He braked hard, too late to stop. He’d glanced off the side of the SUV, crashed into Ellie’s mangled bicycle, tipped over the handlebars and landed hard on his head, his helmet cracking and falling away.
For a few seconds, he felt nothing. And then a tidal wave of pain slammed into him like nothing he had ever known.
He remembered her clear eyes locked on his, her hand reaching, her voice telling him to stay. Demanding that he didn’t leave. Sirens in the background…. And then nothing but darkness.
Darkness, and a woman. Ellie.
Warm arms wrapped around his waist and held him tightly, dragging him back to the present. Her body pressed against his back. Full of life. She was here with him, right now.
And heknewhe should have walked away weeks ago. Knew he should have kept his emotions cold and hard. But it was too late. “I’m sorry.” He whispered the words, but they still tore at his throat.
Her grip around him tightened as she spoke against his shoulder blades. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“I know—” He swallowed heavily. “I think I know who did this.”
She was utterly still, but she didn’t let him go. If anything, she held him closer. “Who is he?” she whispered.
Josh wrapped his hands over hers, holding them tight against his chest for a moment before releasing them. He would tell the truth and take the pain when she understood that his brother was deeply involved in all the terrible things that had happened to her. That his family was responsible for the pain and fear she’d suffered. She wouldn’t blame him—not Ellie—but how could she possibly look at him the same as before?
He didn’t want to face her while he did it. It was easier this way; looking out over the dark woods, her body against his for one last, precious moment.
“Liam. He was the cyclist in the Manchester City football colors, the one who pushed you to the front. He’s my brother….” Josh choked on the words, forcing them out. “I saw himsignaling to the SUV before we started the ride. He set you up. And it was him in your house the other day.”
Fuck. Admitting it out loud made it sound even worse. She would hate him now, and she would be right. Then she would walk away. Like his father. Like Liam. Likehim.
“But…why?” Her voice was so small and sad and confused. So devastated and betrayed. And God help him, if Liam had been standing in front of him, Josh would have killed him with his bare hands.
“I came back from Scotland because of the trouble Liam was getting into. Because he had fallen into a crowd my mother didn’t like. And there was one man, a particularly bad influence. Always encouraging Liam to spend more, drink more, party more… and invest in things he should have stayed a million miles away from. Warren Bailey.”
She shuddered, her hands gripping his shirt, and suddenly he couldn’t bear looking away from her for one more second. He turned in her arms and pulled her into his embrace.
She must have heard what he’d said, must have heard his confession, but she didn’t hesitate. She wrapped herself around him so tightly that he could feel her heart beating, her chest rising and falling with each trembling breath.
“I’m sorry, Ellie. So very sorry.”
She looked up at him and he knew, this was it. He’d only wanted a moment, but now, when it was over, it hadn’t been enough.
But she still didn’t let him go. She nuzzled even closer. “No. Don’t do that. Nothing that happened was your fault.”
“But my brother?—”
Ellie gave him a small, tired smile. “You are not responsible for his mistakes.”
You are not responsible.God. All his life he’d been responsible: for his father, for his brother. He’d carried theweight like an albatross. But Ellie lifted it so easily. She didn’t blame him, or hold him accountable, at all.
He nearly went to his knees. Only Ellie’s body against his kept him standing. Ellie’s strength. But she didn’t seem to realize how her words had rocked him. She was distracted, working through what they’d learned.
“This was Warren,” she said slowly. “He got them all involved in something that lost millions. Hell. He took Vic’s house, whatever Liam gave him, maybe even money from the kind of people who take physical exception to delays in being paid back. He thought that Vic could pressure me into selling, and they’d get a big payday. When that wasn’t quick enough, he thought that if they hurt me, I’d have to sell. And if he killed me, it would work out even better for them: then Vic would get the business. She’s my principal beneficiary. She could sell, and they’d get the money.”
Ellie shivered, her tension ratcheting up. Her eyes were wide and horrified. “Do you think… God. Do you think Vic did this to me?”
He stroked her hair, wishing he could take this pain from her. “I don’t know. Fuck. I wish I could say she wasn’t involved, but I can’t.”
She slumped against him, and suddenly he was holding her. “It’s terrible either way,” she whispered against his chest. “Either Vic knows, or she’s in danger.” She lifted her eyes to his. “We have to do something. We can’t wait for the investigators now.”
He murmured his agreement, tightening his arms around her. She was right, there was a lot to do. But first there was more to face. And before they did that, he needed to hold her. She smelled of sunlight, and she felt like a dream. He wanted to remember this feeling forever.
But then he took her arms and gently guided her back so he could meet her eyes. “Ellie…” He didn’t want to say it. Didn’twant to rip off this last, awful bandage. But he had to, and he had to do it now. “You were right all along. None of this—” He grunted, the words thick and bitter in his throat. “None of this is real.”
