After Trexler left, and his truck could be heard driving away from headquarters, Taylor and Tyler’s crew patted them on the backs, offering their silent support.
I stood back, watching the twins engage in an intense conversation in the corner. Taylor walked off with his hands on his hips, and then returned to his brother, shaking his head. The rest of the crew crowded around the table, resuming their card game. They were Taylor and Tyler’s family, too, but they knew the twins needed to figure out their other family at home.
Taylor retreated to the barracks, and Tyler glanced at me before looking down. I’d seen that look before, many times, mostly in the mirror. He was ashamed.
I padded across the room, stopping just a few feet from him. “What can I do?”
He frowned, trying to focus on the floor.
“Okay,” I said. “You don’t have to tell me. I can … you know … just be around.”
He nodded, keeping his eyes on the carpet. I backed away, settling into the corner of the sofa closest to the wall. I pulled a knit throw over my lap and sat quietly. Tyler crossed the room, sitting on his knees at my feet.
I ran my hand over his buzzed hair, pausing on the back of his neck.
“I lied to you,” he whispered. “But if I tell you the truth, you’ll be dragged into this mess.”
I shook my head. “You don’t have to tell me.”
He looked up at me from under his brow, angry. “Didn’t you hear me? I lied to you.”
“No, you were protecting your brother.”
Tyler looked up at me from under his brow. “And now I’m protecting you.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
All but Taylor and Tyler were gone when I woke. After fourteen days on the mountain, the crew had woken up to their R & R and scattered. For two days, they would travel to any friends or family who were close, going into town to hit a bar or an outfitter or to a mom-and-pop café to eat real food.
I rubbed my eyes, squinting at Tyler as he sat on my bed, his elbows resting on his knees. He was wearing a pair of red basketball shorts, a white tee, and a navy blue baseball hat. By his attire and bare feet, it was obvious he wasn’t planning on going anywhere, but he was miles away. His twin was wearing boots, cargo pants, and an Alpine tee, a duffel bag at his feet.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Taylor was leaning against the large wooden square that held the few things I’d brought with me to the dormitory. He was frowning, his arms crossed.
“Taylor’s leaving,” Tyler said.
I sat up. “What? Why?”
“After R & R, we’re going to Colorado Springs to join a crew to work on a fire down there.”
“You’re not?”
Tyler shook his head. “I’m waiting on the Aussies to get here, and then we’ll drive down. It’s better that Taylor goes first, anyway.”
“Why?”
He glanced over at me before looking down. “Taylor’s a better liar than I am.”
“The federal agent is going to be down there,” I said. It wasn’t a question; I knew the answer.
Taylor nodded. “I’m going to answer all his damn questions—again—and hopefully he’ll leave Tyler alone.”
“Because Tyler was the one who spoke to Travis.”
Tyler shifted. “Actually, it was Trent.”
I frowned. Without having met them, it was hard to keep the brothers straight. “Which one is he again?”
For some reason, that brought a smile to Tyler’s face. “Second youngest.”
“Oh yeah,” I said. “The tattoo artist. It makes sense why you’re both covered.”
“We all are,” Taylor said. “Except Thomas. I have to get on the road. I’m going to try to get there first. Maybe get Trexler’s third degree out of the way before we go back to work.”
“Something seemed … off about him,” I said. “Watch yourself.”
Taylor winked at me. “I got this, Ellie. Don’t worry about me. Ever since I found out we were going to Colorado Springs … I dunno. I’ve had a good feeling about it.”
“You just like that damned cowboy bar down there,” Tyler said.
Taylor arched an eyebrow. “Colorado Springs has a considerably higher percentage of attractive women, and most of them hang out at that bar.”
Tyler rolled his eyes. “They’re looking for fly boys. The Air Force base is there.”
“Yes, but it’s me we’re talking about,” Taylor said, pushing off from my armoire. He bent down to grab his duffel bag, and then slung the strap over his shoulder. “I’m out, dick head.”
Tyler stood up, hugging his brother. It wasn’t a side hug or a hand-shake-slash-shoulder-bump. Taylor and Tyler wrapped their arms around each other and squeezed. The customary hard slapping on the back followed, but they were a sweet sight.
Taylor’s keys jingled in his hand as he rounded the corner. The front door opened and slammed, and Tyler sighed.
“You’re going to miss him.”
He sat down on my bed again, leaning over and lacing his fingers together. “It’s kind of a pussy thing to say, but Taylor and I haven’t been apart a lot. It feels weird.”
“Understandable. The twin thing.”
“I’m just glad he’s not going to Australia with Jew.”
“Australia?”
“Yeah, we switch out. A couple of our guys go over there for a season to learn their way of doing things, and we get a couple of their guys to see how we do it.”