close to tears. “I don’t trust your friend Chloe. And I certainly don’t trust you. I never will.”
His shoulders hunched, as if in defeat. Again she felt the warring emotions inside her. Offer comfort, hurt him more.
“ Would it make a difference if I said I was sorry?” he murmured. He gave her a guarded look that only increased her tension.
“ Not a bit. You had your chance to be a stand-up guy with me, Reilly. You blew it.”
“ I am sorry, Gracie. If I believed in God, I’d be on my knees begging for forgiveness. But God never really had a lot to do with my life. Matt’s either. I don’t think the Almighty would be any more forgiving than you are.”
“ Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?”
“ No.”
He moved closer, invading her space. Making her feel naked in the tank top and short skirt she’d felt confident in earlier.
He lowered his voice, but his anger still simmered on the surface. “I don’t want your sympathy. I don’t expect you to like me. But I am sorry. I swear to you, I am sorry for what I did.”
They stared at each other in the weighted silence. Gracie’s eyes burned, but she refused to let him see that she hurt. There were no words that could make up for what had happened that night all those years ago. She’d been raped by his brother. And afterward, when the sheriff went to arrest Matt, Reilly had lied and given him an alibi, knowing what he’d done.
A lot of time and a lot of water had passed beneath the bridge the two of them had once crossed. Her wounds had healed, but the scars would remain forever. She wasn’t a girl anymore. She was a woman. A woman who knew better than to think a man like Reilly Alexander was anything more than what was on the outside. She’d never trust him. He sounded sincere now, but he’d sounded just as sincere all those years ago when he’d lied to the sheriff too.
“ It was a long time ago, and I really don’t care if you’re sorry or not,” she said, lifting her chin and staring him in the eye. “I moved on, haven’t thought about you in years. But just don’t think you can play me, Reilly. It’s not happening. We aren’t friends. Never have been, never will be. Got it?”
“ Loud and clear.”
“ Good.”
She gave a low whistle to the dogs who dashed from the yard to her side. Juliet paused beside Reilly and gave him a questioning look. Reilly reached down to scratch her ear. She let him, but before Gracie could think her a traitor, she gave her fur a violent shake, spraying Reilly with mud and dirty rainwater from head to toe. With a cold smile, Gracie marched through the door, and nearly plowed into Bill, who hovered in the shadowy entrance nearly invisible in his black-on-black attire.
She jumped and clapped a hand over the scream that nearly burst from her lips. Bill looked like she’d scared him just as much. He seemed paler than last night, but his eyes glowed like small, round coals pitted in the translucent pallor of his face. He glanced anxiously up the stairs then back at Gracie. Had the high priestess of weird sent him to spy on her?
“ Don’t trust the boy,” he said softly.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Reilly move toward the door. She gave him her back.
“ Don’t trust the boy,” Bill whispered again, more urgently this time.
“ What are you talking about?”
“ Bill,” a familiar voice called from upstairs.
Bill straightened, like a puppet on a string. But there was nothing puppet-like about the look he gave her. It was at once demanding and beseeching. The black wells overflowed with the urgency of his thoughts, drawing Gracie deep into them. And then he seemed to fade into the background and disappear.
Chapter Eleven
DR. GRAEBEL’S house doubled as Diablo Springs’ only medical facility. It was located not far from the Diablo—nothing in the tiny town was that far. But the short drive was not pleasant in a car with three wet dogs. Gracie had
His shoulders hunched, as if in defeat. Again she felt the warring emotions inside her. Offer comfort, hurt him more.
“ Would it make a difference if I said I was sorry?” he murmured. He gave her a guarded look that only increased her tension.
“ Not a bit. You had your chance to be a stand-up guy with me, Reilly. You blew it.”
“ I am sorry, Gracie. If I believed in God, I’d be on my knees begging for forgiveness. But God never really had a lot to do with my life. Matt’s either. I don’t think the Almighty would be any more forgiving than you are.”
“ Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?”
“ No.”
He moved closer, invading her space. Making her feel naked in the tank top and short skirt she’d felt confident in earlier.
He lowered his voice, but his anger still simmered on the surface. “I don’t want your sympathy. I don’t expect you to like me. But I am sorry. I swear to you, I am sorry for what I did.”
They stared at each other in the weighted silence. Gracie’s eyes burned, but she refused to let him see that she hurt. There were no words that could make up for what had happened that night all those years ago. She’d been raped by his brother. And afterward, when the sheriff went to arrest Matt, Reilly had lied and given him an alibi, knowing what he’d done.
A lot of time and a lot of water had passed beneath the bridge the two of them had once crossed. Her wounds had healed, but the scars would remain forever. She wasn’t a girl anymore. She was a woman. A woman who knew better than to think a man like Reilly Alexander was anything more than what was on the outside. She’d never trust him. He sounded sincere now, but he’d sounded just as sincere all those years ago when he’d lied to the sheriff too.
“ It was a long time ago, and I really don’t care if you’re sorry or not,” she said, lifting her chin and staring him in the eye. “I moved on, haven’t thought about you in years. But just don’t think you can play me, Reilly. It’s not happening. We aren’t friends. Never have been, never will be. Got it?”
“ Loud and clear.”
“ Good.”
She gave a low whistle to the dogs who dashed from the yard to her side. Juliet paused beside Reilly and gave him a questioning look. Reilly reached down to scratch her ear. She let him, but before Gracie could think her a traitor, she gave her fur a violent shake, spraying Reilly with mud and dirty rainwater from head to toe. With a cold smile, Gracie marched through the door, and nearly plowed into Bill, who hovered in the shadowy entrance nearly invisible in his black-on-black attire.
She jumped and clapped a hand over the scream that nearly burst from her lips. Bill looked like she’d scared him just as much. He seemed paler than last night, but his eyes glowed like small, round coals pitted in the translucent pallor of his face. He glanced anxiously up the stairs then back at Gracie. Had the high priestess of weird sent him to spy on her?
“ Don’t trust the boy,” he said softly.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Reilly move toward the door. She gave him her back.
“ Don’t trust the boy,” Bill whispered again, more urgently this time.
“ What are you talking about?”
“ Bill,” a familiar voice called from upstairs.
Bill straightened, like a puppet on a string. But there was nothing puppet-like about the look he gave her. It was at once demanding and beseeching. The black wells overflowed with the urgency of his thoughts, drawing Gracie deep into them. And then he seemed to fade into the background and disappear.
Chapter Eleven
DR. GRAEBEL’S house doubled as Diablo Springs’ only medical facility. It was located not far from the Diablo—nothing in the tiny town was that far. But the short drive was not pleasant in a car with three wet dogs. Gracie had
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