Page 85 of Tell No Lies

He slid his hand into my free one and smiled. “Of course. I’m not leaving you ever again.”

I closed my eyes tight. “So, this is all real?” The fear was obvious to my own ears.

“Yeah, Bree. This is real.” He squeezed my hand tighter. “But it’s over now. He’s gone, and he’s not going to hurt you ever again.”

“Who’s next?”

“What?” It was Carter who asked that.

“Morgan is gone. Tucker is gone. Who’s next?”

“This is never going to happen again!” His voice cracked.

My heart dropped. They didn’t understand. I was never going to be safe again.

Brandon leaned forward, capturing my gaze. “I don’t know why Tucker was doing this to you, but we will find out, and we will make sure nothing like this ever happens to you again.”

Carter sighed. “I’m going to put a leash on you from now on. You’ll never leave my sight.”

I never wanted to leave him either. Ever.

But how long could we last with me never being safe again?

Twenty-Six

“Aubrey? Are you up?” I barely heard Brandon calling to me from outside the bathroom.

“Yeah, just a second.” Everything took longer with my arm in a sling, but I refused to have him help me with my makeup or hair. Covering the bruises over my body was impossible. The doctors told me they could take several weeks to fully heal, but that was nothing compared to my broken ribs.

“Do you need help?” Ah, there it was. He’d asked this question at least a hundred times a day. Most of the time, I said no, but there were certain things I accepted I couldn’t do on my own.

“Just brushing my teeth.”

I hurried to finish before he could bust down the door. With one last glance at my sad reflection, I turned and left my room.

Brandon was sitting with Liv on one end of the couch with a spot open for me next to Carter. I smiled and made my way over.

The detectives were already seated and looked like they had been waiting for me to speak.

The older one, who never accused me of making things up, gave me a quick nod before clearing his throat. “We wanted to come by and let you know the details before things got too public. The media is going to go crazy with this one, but we’re doing everything we can to keep your identity a secret. No reporters will be allowed in the trial, and if you don’t want to be present, you don’t have to be.”

Carter’s arm tightened around my shoulder. I knew all of this already, and he knew my decision to attend. I needed to see this come to an end for myself. I needed to be able to move on.

The detective studied me for a moment before continuing. “Mr. McLane is pleading guilty to stalking, harassment, breaking and entering, trespassing, and aggravated assault.”

My heartbeat was the only thing I could hear. My gaze fell to my hands, trembling in my lap. Carter pulled me in tighter to him and wrapped his other arm around me.

“Mr. McLane is obviously a very disturbed young man, but he’s not unwell. He was in control of his actions. He’s going to be put away for a very, very long time, Aubrey. Do you understand that?”

I lifted my gaze to meet his and nodded. I supposed he was trying to make me feel better, but I needed to know more. “Why?”

The detective looked confused. “Why what?”

“Why did he do this to me? What was his motive? I need to understand why.” The desperation was clear in my voice.

The younger detective sat up straighter, looking pleased I had asked. “We found that out as well.” His gaze traveled to each of us as if checking to see he had our undivided attention. “He did it for his family.”

My mind instantly went into overdrive, trying to comprehend.