Austin, who cursed. It became impossible to catch her breath between crying, coughing, grief, and terror. The room dimmed.

Using the last of her air, she whispered, “Help.”

“Hayden!” Austin shook her, which only made the pain worse. “Holy shit.”

He left her on the bed to sprint for the other room and, presumably, his phone. Because the last thing she heard was him shouting, “Hope! It’s an emergency. Get over to my apartment now. I’m calling 911, but you’ll get here first. Hurry. Please.”

Hayden gasped and shuddered. She tried desperately to claw her way to consciousness, but she couldn’t make it. Panic set in. Everything hurt. Her heart, her body. She was tired of fighting. Weary.

So she surrendered and let the darkness have her.