Her breathing picked up again, and she tried her best to speak calmly. “If you read the paper, then you know what happened.”
With a softness that made her want to scream, Jake said, “The papers only gave minimal detail. I need to know everything.”
“Why?”
Olivia wasn’t purposefully being stubborn. She just really,reallydidn’t want to talk about this.
Jake seemed to understand, because he kept that same, gentle tone when he explained, “Because, sweetheart. The more we know, the better chance we have of making sure every single one of those men is stopped.”
He waited, and Olivia knew he was giving her time to open up. She wanted to help him.Hatedthe thought of anyone else having to go through what she and her friends had. She opened her mouth to tell him, but the knot in her throat made it impossible to speak.
Sensing her internal battle, Jake asked for a small piece of the whole, sordid puzzle.
“One thing I don’t understand is why the authorities thought your body was with the others. I get that your personal effects were there, but they knew how many were with your group. They should have realized someone was missing. So, the only thing that makes sense, is if someone else was there at the time of the attack.” He paused briefly. “Another woman.”
He wasn’t going to let up. Not until she gave him something. So, she did.
“Malani.” Olivia squeezed her eyes to help hold back the tears. God, just saying her name hurt.
“Who was she, Liv?” Jake asked quietly, his fingers sliding back and forth over her ankle. When she didn’t answer right away, he gently prodded her. “Come on, sweetheart. Talk to me.”
Olivia filled her lungs, holding her breath for a moment before exhaling slowly. She met his inquisitive gaze.
“Malani was a local woman. I met her our first day on the island. She lost her entire family in the hurricane...a husband and two daughters. Her home was destroyed, so she came to me and asked if she could help us. I”—her voice broke and her throat tightened again—“I didn’t have the heart to tell her no.” Olivia quickly averted his eyes, catching a tear with her fingers before it could fall.
“I’m sorry,” Jake whispered sincerely, still rubbing against her skin.
“It’s okay,” Olivia murmured back, even though, she knew it wasn’t. “Are you about done?”
Chapter 8
Securing the last clasp, Jake gave Olivia’s ankle a soft pat. “All finished.”
He wanted to push her for more information, but after the day she’d had, he decided to let it go. The guilt in her eyes when she spoke of the other woman fucking killed him. He couldn’t imagine how hard it was going to be for her when the time came to share the rest.
Removing her feet from his lap, Jake stood and stretched his stiff back. Then, he bent down and took both of her hands into his. With a teasing grin, he asked, “Ready to try them out?”
