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“It’s the little things, Gun.” I grinned as if he could see me. “Had a hell of a night. I had to clean up my mess at the old butcher building, but it’s done and ready for when you need it.”
“What happened, or I should ask who since someone will eventually come looking for them and I’ll need to make sure the cops stay off your ass.”
“Peter Jacobson. Before I killed him for stalking and hurting Ariana, I made the time useful and he confessed it’s her. She changed her name when she enrolled at the academy.”
“For real?”
“Yup. It’s got me twisted up in the head. Why would she lie to me? Why wouldn’t Mom and Theo tell me?”
“Whoa. Back up, kid. Peter was stalking and hurting Ariana Ellison?”
“That’s what I said.” My tone was sharp and condescending. “It’s been a hell of a few days. I didn’t mean to be an asshole.” I had no problem admitting when I’d screwed up, and I’d disrespected one of the few men that mattered to me.
“You need to chill, man. You’ve always been hotheaded, but when it comes to Ari, your decisions are driven by your obsession with your stepsister. Take a minute to shake it off and get your head right. I’ll have my men take care of Peter. At least you rid the world of one more abusive fuck.”
“Yeah, he pistol-whipped Ari in front of me. Knocked her smooth out. That crap doesn’t fly with me. When I gave it back to him, he cried like a fucking baby. He won’t ever mess with her or any other chick again.”
“Does she know he’s dead?”
“No. Not sure how to tell her. Eventually, I will. Maybe keeping her on her toes for a bit won’t hurt.”
“Jag.”
Uncle Gunner’s tone was no-nonsense, and I realized a lecture was about to happen. “You need to tell her, and she needs to know you’re at Whitmore.”
“Eventually. I might have some fun with her first. It’s clear that she’s not the same girl that I was with four years ago. Hell, she doesn’t even realize I’m at Whitmore. According to one of my teammates, Ariana is a total book nerd and pays zero attention to sports or the players.”
“This should be interesting, watching you try to convince yourself you’re not still head over heels in love with her. Good luck.”
I disguised my growl with a fake cough. Then, Peter’s last words broke through my thoughts again.
“Unfortunately, I killed the bastard too soon. As the life drained out of him, he said there was more to tell me. That was it. He was gone.”
“That’s a bitch. Do you have any idea what?”
“No . . . but he told me that she was the one that set the fire.”
“Seriously? Are you sure this motherfucker is capable of telling the truth? I don’t trust a man that lays a hand on a chick. It ain’t cool.”
“I’m wondering the same, but Ari is the only one that can confirm his story. I’m just not sure I’m ready to hear what she has to say.”
Silence filled the line.
Over the next few minutes, I told my uncle everything that had happened with Peter.
“Kid, I swear on my goddamn life, we will find the bastard behind this shit storm. I realize you’re probably in shock. For now, I’ll see if I can dig up anything new on her. My guess is that Theo tried to cover her tracks though. We might come up empty-handed on this end. You need to talk to Ari, Jag. Put all the anger and betrayal aside until you two sit down and you hear what happened after the fire. You’ve loved this girl since you were a kid, followed her around like a sick puppy. When you’re in that deep, no one can turn those feelings off. You thought she was dead for four years. Haven’t you lost enough time with her?”
I stilled as Gunner’s words punched me in the gut. A part of me knew he was right, but I wasn’t sure if I could forgive her. Ever.
ChapterEighteen
Ariana
The September temps were perfect, and the morning sun warmed my skin against the cool autumn breeze as I sat on the back patio, studying. Dry leaves scraped along the pavement, giving me a foreboding feeling. Since I’d confided in Teagan, we had constantly looked over our shoulders for Peter. It terrified me that he’d slipped into the shadows. When he disappeared while I was at the academy, he was bidding his time until he could brutalize me again. He fed off terrorizing me.
The scars with his name on my lower back burned with the memories. Unless someone had suffered at his hand, they would never believe me if I tried to explain what a monster he was. Sick. Depraved.
“Babe, are you okay?” Teagan touched my arm, and I broke away from my thoughts.
