Page 48 of Secrets Among Us

Zack

“So, you told her about our parents?” Ian’s gaze locked on mine.

“Vaguely,” I responded, feeling the tautness of my spine. The moment I told her, every muscle in my body had contracted, and I felt sick.

I didn’t need to be reprimanded by my brother now, too.

“Why would you do that?”

My eyes snapped to his. “Because I love her, Ian. I lost her because I wasn’t honest with her, because I didn’t change any part of my life to be with her. It’s too late to win her back, but the least I can do is let her know she’s not alone in this world. That maybe, just maybe, there are other ways to deal with evil things in this world.” I shook my head and took a seat. “Does that make any sense to you?”

“Yeah, more than you know.”

“Then there you go.”

My brother walked over and shut the door to my office before sitting across from me.

He stared vacantly at the floor. “I don’t think Sadie’s telling you everything.”

I straightened in the chair, folding my hands behind my head as I kicked my legs out in front of me, watching my brother.

“What are you talking about?”

“I don’t believe this is the first time she’s heard from her ex.”

“Okay…”

Ian brought his gaze to meet mine. “I guess what I’m saying is that I’d be careful what all you tell her about our parents.”

Anger rose through me. I knew and trusted Sadie more than anyone. I also knew she was in pain, and that agony was pushing her to make decisions she might later regret.

But not to trust her?

“For what reason?”

“Like I said, I don’t think she’s being truthful about Tim.” Ian’s face crumpled. “And I don’t know that we need her to know everything about our past.”

“Ian, before all this went down, you knew I was going to ask her to marry me. To join us in our business. And now you’re telling me you suddenly don’t trust her?”

Ian’s expression softened as he stood, pacing. “I don’t mean for it to sound like that. It’s just things aren’t adding up. Like, why would someone put those things in her apartment?”

“What? You think she did it herself?” I was stunned my brother would even think it. We’d spent our lives helping victims, and now he was turning on one?

“I was talking to Melanie, and she’d mentioned that Sadie hadn’t been acting herself lately.”

I scrunched my face in disbelief. “Of course, she hasn’t been feeling herself lately. Someone’s been watching her.”

“Allegedly.”

I stood, raking my fingers through my hair in frustration. “Wow. I can’t believe you’re saying this stuff, Ian.”

“I’m the one who can look at things objectively.”

“Since when have you started chatting with Melanie?” I asked, standing in front of my brother.

Ian flinched as if I’d slapped him, and maybe I should have. Why would he ever accuse Sadie of something like this? He was with me when we rescued her. He knows firsthand what she’d been put through.

Tension tore through the room as I stared down my brother. “What are you really trying to say?”

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