Page 33 of Rangers Last Promise

Mara goes completely still.

So do I.

She’s close enough that I can see tiny amber flecks in her brown eyes. A faint scar curves beneath her chin, nearly hidden in the shadow.

I remember Grant telling us about the time his little sister tried jumping her bicycle over a drainage ditch and needed seven stitches.

I never imagined I would stand this close to the woman she became.

“Are you finished?” she asks.

Her voice is quieter now.

“No.”

I inspect the cut near her hairline.

A sliver of glass remains caught in the skin.

“This will sting.”

“I’m not afraid of pain.”

“I didn’t think you were.”

I remove the glass with tweezers and clean the cut. Mara doesn’t flinch, but her fingers curl against the edge of the table.

I feel Wolf and Trigger watching us.

I ignore them.

“Why did my mother find you after Grant’s funeral?” she asks.

My hand stops.

“She wanted answers.”

“What did you tell her?”

“Not enough.”

“Did you tell her about the betrayal?”

“I told her Grant believed our route had been changed.”

“And she still hid the journal.”

“She believed keeping it hidden would protect you.”

“Did you?”

“No.”

Her eyes search mine.

“Then why didn’t you come back for it?”

“Because I didn’t know he had one.”