“Claire.” Garrett was suddenly there, cutting off Hendricks. “Please. Let me explain.”
“There’s nothing to explain.” Her voice was empty. The paramedic gave Garrett a look, then ignored him as she cleaned Claire’s wound. It was obvious the poor woman was still listening. “You tricked me. Deceived me. That’s all there is to it.”
“I was trying to protect you?—”
“By lying?” Now she looked at him. “By sleeping with me while pretending to be someone else?”
“I wasn’t pretending about my feelings for you.”
Claire’s laugh was bitter. “Did you enjoy it? Watching me fall apart over your sister? Listening to me talk about that night? Kissing me while you knew exactly who I was?”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“Then what was it like?” Claire stood, forcing the paramedic to step back. Hendricks turned on her heel and left. Claire was unsteady, but standing. “Tell me,Bobby. What was it like?”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Why not? It’s your name, isn’t it?” She took a step toward him. Then another. “Bobby Anderson. Age eighteen when Lily died because you had to go out with friends that Sunday night and didn’t call her. I barely remember you. But you—” Her voice broke. “You remembered me, didn’t you? You knew exactly who I was. And you said nothing.”
“You had so much on your mind. I wanted to wait until the proper time.”
“When?” She stopped, turned away. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me.”
“Well, it shouldn’t!” She spun back. The anger at Derek morphed into anger at Garrett. It bubbled and ran over, flooding the ground at her feet like quicksand. Everything was wrong. How could she have trusted him? “You lied, Garrett. Or Bobby. Or Wolf. Or whoever the hell you are. You lied about the thing that mattered most.”
“I know.”
“Then why?” Her voice cracked completely. “Why not tell me the truth from the start?”
Garrett met her eyes. “Because I knew you’d react exactly like this. Because I knew that if you knew I was Bobby, you’d see me as a failure. It’s my fault Lily’s dead, Claire.” He made a fist and slammed it into his chest. “Mine.” He took a breath. “And I wanted—just once—to be the person who saved someone instead.”
Claire stared at him. Then she shook her head. “You don’t get it,” she said softly. “You saved me from Derek. But you—” Her voice broke again. “You broke my heart.”
He flinched as if the words hit like bullets. “I’m so sorry.”
“I don’t want to hear it.” She caught sight of Ian leading Vivi to a second ambulance. Hendricks stood a respectable distance away, watching Claire carefully as she spoke into her phone. Claire raised her voice. “After I give my statement, I’m heading back to D.C. You can direct further inquiries to me there.”
She pushed past Garrett without looking at him. Without saying anything else. At the door of the nearest SUV, she paused.
Derek had been loaded into a sheriff’s vehicle, still smiling despite his broken wrist and other injuries. Hendricks caught up to her. “Two deputies will transport him to the county lockup, then to our field office in Missoula tomorrow.”
Derek wasn’t staring at her, though. “You think she’ll forgive you?” Derek called through the glass to Garrett. “She won’t. I made sure of that. Even if I go to prison.” He laughed. “I still won because she’ll never trust you again. And that—” More laughter. “That’s better than killing her. Knowing I screwed you both up for the rest of your lives.” Finally, his gaze swung to Claire. “You’ll never trust anyone again, and as long as I’m alive, you’ll never sleep good. You won’t be able to eat. All you’ll do is think about me.”
She wanted to yank open the door and kill him right there. Instead, she held her ground and watched the vehicle drive away.
Mission accomplished. Derek Sullivan was in custody. Vivi was safe.
And Claire…she was still alive.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
Garrett had everything he’d wanted except the one thing that mattered most.
As Grizzly drove off with Claire to the station, Ian approached, one arm still around Vivi. “Commander,” Vivi started.
“Don’t,” Garrett said.
