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I repeat that day automatically. Like I always do. With time, it’s become almost robotic. “They took Aaron and me on the way back from school. They told my dad to come on his own and he did. They offered him protection if he dropped the case he was building against them and turned a blind eye to their business.”
I take a deep breath as I try to not let myself flashback to the worst day of my life. “He was a good guy, you know. Rebellious, but with such a kind heart.” I try to keep my voice steady, but he doesn’t miss when it falters.
“Jamie…” He holds me tight in his arms and my throat tightens. His scent reassures me, and his strong arms bring me warmth.
Then, I go into what I never told anyone. The part no one is interested to know and never ask about. The part that feels too real for me but doesn’t feed people’s need for gore.
“Sometimes I wish he had just accepted their offer. His job was everything. He wanted to protect the whole town so badly that he refused to protect himself when it came down to it and he took my brother down with him. Volkov’s guy shot my dad, then he aimed at me, but Aaron got in the way. It went right through his chest and into my shoulder. I was so sure I had watched both of them die. But Aaron’s body disappeared. It just completely vanished.”
Tears flow freely by the time I’m finished explaining.
I never admitted this to anyone, not even Emily. Sometimes, I do feel like my dad made a selfish decision that day when he refused to accept their offer. They threatened to kill Aaron and me and he chose to protect the town over his own children. In the end, he saved neither. Volkov still runs Stoneview, and I lost the two most important men in my life. My sobs are muffled by Jake’s chest as he runs his hand up and down my back. I can hear his heart beating fast, or maybe it’s mine. It seems right now, we’re in complete sync.
