Page 46 of Entwined With You

“And for some reason, the light through Venetian blinds freaked her out.”

“Our father. The room he kept us in had a window too high for us to reach. It had Venetian blinds. When the sun was coming through in slats, we knew that he’d be coming for us soon.”

He pauses, taking my arm and tugging me to a stop beside him. “She never told me that.”

I shrug. I hadn’t liked to share too much of my horrific childhood with him. I don’t know why. Maybe because it was so ugly that I was afraid the ugliness would rub off on me. He knew all of the big picture stuff, though. The child’s coloring book version of my life. But I’d kept the intricate adult coloring image all to myself.

I start walking again, and he doesn’t stop me. But as we get closer to the sign that welcomes visitors to the Pier, he says, almost too soft for me to hear, “I’m glad you showed up.”

It’s me who stops this time, making the family of five behind us split up to go around. I ignore their dirty looks.

“That first moment,” he continues, “when I realized you weren’t actually Brina … that was like sliding into hell. But now….” He draws a breath, and I watch as he gathers himself. “I’ve missed her so much, but part of that was guilt.”

“Guilt?” I tense. I’ve convinced myself he was innocent. Is he about to confess now?

“For being alive. For not being in the van where I was supposed to be. And for not making her tell me more about what was bothering her that day.” He meets my eyes again. “For not being a hero and saving her.”

“You couldn’t have. You didn’t know.”

He nods. “I know that. I do. Doesn’t mean I don’t hurt.”

“Yeah. I get that.”

“You’re not her,” he says. “But it’s like you’re a balm. But I’m not sure if the scabs are finally healing, or if the pain will be even more intense once you leave.”

Leave.

The word hangs there, big and ugly. Of course, I’ll leave. That’s what I’d wanted. To come here, find the truth, and make him pay.

As for the possibility that he’s actually innocent, well, a day ago, I would have told myself that was impossible. Now…

Well, now I believe him.

But is that because he’s truly innocent? Or do I just want to believe this man who, for better or for worse, I really do still love?

Brax watched as Jorge walked up to Samantha, shaking his head and looking amazed. “I don’t think I really believed it until this moment,” he said. “You’re really alive.”

“Looks that way,” she said, taking his extended hand.

“I’m glad,” he said. “I can’t say I enjoyed getting picked up, convicted, and shoved into prison, but I kept thinking it was a hell of a lot better than being dead.”

“I hear the food’s better, too,” Samantha said, making the entire group laugh.

“And as for you,” Jorge continued, turning toward Brax. “You managed to escape death and prison. You get out of paying your taxes, too?” Despite the light words, there was an edge to his voice.

“Still working on that,” Brax said, keeping his response intentionally light. No way in hell was he apologizing for having survived as a free man. “I took the coward’s way out and ran. Then I went under. But I might as well have been in prison. Brina was dead, and I damn sure felt like I was, too.”

Jorge looked him up and down. “You didn’t plant that bomb.”

“I didn’t.”

He turned to Samantha. “And you believe him, too?”

“Does it matter? I’m here for the job. I lost out on a damn good payout when the last time we tried this went south. Not to mention the hoops I had to jump through to stay dead. And it’s not as if I can just suddenly come back to life. I need my cut so I can disappear again. Trust me when I say that the dead have to pay for food and lodging, too.”

She was good, Brax thought. A little too good, because she’d convinced him as well. And the truth was that he didn’t want her going away again. Or, to be more accurate, he didn’t want Samantha disappearing from his life. Not because he was projecting Sabrina onto her, but because the woman herself was getting under his skin.

“Let’s get on with it,” Darrin said. “Assignments, and then we’re out until the next meeting.”