AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“If anything could push someone to that kind of violence, it would be justice for his mother,” she said.
He had to agree with that, but still... It was hard to believe the man who’d been kind enough to take him in so he wouldn’t have to pay for a hotel, which he couldn’t really afford, and had tried so hard to look out for Ismay could be guilty of shooting anyone, regardless of the situation. Bo had lied about his identity and his background, so whether or not he was guilty of more, Jack could understand why Ismay would be distraught. He’d watched the attraction grow between them, knew they’d been getting closer and that Bo was largely the reason she was suddenly so decisive about being done with Remy.
She showed him Bo’s unanswered messages on her phone. “Do I tell him I know? What do I say?”
“I wouldn’t say anything until you’re ready. Take some time. Then ask him whatever you honestly need to know.”
“Why bother?” she said, her voice sounding nasally from all the tears. “We don’t have a future together, anyway.”
Jack hated to hear her say that. He was as shocked by what he’d learned as she was, but there was something about Bo that made it difficult to just...cast him aside. No matter what he’d done, Jack felt he’d earned more of their trust, respect, and loyalty than that. “Issues like this can be complicated,” he said.
“What does that mean?”
“It means we don’t know what was going through his mind at the time. Or for that matter, what really happened. Are you even sure he did it?”
“He was convicted. He served twelve years.”
“That’s not always the same thing,” Jack said. “What’d he plead?”
“Not guilty.”
“Maybe he isn’t. A lot of innocent men go to prison.”
“Who else would’ve done it?”
“I don’t know,” Jack said, “but he deserves the chance to explain. Don’t you think?”
“I guess, but what if hediddo it? I mean...we’d all like to mete out justice when we feel someone has wronged us. But we can’t...”
“I’m not making any excuses for him, Is. I’m just saying the man we’ve come to know is a good man. I firmly believe that. Don’t you?”
She grabbed another tissue to blow her nose. “I do,” she admitted. “But is that because it’s what I want to believe? Am I being stupid? Naive? Foolhardy?”
Jack shook his head. “I don’t have those answers. But I will say he’s done all he can to look out for you—and he’s put himself on the line to do it.”
Her gaze fell to the carpet.
“What’s happened since you got here is probably the reason he’s been found out,” Jack continued. “I know that wasn’t intentional on your part, but I’m sure Remy’s parents have fired him. Or they will. That means he has no place to live. Starting over with a record isn’t easy, which is probably why he lied about his identity in the first place.”
She wiped her nose as another tear fell. “I can’t stand the thought of him being without the things he needs. Or feeling rejected. Or unloved.”
“Then that should tell you something right there.”
She massaged her temples. “I have a terrible headache.”
“Then go back to sleep while I finish the fence. We can talk about this later.”
She caught his arm. “You’re not going to finish the fence knowing Bo probably won’t even get paid for it!”
“He might get paid for it. I hope he does. Either way, I said I’d finish it, so I want to follow through. You get some rest, and we’ll talk later.”
“Jack, I’m just...trying not to ruin my life by falling in love with the wrong man.”
He gave her a gentle smile. “I know. But given all these tears, I think it might be too late for that.”
Remy was coming to the island. He was forgetting about his big exam, said he’d have to take it later, during his residency. Bastian knew he couldn’t be happy that Ismay was making it necessary for him to drop everything and come to Mariners. But Remy could never take no for an answer.
Bastian sat in the Jeep and surfed the internet on his phone while waiting for his brother’s plane to arrive. At last, Remy came walking from the terminal and climbed into the passenger side of the Jeep. “Finally!” he said as he slammed the door.
