Page 56 of Mountain Freedom
I swallowed hard, still not fully believing the words I was about to speak. “He’s dead.”
“What?” She instantly straightened.
I gripped the counter, needing something to hold on to.
Allison grabbed my arm and led me to the couch, forcing me to sit. “You need water,” she said. She went back to the kitchen and opened the cabinet doors until she found a cup. Then she filled it with water and came back, forcing it into my hands. “Drink.”
I did as she’d said.
“What happened?” she asked, sitting beside me.
I felt sick now, knowing I had to tell her the whole story. “You know that empty lot just down from your house? The one they’re clearing to be a new subdivision?”
“Yeah,” she said, nodding. “I know what you’re talking about.”
“Last night, they got a call about an unresponsive man sitting in a truck on that lot. Went to do a welfare check and it was him. He was parked within easy walking distance from your place. And he was dead.”
“Cause of death?”
“Officially, still to be determined.”
“Unofficially?” Allison seemed to know we’d at least have an idea.
“Suspected accidental overdose. He apparently had lung cancer. I didn’t know…” I trailed off, feeling so detached from my words. How was it possible to feel so much and so little at the same time? “He was on a lot of pain meds. Some legit scripts, some not. All that on top of his normal habit. We don’t know yet if it was an overdose, the cancer, or something else that got him in the end.”
“I’m sorry, Jackson,” she said, rubbing my arm. Thinking only of me, when I was the one who should have been apologizing to her.
“There’s more.” More I hated to tell her.
“What is it?”
I blew out a breath, then told her the rest. No matter how it might change her feelings for me, she deserved to know the full truth. “He had a loaded gun in the vehicle. A photograph of me and you leaving the clinic together. And a note in the driver’s seat with your address on it.”
Her jaw dropped. “I don’t even know what to say to that.”
I clenched my jaw. “I’m sorry, Allison. I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault he wanted to hurt you.” I wanted to crawl into a hole forever, knowing that his darkness had come so close to touching her.
Fury flashed in her eyes as she stood. “Do not. Jackson, nothing that man did is your fault, do you understand?”
“But—”
“No buts. You are not him. You are not responsible for his actions. He wanted to hurt me because he was a hateful, miserable person who couldn’t stand to see you happy. But that is not your fault, and I won’t listen to you apologizing for it.”
I just stared at her. Her angry outburst was so unlike her that it brought a smile to my face, something that had felt impossible moments before. “You know who you remind me of?”
“Who?”
“My mom. My adoptive mom, that is. She has your same passion. And she’s always telling me I’m not responsible for Russell.”
A smile teased at Allison’s lips. “Smart woman,” she said. “You should listen to her.”
KnowingRussell was no longer a threat, I felt safe leaving Allison. I dropped her off at her house with a promise that I’d come back for dinner. She had insisted, and I thought I knew why—she wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to pull away now that our friendship was no longer a danger to her.
It was still a danger to me, though. To my heart, anyway.
Even so, I promised her I would come back, then headed straight to the morgue. I wasn’t needed for official identification, but I wanted to do it anyway. Needed to see it for myself.
I pulled up and saw Greg standing outside, waiting.
