going after these guys to kill them, Lea, not rumble in an alley. If we call the cops, he’ll go to jail and these guys walk away once again.”
“Better jail than a funeral home,” she spits.
“This is what he’s been waiting for since the day Olivia died. You think it’s better for him to go to jail?”
Her eyes dart sideways, shooting me a look. “Yes.”
“You don’t get it.”
She rolls her eyes. “You have no idea how much I get it. But Link can’t go up against two of these guys alone. They’ll kill him.”
I look away, focusing on the cars outside the window. “That’s what he has me for,” I murmur. “I won’t let them hurt him.”
Maybe I’m not thinking clearly. Maybe I’m too confident in myself. Maybe I’m just naïve. But I can’t help believing that Link and I together are a force to be reckoned with.
And honestly, I have nothing left to lose.
“You’re insane,” Lea says. “Both of you.”
“Don’t knock insanity. It might be our one saving grace.”
Three
Link
I haven’t seen or spoken to Olivia’s parents since they came to visit me while I was in the hospital after the attack. I don’t have a defense for this other than I couldn’t bear to look them in the eyes. Hell, I couldn’t bear to look at them—period.
I couldn’t stomach seeing Olivia’s bright blue eyes on her mother’s face.
I couldn’t summon the strength to watch her father’s chin—so much like hers—quiver with pain.
And I couldn’t deal with the fact that it was my fault. My fault Livie was gone. My fault I would never look into her eyes or hold her in my arms again. My fault her parents didn’t get to say goodbye.
The agony I felt—that I continue to feel daily—can be nothing in comparison to what her parents are forced to live with. I can’t imagine how her father’s lips miss kissing his only daughter’s forehead. Or how her mother’s hands suffer, no longer able to caress her cheek.
A parent isn’t supposed to outlive their child.
And that’s my fault.
Because I wasn’t strong enough. Smart enough. Shrewd enough. I should have protected her. It was my job. I should have saved her. I should have…
It should have been me that night.
I should have been the one to die.
I don’t know why I was left behind. Maybe God didn’t want me. Maybe I wasn’t good enough. Maybe he only wanted another angel.
Whatever the reason—whatever the purpose—I won’t allow it to happen again. I won’t let another woman leave this planet too soon. Taken from her parents. Taken from me. If I have to, I’ll die to protect Rocky.
No matter how much she reminds me of Liv or how similar their pasts are—that’s as far as I’ll allow their courses to parallel.
I don’t recall a single second of the drive over to Anthony’s insurance agency. All I know is I’m here, throwing my car into park and stalking toward the door with purpose.
The receptionist is seated at the front desk, just like the last time I was here setting up an appointment with her boss I had no intention of keeping. Recognition flickers over her features—probably remembering how I gave her a fake name and number. I walk past her without hesitation.
“Sir,” she calls after me. “You can’t go back there without an appointment.”
I ignore her, searching the doors until I read Anthony’s name on a nameplate. Everything else fades. My vision tunnels, zeroing in on the letters—so simple and innocent—and I lose it.
I lose myself.
The door bursts inward, crashing into the wall with an earsplitting crack. I step inside, peering around the empty room.
“I’m calling the police,” the receptionist says. Her words tremble through her lips, having little effect on me.
I turn my head slowly, glaring at her over my shoulder. My fingers ache from fisting them so tightly. The newspaper crinkles audibly. I try to inhale a calming breath, but my chest feels to tight—my lungs constricted with
“Better jail than a funeral home,” she spits.
“This is what he’s been waiting for since the day Olivia died. You think it’s better for him to go to jail?”
Her eyes dart sideways, shooting me a look. “Yes.”
“You don’t get it.”
She rolls her eyes. “You have no idea how much I get it. But Link can’t go up against two of these guys alone. They’ll kill him.”
I look away, focusing on the cars outside the window. “That’s what he has me for,” I murmur. “I won’t let them hurt him.”
Maybe I’m not thinking clearly. Maybe I’m too confident in myself. Maybe I’m just naïve. But I can’t help believing that Link and I together are a force to be reckoned with.
And honestly, I have nothing left to lose.
“You’re insane,” Lea says. “Both of you.”
“Don’t knock insanity. It might be our one saving grace.”
Three
Link
I haven’t seen or spoken to Olivia’s parents since they came to visit me while I was in the hospital after the attack. I don’t have a defense for this other than I couldn’t bear to look them in the eyes. Hell, I couldn’t bear to look at them—period.
I couldn’t stomach seeing Olivia’s bright blue eyes on her mother’s face.
I couldn’t summon the strength to watch her father’s chin—so much like hers—quiver with pain.
And I couldn’t deal with the fact that it was my fault. My fault Livie was gone. My fault I would never look into her eyes or hold her in my arms again. My fault her parents didn’t get to say goodbye.
The agony I felt—that I continue to feel daily—can be nothing in comparison to what her parents are forced to live with. I can’t imagine how her father’s lips miss kissing his only daughter’s forehead. Or how her mother’s hands suffer, no longer able to caress her cheek.
A parent isn’t supposed to outlive their child.
And that’s my fault.
Because I wasn’t strong enough. Smart enough. Shrewd enough. I should have protected her. It was my job. I should have saved her. I should have…
It should have been me that night.
I should have been the one to die.
I don’t know why I was left behind. Maybe God didn’t want me. Maybe I wasn’t good enough. Maybe he only wanted another angel.
Whatever the reason—whatever the purpose—I won’t allow it to happen again. I won’t let another woman leave this planet too soon. Taken from her parents. Taken from me. If I have to, I’ll die to protect Rocky.
No matter how much she reminds me of Liv or how similar their pasts are—that’s as far as I’ll allow their courses to parallel.
I don’t recall a single second of the drive over to Anthony’s insurance agency. All I know is I’m here, throwing my car into park and stalking toward the door with purpose.
The receptionist is seated at the front desk, just like the last time I was here setting up an appointment with her boss I had no intention of keeping. Recognition flickers over her features—probably remembering how I gave her a fake name and number. I walk past her without hesitation.
“Sir,” she calls after me. “You can’t go back there without an appointment.”
I ignore her, searching the doors until I read Anthony’s name on a nameplate. Everything else fades. My vision tunnels, zeroing in on the letters—so simple and innocent—and I lose it.
I lose myself.
The door bursts inward, crashing into the wall with an earsplitting crack. I step inside, peering around the empty room.
“I’m calling the police,” the receptionist says. Her words tremble through her lips, having little effect on me.
I turn my head slowly, glaring at her over my shoulder. My fingers ache from fisting them so tightly. The newspaper crinkles audibly. I try to inhale a calming breath, but my chest feels to tight—my lungs constricted with
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