Jace let her grip his hand and nodded. “I understand.”
Because even if he hadn’t lost a brother like she had, he knew what it was like to lose a family member. He’d lost his dad years ago, long before he was imprisoned. Lost his mom the day his dad got arrested.
Her gaze turned stricken.
“Do you know when someone you love dies and their room remains the same as it did the way they left this earth, it becomes more of a memorial than a tombstone? It’s a placeholder covered in memories that are so sharp and painful they make you bleed inside, and yet you don’t want to get rid of the grief because it’s the last, lingering connection you have to him. When the grief is gone, he’ll be gone for good.”
Lifting her hand to his mouth, he gently kissed her knuckles, wishing he could kiss away all her pain. Jace reached up and gently wiped away her tears.
“I’m sorry, babe. I am truly sorry. I’m sorry you had to go through that alone and you never told me. I’m glad you finally did. Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me about Conner. He sounds like a special kid.”
“I found out who the biker was, Jace. His name was Archie Turner. He was divorced but had a son. I wanted to contact the son, but my parents wouldn’t allow it. I think...they helped to pay for his funeral, anonymously. I still felt guilty. It was my fault, Jace. The accident was my fault.”
“How? You were a kid, sure, the ink barely dry on your learner’s permit. Yeah, you disobeyed your folks in taking the car when they weren’t there. But you had the green light. The biker didn’t.”
“I killed two people, Jace.”
“No, babe. Two people, including your brother, died in a tragic accident. Did the cops charge you with anything?”
Biting her lip, she shook her head.
Jace cupped her cheek and caressed it in a lingering stroke to wipe away her tears. “All law enforcement have homicide investigations when someone dies in a crash. They do it for a lot of reasons, but the main one is to discover what happened and who was at fault.”
“My parents told me the biker was at fault because he was speeding and ran a red light. I went on the green light, maybe too soon...”
Jace nodded. “It wasn’t your fault, babe. Believe me. You were punished enough. Stop punishing yourself for a mistake you made when you were a kid.”
As he drew his hand away, Kara wiped her eyes. “Thanks, Jace. Thank you for saying that.”
He glanced at the dashboard clock. Another time he’d ask her about the good memories because he’d learned the good memories needed to balance out the bad ones.
“You okay? Because Conner’s best friend is gonna call any minute now and you need to get yourself together. For the sake of your little brother, not just Dylan. Your brother would want you doing this.”
As if she reached down deep inside and found an inner core of strength, Kara sat straight and wiped her eyes and composed herself. She found lip gloss in her purse and used the visor mirror to apply it. Pasting on a wide smile, she nodded.
“That’s my girl.”
Her lower lip wobbled. “Thank you, Jace. Thanks for listening and doing this.”
He wanted to pull her into his arms, reassure her as he’d done in the past when they were together. For a moment, the temptation tugged at him, then the pragmatic agent nudged it aside.
A black SUV pulled into the shopping plaza lot and parked near them. Jace assessed the newcomer. Blacked-out windows, engine still running. What the hell were they doing here? Driver wasn’t getting out, either.
Not taking chances, he gestured to the vehicle. “I’m driving so you can focus on Dylan’s call. We’re out of here. I don’t like the looks of that SUV.”
They changed seats. Kara bit her lip as they drove past. The driver of the SUV made no attempt to follow.
“It’s almost five, Jace. He’s going to call.”
At precisely five, her phone rang. Kara glanced at him, and mouthed, Dylan.
Jace nodded.
She answered, the phone held away from her ear so he could listen, her gaze never leaving Jace’s. “Dylan. Thank heavens. I’ve been so worried about you. Hold on a minute, the car’s in motion and I can’t really talk.”
Not much on this lone stretch of country road, but he spotted a white steeple with a cross. He pulled into the parking lot, parked and shut off the engine. Irony struck him—sitting in a church parking lot, hoping Kara’s cousin would have a come-to-Jesus moment and turn himself in, or at least give them a hint where he was hiding.
Before the DP caught up with him and sent him firsthand to meet the good Lord in person...
“Okay, I’m back. Are you all right?” Kara asked.
“Is Jace there with you?”
Her brow wrinkled. “Why would he be?”
“He wouldn’t go anywhere without you. I know it! Don’t play games with me, Kara!”
From the sound of it, kid was falling apart. Jace gently took the phone from Kara and pressed the speaker button. “I’m here, Dylan, and you’re on speaker.”
“Good.” His voice was shaky, but strong. “Make sure you’re someplace where no one can hear you. I have something to tell you.”
“Where are you?” Kara asked.
“Someplace you can’t find me, but I’m okay. I’ll be okay.” Dylan’s voice dropped. “I’m sorry, coz. I didn’t want to help them steal from you. You’re the last person I wanted to hurt.”
“Dylan, that’s not important,” she began.
“Yes, it is! It is to me! You and your family have been so good to me. I want to make it up to you, at least a little. I hid the diamond necklace from the robbery, the one you said was almost worth two hundred grand, and I’m going to tell you where to find it.”
