Page 45 of Don't Regret Me
For the first time since seeing her, Liz’s lips curved up. “You’d be surprised. What happened next? Did you convince him he needed to drive home? Put him behind the wheel yourself? No, you probably had your lover do it for you. The car was registered to a fake name he used, after all.”
This surprised her. Was it that Liz knew this bit of information or that she’d cared to even look for it? Sherrie wasn’t finished. “He almost died. He almost killed someone, a good man.”
Her lips drew tight, but there was a shine of something in her eyes. Guilt, maybe? Regret?
“You have nothing,” she growled.
“Oh, but I will.” She didn’t say anything else as she headed for the exit. Talking to Nick could wait. This was for him. She knew what happened now, had seen the truth written all over Sherrie’s face.
She just had to prove it.
* * *
Jasmine couldn’t containher excitement, but also her horror. “We’re so close.”
She continued making notes on her phone. They sat on the floor in front of the couch at her brother’s house. His wife and kids were asleep at the late hour, and he worked on paperwork at the kitchen table.
Jasmine kept saying she was going to find a place of her own, but Liz knew she secretly loved staying with her family.
“Okay.” She looked up from her phone. “We just need some evidence, right?”
Liz grimaced. “You make that sound so simple.”
“Now that we know who to look at, it might be. Franklin had no motive. He was probably involved, but it makes more sense now.” She scrubbed a hand over her face. “I can’t believe his own wife did this to him. I mean, the entire world thinks he nearly killed a man because he willingly drove under the influence.”
Gulf City without Bentley wouldn’t be the same. His children had already lost their mother and were nearly orphaned, but it was more than that. From the chapel to the youth center, he made this a better place to live for so many people. It was a miracle he’d survived, and yet, he was the first person to forgive Nick, to think he deserved a second chance.
“We need to see the security footage from the venue.” Jasmine made another note. “Preferably of the parking lot.”
“Do they keep it for this long?”
“There’s only one way to find out.” She lifted her voice. “If only I had a brother with resources to help me.”
A sigh came from the dining room. “I heard that.”
“You were meant to.” Jasmine flashed Liz a grin and pushed to her feet, approaching the connected room. She wrapped one tiny braid around her finger. “Pretty please?”
“You’re going to be the end of my career,” he grumbled before adding, “fine.”
Jasmine lifted her hands in victory as Liz got to her feet. “Can you let me know when he has it? I should get home.”
They said their goodbyes, and Liz drove the short distance to her house. There were no lights on inside, but the porch light drew her gaze. It reacted to motion, and she tensed. Someone was there.
Putting the car in park, she searched for anything she could use to protect herself, finding nothing but the tiny bottle of pepper spray on her key ring.
A shadow appeared as she neared the house. She stretched out her arm, her finger grazing the trigger. She’d never pepper sprayed anyone before, but she had it for a reason.
When the shadow moved into the light, she nearly jumped out of her skin.
“It’s just me.” Nick held his only free hand up. The other held an unmistakable form.
Her breath caught in her throat. “Did I almost just pepper spray a baby?”
21
NICK
Panic. Pure and utter panic. It was evident in her eyes as her mind worked through the problem of Nick appearing on her doorstep after how they left things. And not alone.
