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13
Kate leaned against the wall,staring at her sister. Beth sat on the edge of the bed, holding the cup of tea Kate had brought her like it was something foreign. She’d said next to nothing since Declan had led her into the house, Ronan and Nick silent behindthem.
Kate thought she’d be mad when she saw Beth. Thought she’d at least be hesitant, that she’d want to find out everything Beth knew, everything she’d done. But familial instinct had taken over the second Beth walked through the door with Declan, and the next thing Kate knew she was rushing toward her sister, throwing her arms around her as tears streamed from hereyes.
Forgiveness hadn’t even entered her mind. Neither hadjustice.
She was just glad Beth wasalive.
Kate had taken her upstairs to the last remaining bedroom and started a hot shower in the en suite, then helped Beth, who’d seemed almost catatonic,undress.
She’d said only one thing:He left me allalone.
Kate didn’t have the time or energy to decipher the meaning of the words. Instead she’d gone to work finding Beth a change of clothes from her own small wardrobe and heating water fortea.
Declan, Ronan, and Nick had settled into the living room with a bottle of Brennivin, an Icelandic liquor that could strip the paint off Kate’s Lexus, saying little about the raid except that Neil was dead, killed by Beth, who’d appeared out ofnowhere.
Beth had fired the fatal shot before Ronan knew she was there. Nick hadn’t even made his way up from the basement in time to see the whole thinghappen.
By the time Kate had returned to the guest room, Beth was sitting on the edge of the bed in Kate’s sweatpants and one of her long-sleeve T-shirts.
Beth’s dark hair was wet, longer than when Kate had last seen her, and she’d lost weight she couldn’t afford to lose. Her face looked almost gaunt, with deep hollows under her cheeks and shadows under hereyes.
Kate had handed her the tea and leaned against the wall. Now that the shock of Beth’s reappearance had worn off, Kate’s questions had come roaring back. She was still glad her sister was alive, but Beth had a lot of explaining todo.
“Where have you been?” Kateasked.
Beth looked down at the tea like the answer to the question could be found in the leaves settled at the bottom of her cup. “Morocco for a while. Then Portugal and Norway. Then…here.”
“What were you doing? Why didn’t you call or text? Mom has been worried sick. We all have,” Katesaid.
She was surprised by the anger that flashed in Beth’s eyes. “I doubtthat.”
Kate crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re in no position to play black sheep. We were worried. You can believe it or not. It doesn’t really matter.” She shook her head. “What have you been doing, Beth? What were you up to withNeil?”
“He lied.” She spoke in a monotone. “That’s why I didn’t tell you, why I ran. He lied and I bought it. I let him useme.”
“Use youhow?”
She took a sip of the tea and set it on the nightstand next to the bed. “He was my father.” She watched Kate’s face for her reaction. When she didn’t get one, she continued. “But I guess you knewthat.”
“I figured it out right before you disappeared. I would have talked to you about it, wanted to talk to you about it, but you were just…gone.”
“He’s the one who told me. I’d always felt different,but…”
“Butwhat?”
“You guys kind of gaslitme.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “No one gaslityou.”
“You did,” Beth insisted. “I knew I was different, knew I didn’t quite fit. Not like you and Aiden. But when I tried to tell you, when I tried to tell Dad, you called me a drama queen, told me I was playing the victim, and you know how Dad felt about people who played the victim. Mom was the only one who didn’t blow meoff.”
“I mean, Beth… Aiden and I didn’t know. What would you have said if I’d told you I didn’t fit in? Would you have jumped to the conclusion that I had a different father? That my feelings were anything but adolescent angst?” Kate sighed. “I’m sorry. You’re right. We didn’t listen. But gaslighting someone requires knowledge Aiden and I didn’t have. We were in the dark until six monthsago.”
“But it made sense then, didn’t it?” Beth’s glare wasdefiant.
Kate searched for the right words, aware that they were treading on tricky territory. “It explained alot.”
