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Oliver still didn’t reach out to hold her.
“When Lane is caught, he will be tossed right back in a cell.There is no evidence that exonerates him.And with the escape now being added to the list of his charges…” A ragged sigh.“He’s not going to be free.”
Her heart ached.“I understand what can happen.”
“You still believe he’s innocent.”
“Well, clearly not innocent when it comes to the escape.But I don’t think he killed those women.”She couldn’t let herself believe it.
“Why?”
“I lied.”
He blinked.
“I’m trying to come clean as much as I can.No more lying to you.No more lying to myself.”After taking a bracing breath, she said, “The day my father died?When I shot him?”
Oliver waited.
“My dadwasattacking me.He’d stabbed my mom.He’d turned on me.All of that is true.I was begging him to stop.Lane begged him.But my father was too far gone.All I saw in his eyes and on his face was rage.I got the gun and I came back but…”
“Sweetheart…”
“Lane took it from me.He shoved me behind him.He aimed the gun to fire.He was going to be the one to pull the trigger.”Tears pricked at her eyes.“But my mom cried out.Lane looked at her.And my dad slammed into him.They both hit the floor.My dad got up.Lane didn’t.I grabbed for the gun and when my dad—” Her lips pressed together.Everything else had been just as I described before.Except Lane was the one who tried to shoot first.“Lane was ready to shoot for me.He was ready to kill our father.He has always been ready to protect me.To do whatever it takes to keep me safe.”
“Like break out of jail?”
A nod.
“What’s the story with you and Blain Montgomery?What really happened?”
Another ghost from the past.Pain that she’d fought to bury.
“He said he was sleepwalking into your room.”
Her hands pressed to her jeans.She’d put them on after ditching that hospital gown and escaping with Oliver.“When you sleepwalk, do you also grope people?Because I woke up to his hand trying to go between my legs.”
Fury flew across his face.“Sonofabitch.”
Yes, that was how she thought of Blain Montgomery, too.As a sonofabitch.And every time she saw his smug face on TV, the pain and humiliation rolled through her again.“One hand tried to push between my legs.One had covered my mouth.I fought him, and the hand over my mouth moved a little.Then I bit his fingers as hard as I could.”She still remembered the bitter taste of his blood.“I screamed.Lane came running.He got in the room first, before Blain’s parents.I told him what had happened.”
“And he broke Blain’s hand.”
Yes.You won’t ever touch my sister again.Low words Lane had said as the bones snapped.“We were gone the next day.”She shuddered.She hadn’t even wanted to remain there that long.“Lane stayed in my room the rest of the night.Guarding the door.My brother—because of what happened to my mom, because of the things that I went through—if anything, he’s extra protective when it comes to women.He would never hurt a woman the way the Bridal Killer did.He just wouldn’t.”
“But Blain Montgomery doesn’t have any problem hurting women.”
“Blain doesn’t live in Vegas.He’s not—”
“He comes here plenty for business.Told me himself he’s in town all the time.And you don’t juststoppredatory behavior.If he was doing it with you, as a kid, I don’t buy that he just flipped a switch and stopped.We need to dig into his closet and see what skeletons pop out.”
Her breath caught.“You really think it could be him?”
“Don’t get your hopes up on evidence just tumbling into our laps.”His hands had fallen back to his sides.“I keep telling you, your brother may spend the rest of his life in jail.And you don’t want to look at my face each day and know I’m the man who put him there.”His shoulders squared.“I hate what you’ve been through.With your father.With Nate.With that bastard Blain.Withme.”
Her brow furrowed.
“If I could, I’d take away all your pain.That’s what I wanted to do.Wanted to win you back.Get a second chance.Prove that we could be different under different circumstances.”Oliver retreated.“But I’ll always be the man who put your brother in a cell.Then…” Grim.“And now.”
