Page 122 of Redemption Ridge Vol II

Cynthia banged her balled fist on top of her desk, and anger replaced misery in an instant. “I lived in Natalie’s shadow my entire fucking life. She was prettier, sweeter, smarter, and funnier. She was better at everything we tried, from sports to dancing. Every girl wanted to be her, and every guy wanted to date her. My own family loved her more than me. My dad used to call her his favorite daughter. And you know what, Seth? I understood. I loved her so damn much, and I felt honored that she’d want me for her best friend. I lived to please her.” Cynthia’s chest heaved as she took big, gulping breaths. “Ryan was supposed to be different.” Cynthia’s entire body quaked, and then she yelled, “He said he wanted me! He loved me!”

Her words bounced off the walls in the tiny office, and Cynthia covered her mouth with trembling fingers. “Ryan told me I was beautiful and special. He said he loved me. No guy had ever paid attention to me with Natalie around, and I soaked in his attention like a sponge.” Her expression suddenly turned so brittle Seth expected Cynthia’s face to crack. “Ryan was the perfect boyfriend until I gave him what he wanted. I cried in Natalie’s arms when he dumped me. She stroked my hair and told me I deserved better.” Cynthia started trembling again, and rage made her pupils dilate until only the thinnest circle of her irises showed. “What I deserved was a better friend because that whore stole Ryan out from under me, but I didn’t know for a while.” She snorted derisively. “I figured it out about the same time I realized that son of a bitch gave me an STD. I was too ashamed to tell my parents or Natalie. I buried my head in the sand and hoped it would go away on its own.” Cynthia’s voice trailed off, and her eyes seemed to lose focus.

“How’d you find out Natalie was dating Ryan?” Seth asked, hoping to steer her back on track.

Cynthia flinched, blinked a few times, and looked surprised to see him in her office. Her lips curved into a surprised smile until she saw Abbott and remembered why they were there and what they’d been discussing. The sorrow, shame, and anger blanketed her fine features once more, and Seth nodded for her to continue.

“Natalie stopped making time for our friendship. She was suddenly too busy to talk on the phone or hang out. She seemed preoccupied and had a perpetual coy smile on her face that said she knew a secret. So, I followed her one night and caught her sneaking off to be with that asshole Ryan. She met him at the river and got in his truck. I was too crushed and broken to approach them, so I drove home. Natalie came over to my house the next morning, looking like the cat who ate the canary. And I lost it. I told her I knew she was dating Ryan behind my back. She apologized and claimed she hadn’t meant to hurt me. Nat said she’d confronted Ryan about the way he mistreated me, and something sparked between them.” Cynthia growled. “I saw what flared between them, or I would have if that panting whore hadn’t fogged up his truck windows.” Cynthia grimaced and released a new torrent of tears. “We must’ve shouted at each other for an hour. We both said the meanest things. And since the truth was out in the open, she bragged that Ryan invited her to hang out at the river with his friends.”

Seth clenched his fists hard enough to snap his bones, but he kept his voice calm and nonthreatening. “Did you follow her to the river that day?”

Cynthia nodded. “Ryan kept me a secret from his friends, but he eagerly introduced Natalie to them. I just had to see for myself what was so special about her, so I took my brother to the elderly neighbor next door. I drove to the river and hid in the woods. Ryan smoked a joint and offered it to Nat, but she refused. Fucking Goody Two-shoes. He got frisky and wanted to make out, but I could tell she was uncomfortable doing that in front of his friends. Hell, the other couples were going at it, but Natalie was too prissy. Ryan eventually coaxed her into kissing him, but he got too handsy. Nat freaked out when he tried to untie her bikini top. She shoved him away and jumped to her feet. They exchanged some heated words, and Natalie stomped away. I couldn’t tell if she cried tears of humiliation or anger. It was a toss-up with Nat.” Cynthia rolled her eyes as if she wasn’t in the middle of a murder confession. “You know how she got. High emotions all the time.”

“And you followed her deeper into the woods?” Seth asked.

“I tried to comfort her. I offered to take her home. Instead of being glad to see me, Natalie got pissed. Called me a pathetic pervert for spying on them. She…she…said some awful things and told me she didn’t want to be friends with a loser anymore. I tried to explain that I only wanted to warn her away from Ryan because she would end up hurt like me. He’d cast her aside as soon as he got what he wanted.” Cynthia’s eyelids lowered to half-mast, but her gaze still looked unfocused, like she’d checked out. Was she back at the river with Nat as she relived their last fight? Then she blinked and locked her gaze on Seth. All the anger and shame he’d witnessed earlier disappeared, leaving soul-deep despair.

“She mocked me, Seth. Taunted me. Natalie said she was smarter than I’d been. She wasn’t going to be an easy lay because she wanted Ryan to respect her. Then, Natalie touched a heart-shaped locket hanging from her neck. I didn’t know Natalie’s pretty mouth could form such a cruel smile.” Cynthia had described a side of Natalie he’d never seen, but he didn’t dispute or disrupt her. “Nat bragged about Ryan giving her the necklace for her birthday. The only thing he’d given me was chlamydia. I…I called her a whore.”

Cynthia breathed faster, almost panting, as she neared the climax of the story. “She slapped me and stomped off. I saw red. That’s the only way I can describe it. My vision was clear one minute and hazy red the next. It felt like I wasn’t in control. I was just a prisoner of my…baser instincts, I guess. An out-of-body experience. The real me is shouting ‘no’ as the monster in control picked up a fat, stubby tree limb and ran after her. I caught up to her near the riverbank and swung it at the back of Natalie’s head.” Cynthia’s voice had gone cold and undetached, but her gaze burned hot enough to scorch Seth where he sat.

“The limb connected with a sick thud, and she went down. And that pissed me off, too, because I’d wanted a fight, and she just lay there, unmoving and not making a sound. So I hit her again.”

Seth flinched like she’d physically hit him. He tried to block the images of Natalie’s last minutes, but they kept coming. His stomach pitched and rolled, but he managed not to throw up. He forced himself to take shallow breaths and pay attention to what Cynthia said.

“Inside my head, I was screaming at myself to stop, but I couldn’t do it. I don’t know how many times I hit her, and I don’t remember dragging her into the river. My next lucid memory is of me cowering in my shower at home, holding Natalie’s precious necklace in my hands.” She blinked several times as if coming out of a fugue state. “I still have it.”

“The necklace?” Seth’s voice sounded stifled and unnatural, but Cynthia didn’t seem to notice.

She nodded. “It was in that box of high school stuff in my storage unit.” She sucked in a shaky breath. “I’m so broken, Seth. I should’ve told the truth, but I kept steering the conversation to Ryan. I loved it when the community ran him off, and I didn’t shed a single tear when I found out he’d overdosed on drugs. In my mind, everything was his fault.” She banged her small fist against the desk. “He took everything away from me. Natalie was my universe, and he stole her from me.” She hiccupped a sob again, and the tears streamed down her face once more. “He stole my ability to have children. I waited too long to get treatment for the chlamydia, and the severe scarring made me infertile. I let my hatred of him blanket the guilt I felt for killing Natalie. I hadn’t meant to hurt her. I just…”

A tsunami of emotions swelled inside Seth, rendering him momentarily useless. He looked at the CBI agent with a silent plea and watched as Abbott handcuffed Cynthia and led her from the office. He ignored the shocked expressions and questions her coworkers lobbed at him and headed to his SUV. The next few hours were some of the toughest in his life.

His family loved Cynthia like she was one of them, and learning of her betrayal cut deep. None of them found relief from knowing who killed Natalie; they only experienced a fresh wave of pain. Some of them had legal questions Seth couldn’t answer. Whether Cynthia served time depended on what charges the state brought against her. Statutes of limitations could prevent legal repercussions unless they charged her with murder. She hadn’t brought a weapon with her to confront Natalie, so they wouldn’t hit her with any of the aggravated felonies. Considering her age and emotional state at the time, Seth figured they’d declare Natalie’s death an involuntary manslaughter. Statutes of limitation would save Cynthia from going to jail, but the life she’d built was still ruined.

The Feisty Bull was closed to the public on Mondays, but the Harts and Burkes and everyone they held dear naturally navigated to the restaurant as they’d done so many times since it opened. They’d honored and fought for Natalie every way they knew how and raised a toast to her again. They shared tears and laughter and found solace in one another. It would take a long time to come to terms with the truth, but they would. Seth couldn’t say he felt lighter after the day’s revelations, but it felt like they were no longer stuck in a rut. They could move forward and honor Natalie’s memory with the way they lived and loved.

Seth thought about the children Rueben predicted they’d have—little girls named Natalie and Lili Rose. They’d make something beautiful from the tragedies they had in common. Seth wanted to grab that shiny future with both hands and never let go. And that’s just what he did. Seth set his beer bottle down on the bar and turned to tell Kerry he’d be back, but his cousin was too busy staring at Keegan across the restaurant to notice Seth. Kerry had several smiles in his arsenal that could disarm, charm, irritate, or seduce. The one curving his lips was something Seth had never seen before. It was soft and tender. Seth’s protective instincts kicked in, and he wanted to warn Kerry to stay away from the vulnerable guy.

His cousin threw up a hand. “Save it. I found out a woman I loved like family killed my sister and lied to my face for twenty-five years. Just let me have this one good thing.”

Seth slapped him on the shoulder, crossed the room, and stole Rueben away from his mother and sister. “I’ll bring him right back,” he promised them when they protested. Seth led Rueben to a quiet part of the restaurant and pulled him into a hug. “Will you stand with me in front of our families and friends and vow to love me forever?”

Rueben’s eyes widened. “Now?”

Seth chuckled. “We’re underdressed. But soon. Maybe something small. Nothing too formal or fancy.”

Rueben’s mouth curved into an impish grin. “How about a justice of the peace and a single witness? Then we can throw a party to celebrate with our friends and family.”

“What are you doing for lunch tomorrow? We can apply for our marriage license and make an appointment to see the justice of the peace.”

Rueben laughed and kissed his mouth. “Perfect!” He turned and scanned the room. “But how do we choose just one witness when we have so much love in our lives?”

Seth narrowed his eyes as he considered. “Someone who will keep their mouth shut so we can pull this off without a hitch.”

Three days later, Kerry and Keegan stood up with them as Seth and Rueben vowed their lives to one another. It was short and sweet but no less meaningful when Seth kissed his husband for the first time. Kerry slapped him hard enough to collapse his lung, but Seth was too happy to protest. Keegan and Rueben hugged for a long time, exchanging words too softly for Seth to hear. The foursome filed out of the courthouse, where half the freaking county waited to congratulate them.

“So much for keeping your mouths shut,” Seth said.