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“What the fuck happened?”
“Yes, that’s a good question. What did happen?”
Both men whirled around to see Mia standing there, her face pale. Clearly, she’d heard what Trey had said because her eyes glistened with tears.
“I came back for my purse,” she said softly. “Are you sure she’s gone? Are you really, really sure? Because that can’t be right. I just talked to her last night. I talked to her last night. She was fine and happy.”
“I’m sorry, Mia.” Trey’s voice sounded like a shovel scraping concrete, full of anguish. “I’m so sorry. I am sure. I talked with one of your neighbors who has a brother in the local police force.”
“That would be Mrs. Abernathy,” Mia said, slowly lowering herself onto the couch cushion. “Her brother is a lieutenant. She would know.”
Grant sat next to Mia, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She wasn’t crying yet, but her body was trembling visibly, her hands shaky as she pressed them to her knees. It felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest with a pair of pliers, and there wasn’t anything much he could do to dull her pain. He couldn’t bring Lane back. That was beyond anyone’s powers.
“Mike is okay?”
Scraping his fingers through his hair and making it stand on end, Trey nodded.
“He was injured as well, but luckily it was nothing fatal. Your neighbor said that when he’s released from the hospital he’s going to stay with his brother.”
“Steve,” Mia murmured. “He lives near here. He’s a nice man.”
Mia was still shaking, rocking back and forth next to him. He tightened his hold, wrapping both arms around her, pulling her close.
“What do I do when someone I’m close to dies?” Mia asked. “Am I supposed to make food or something and take it there? Do I send flowers? What do I do? I’ve never really lost anyone I loved.”
She fell apart then; her fingers had a death-grip on the front of his shirt as if she might be blown away in another hurricane. Sobbing now, tears streamed down her face as she kept repeating no, no, no, over and over. At one point, they slid off the sofa and onto the floor as she stomped her feet on the maple hardwood, furious at what had happened to her best friend. Hell, they’d been more like sisters.
Grant would have gladly taken a knife and cut himself wide open if it meant that he could take this pain away from Mia permanently. But that wasn’t an option, and he knew from losing loved ones in the past that there was only one way through this - forward.
Was it Churchill who had said, “If you find yourself walking through hell, keep walking.”
It was the only way to come out the other side. Allow herself to feel all the emotions - the denial, the anger, the bargaining.
He simply held her, speaking in soft, soothing tones, and letting her know that he was there. He couldn’t turn back time and fix all of this, although that’s what he wished he could do. He felt useless, not able to help or make her feel better. He could only be there for her. He whispered many times that he would never leave her, that he would be by her side and hold her. That she didn’t have to be strong right now. She could grieve as much and as long as she needed.
Eventually, she calmed down, no tears left to give. At least at the moment. There’d be more later, but for now she was spared the gut-wrenching sobs of despair.
Her head was pillowed on his chest, a sodden tissue crumpled tightly in her fist. They simply sat there on the floor for the longest time, not saying a word. He had a feeling that she was still grappling with the news and this reality.
“I just can’t believe she’s gone,” Mia said, lifting her head to look up at him. “Lane was always so alive. So happy. She had a zest for life that was contagious. It just doesn’t seem like it could even be real. There has to be some sort of mistake. I keep thinking that she’ll walk in the front door like she has so many times and tell me that it was all a big mistake. She’s fine and alive. It was all a terrible mix up.”
“I wish it could be that way, too, honey. I really do.”
“But that’s not going to happen, is it? Lane’s gone. Some asshole killed her, and it’s probably because of me. Lane lost her life because of me.”
“No,” Grant said, lifting her chin gently with his finger so he could look her in the eye. “No, this is not your fault. This is totally on the person that did this. They made the decision. They carried it out. Not you. You’re blameless in all of this. This is not your fault.”
“It feels like my fault. It feels like I failed her. And she never failed me, Grant. Not once.”
There were more tears but not near as many as before. At some point, Trey must have gone into the kitchen to give them privacy, but he’d come out now with a tall glass of ice water, holding it out to Mia.
Accepting it with a grateful smile, Mia drank down half of the glass in one go before placing it on the coffee table.
“I want to go to the hospital to see Mike. Do you think they’ll let us in?”
“We can try,” Grant said, helping her to her feet. “I’ll drive you there.”
“Should I come with or stay here?” Trey asked.
