Page 4 of Vision of Truth

If Isaac could suggest such a thing, he didn’t believe in the depth of her feelings for him. Maybe it was easier for him to believe she still had some teen crush, and maybe she had. But she was no longer a little girl, and she’d put her entire life on hold waiting for Isaac to grow a set and admit he loved her right back. His words hurt more than any bullet.

“I’m glad we cleared that up.” She withdrew from his embrace.

Isaac propped himself up on his elbow, and his lips settled into a thin line. “What are you talking about?” She ignored the longing to reach up and run her fingers through his beard. The top of his hair was still mussed from when she’d raked her hands through it. He was so beautiful. Her breath caught as her throat narrowed to the point of pain. She deserved more than this one-sided love. It was time to let him go.

“The reason you’re in my bed. Kissing me without holding back. Not because you love me the way I love you. Because you’re jealous of Sabrina’s father. I have never lied to you. Every letter I’ve sent you, I’ve laid myself bare. No games. Just honesty. And what? You think the depth of those feelings just disappeared? That I decided to have someone else on the side? I’m not some wishy-washy woman who can’t decide what or who she wants. Another man has never touched me, because I’ve always known it’s you.”

“Jules, I—” His face was stricken, but she continued on.

“Another thing I’m not is a doormat. The ball’s been in your court a long damn time. If you’re still embarrassed that you love me like a woman and not your foster sister, that’s on you. I’ve fought for us, without ever knowing if you’ll man up and take what’s yours. Most battles you can see what you’re fighting for. I’ve been doing it blindly. Alone. There’s being in love and then there’s being stupid. I am not the latter. Get out of my bed, Isaac. Close the door on your way out.”

He stared at her for one breath, then another. The chasm of silence between them widening with each passing second. Inside she was screaming at him.Fight. For me. For us.Then he lowered his gaze and eased out of her bed, just like she knew he would. She’d given him an out, and he was taking it. The pain of it was like a physical blow. A direct hit to the left side of her chest. The bed creaked and dipped. She turned to her side, listening to his footsteps pad across the floor. The door opened and then softly clicked shut. The amount of tears she’d shed for Isaac could fill an ocean. And she was done. Every fairytale she’d ever read was a lie. Sometimes there was only one happy ending—realizing you were worth more than an endless wait.

An hour later, there was a quiet knock at her door. It opened a crack, and Kinley and Sasha came in holding a pizza box and paper plates.

“How are you feeling?” Kinley’s blonde hair fell forward as she knelt down with the pizza box. She opened the top, and the smell of melted cheese and garlic coated the air.

Like I have a broken heart.

“Fine. Ready to get out of bed and see Sabrina.”

Sasha leaned over and kissed her temple, one of her crimson curls brushing along her cheek. Her familiar lemony scent was comforting. She’d became close friends with both of her brothers’ women and loved them like sisters. Even if she didn’t have Isaac in her life the way she wanted him, she was blessed. She loved her job. Loved her family. She was lucky, and she’d never take for granted how hard her biological brother Gus had worked to ensure she received a good education and wanted for nothing.

“Sabrina’s in good hands. She’s downstairs sitting on Isaac’s lap watchingEncanto, nibbling the same piece of pizza crust she has been for the last hour.” Kinley folded a slice of pizza and crammed half of it in her mouth.

“Is there something else she’d rather have to eat?” Sasha asked, sitting on the floor in one fluid movement.

“Food presents a lot of sensory issues for her, but give her time and she’ll work her way through a slice of pizza. She’ll eat crackers, chicken nuggets, and the occasional strawberry. Her protein shakes are in the refrigerator. That’s where most of her nutrients come from.” She gathered her hair up and twisted it into a messy bun, fastening it with the scrunchie on her wrist. She was still contemplating how she felt about Sabrina bonding with Isaac. He’d always be part of Julie’s family, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t hurting. Didn’t mean another slice to an already serrated web of wounds.

“Don’t worry,” Kinley said. “We’ll take care of her. Once it’s bedtime we’ll bring her up here. Eat. Food makes everything better.” Steam rose from two slices Kinley offered her. Julie scooted up on the bed, placed a pillow on her lap, and took the outstretched plate.

“Who said anything was wrong?” Okay. Maybe that was a little bit defensive.

Sasha and Kinley both exchanged a look. “Well, let’s see.” Sasha lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers. “You’ve witnessed a potential homicide.” She lowered one finger, counting off her reasons. “Escaped the mafia. Become the guardian to a child. Nothing wrong at all. No reason to be stressed out. Forget Kins mentioned it.”

She hadn’t fully had time to process that Sabrina was now officially in her care. Once the shock wore off, she was sure she’d feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility, given how much she loved the little girl. Then she’d be terrified, because she’d never been tasked with a job more important than caring for something so precious. She and Gus hadn’t had the best examples of parents growing up, but she knew herself well enough to understand she was nothing like them. She remembered the early years of her childhood being happy, but maybe that was just the magic of being young and seeing so much wonder in the world.

As they got older, the fights between their parents got more intense. Affairs on both sides. Bickering turned to screaming and then physical fights, shattered glass, and tears. Her father started drinking after the divorce, taking his anger out on her and Gus, who protected her with everything he had. He’d taken a lot more hits because of it. Then, one day they came home from school to find their father standing over their mother with a knife. Gus had saved her life that day. That was the ferocity she would protect Sabrina with. Kinley cleared her throat, breaking her out of her thoughts of the past.

“Added to that, Jules, Isaac came downstairs looking like he was going to put his fist through a wall.” Kinley rolled her shoulders. “He wouldn’t talk to any of us. Just went outside to brood. It wasn’t until Sabrina dragged him inside to watch television that he stopped radiating anger. Know anything about that?”

“Before you answer that, sweetie, we see the way you look at him. The way he looks at you. How long are you two going to torture yourselves?” Sasha tucked her legs beneath her and looked at Julie with a sad expression.

A long, pained breath escaped her lungs. “I’ve been saying that to him for years.” Tears burned behind her lids, and her chin began to wobble. “He thinks he’s protecting me. Thinks there’s something morally wrong with us being together. As much as it kills me, I’m done.” Every hope she had for the future was wrapped up in Isaac. She wanted it all. To be his wife. To carry his babies. To be a team.

“Jules,” Sasha was standing and climbing into bed beside her. Kinley perched on the edge and grabbed her hand. “All of our men are protectors by nature. They’re stubborn to a fault and, God forbid, you try to talk them out of something once they deem it honorable or just. Whatever you said to Isaac a few minutes ago got his wheels turning. Right now he’s faced with the finality of losing you for good. You’ve backed him into a corner, and now he has to make a choice.”

“No, he doesn’t.” She didn’t recognize the flat, dull tone coming from her lips. “Because I chose. Nothing I say or do will change his mind. I can’t force him to love me, but I can choose to let him go.”

Chapter Four

A knock sounded on the door and Isaac stiffened. He’d fallen asleep with Sabrina in his lap. She was cuddled up in the crook of his arm, a fuzzy blanket that looked brand new snuggled up against her cheek. There was a pang in his heart. The kid was too damn cute. He’d been fascinated watching how she used the tablet to communicate. Over and over pressing the button for “watch television” until he finally conceded. Gus’s footsteps pounded across the hall toward the front entrance.

“We expecting company?” he asked Kinley when she rounded the corner into the living room.

“Yes. A task force has been formed to look into Vesey’s disappearance.” She paused in front of him. “Let me take Sabrina upstairs.” Kinley put her arms under the girl and lifted her up as though she weighed nothing at all.

Hushed voices and the sound of a deadbolt engaging echoed down the hall. Gus walked into the room followed by three people. He recognized two of them—the young man and woman. They were friends and co-workers of his brother Easton and had helped locate Kinley when she was abducted by the same man who’d taken her as a child—a notorious serial killer. It wasn’t lost on him the amount of trouble his loved ones had been in recently. The blonde woman with pale blue eyes was Agent Lena Nilsson and the man was Agent Tyler Dawson. The third man was older, mid-fifties, with tired eyes and a soft middle beneath his black suit. Tyler leaned in and gave him a firm handshake and an affable smile. One that hid the myriad of deadly skills the man possessed. Nilsson simply nodded, quiet and reserved.

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