Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 38829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
“It hasn’t been this bad in a while,” she whispers, and I know she’s zoned out to the point she doesn’t remember Blade is standing just a couple of feet away. Although, to his credit, he’s backed further away from us. Maybe he’s not a complete asshole. As a therapist, I try not to judge him, since what he and Olivia have both been through is scarring, to say the least. In Olivia’s case, the scars are inside and out.
“Cool show you just put on,” Blade butts in, just as I was starting to give him credit.
I feel Olivia tense as she squeezes my fingers to the point of pain. I just keep eye contact, mentally imploring her to stand strong. It has taken a year of therapy to get where we are now. She’s still fragile, and that’s the one reason I was hoping she would think about moving to Black Stone Ranch. I know Carson would keep her safe from her brother. He’s also very adept at dealing with PTSD and POWs in general. Olivia may not have been in the military, but what she survived was brutal and soul-destroying just the same. I’m still hopeful I can talk her into it, but I can only do so much.
“Why are you here?” Olivia asks, keeping hold of my hands, but looking up at him like the warrior she is—even if she doesn’t feel like it.
“I came to pay my respects.”
Olivia gives a hollow laugh. “Somehow, I doubt that.”
“Well, I didn’t think I’d see you again,” the woman beside Blade tells Olivia.
“I figured we would,” Olivia responds calmly. “I seem to be having a horrific spell of bad luck lately.”
“You bitch. You’re just mad that Blade finally realized what a real woman was and refuses to have anything to do with you,” the she-bitch-from-hell screeches.
“Is there a problem here?” Detective Sutton asks, moving in behind me and Olivia.
“I don’t know, is there?” I ask Blade.
“Detective Sutton, it’s funny that you always seem to show up when it involves the woman who helped kill my brother.”
“I would never hurt Bear,” Olivia growls, her body vibrating with anger.
“I think you should leave, Mr. Aetos. Olivia needs to bury her father.”
“At least she has a body to bury. Because of her, I’ll never have a grave for Bear.”
“I did everything I could—gave all I had to keep Bear alive,” Olivia cries. “I gave everything …”
She begins mumbling to herself, and I know this is going to go sideways really fast. I need to get her out of here. “Detective Sutton, can you help me get Olivia to my car, please?”
“I can—”
I turn around to look Blade dead in the eye. “It has taken me a year to get her to be functional. Three minutes in your presence and she’s going backward. I think you’ve done enough, Mr. Aetos. I might not know your true intentions when it comes to Olivia, but I can guess, and let me set one thing clear—”
“You can’t say that. You don’t know shit about me,” Blade growls.
“Maybe not, but I can assure you that whatever you think Douglas Davis took from you, he took much more from Olivia, so just back the fuck off.”
“Lady, you have no fucking idea.”
“Actually, I do. Because unlike you, I know the whole story.”
“I tried,” Olivia whispers. “I tried.”
I squat down in front of her and hold her cheeks again, forcing her to look at me. “I know you did, Livy. I know. Let’s go home, okay. We’ll work our puzzle, and we’ll come visit your dad tomorrow. Okay?”
She stares at me with eyes filled with tears. Her hands are gripping her dress, and I worry that she’s going to rip the fabric because her hold is so tight. “I want to be alone with my dad. I need to talk to him.”
Her words are little more than a whisper, but I’m encouraged because I can see the strength rising once more in her eyes. In many ways, Olivia was so broken that she reverts into being a child at times when dealing with things of the past. Still, more and more, I can see the resolve in her. She wants to get better—that’s not the problem. The problem is that she’s been strong for so long that now she just needs a break. I really need to get her to talk to Carson. I look up at Detective Sutton. He gives me a slight nod, knowing what I’m asking—even if it is without words. He motions for the man from the funeral home. “Ed, we need you to end everything now. Clear this area. Miss Davis wants to have a private goodbye with her father. I have two deputies parked on the service road. I’ll call them over to help if you need it,” he adds with a pointed look at Blade. Blade isn’t looking at him, though. He’s staring at Olivia’s clenched hands. It’s then I notice she wore the silver signet ring Bear gave her. It’s way too big on her, but she wraps yarn around it so that it doesn’t slide off her finger. I can tell by the way Blade is staring at it that he recognizes it.