Page 20 (1/2)

"You stopped writing"

"I did," he admitted "I used to sit on a dune and watch the sun set, thinking about you…writing half of what I wanted That wasti to do"

"I only sent a few of the ti the s the luize after what I had done to him, but the words fel out of o war after irls that didn’t love the I was one of the lucky ones, even though your s time"

"Is that supposed tomy nose

"No," he said,half-way across the world, I stil o away But soed, Nina"

"Oh?"

Ryan ss conflicted A smal part of otten over uess?"

"No, that’s wrong I stil love you I wil always love you as rin streaked acrossDo I know her?"

"Actual y…I think you do And I need your help"

"Anything I sort of owe you, don’t I?"

Ryan sighed, nodding "That’s where I was going with this" He paused for ayou’re never alone? I mean, even when you are"

His words spoke to every nored ht Jared caether?"

My heart began to pound I didn’t knohat direction the conversation had taken, but I felt instantly uncomfortable "What about it?"

"I rehts: Jared’s sister, how strong she was, and those crazy blue eyes Everyone else says I’m crazy, Nina…but you…you I knoil understand"

"Don’t be so sure," I said, feigning bewilderht in your father’s office You said I couldn’t tel anyone about our plan because Jared would find out I thought he was in the FBI or soer than that, isn’t it?"

I touched his arht? About what happened to you over there?" The words had to be said to protect those I loved, but the guilt was overwhel Ryan didn’t deserve that from me--he had come to me for a reason: because he trusted me to believe him If the consequences were different, I would have been the friend he’d always been to er made the skin around his eye twitch "Whathappened to me over there?"

"I uh…," I sed "I real y should be going," I said, reaching for the door handle

Ryan grabbed my arm "I saw her eyes The day she saved my life, I saw her No one has eyes like her, and no woman that size could have carried me out of there Tel me where Claire is, Nina"

My door flew open, and Jared pul ed me to my feet Ryan scrambled out of his cruiser, desperate "I just want to talk to her," he yel ed over the rain "I don’t need to kno she did it I just…need to see her again"

Jared glanced atus with soain, Ryan"

"I’m not crazy!" Ryan said, desperate The rain was more of a downpour, but he was unfazed

My steps were s to keep up with Jared as he led me by the ar the seat with both hands as I watched the stand off between the two men I loved in such opposite ways Ryan, in his puffy, standard-issue policelower at him It was a new side of hie of words

Jared slaear The speedo before ere out of Ryan’s radar range, as if Jared dared hiain

"Okay Jared? Jared!" I said, fu with my seat belt

"He knows"

"It certainly seeh the traffic "Claire wil lay low for a while like you said to It wil be fine"

"You heard hioing to let it go"

"Okay…so we figure it out It’s not the worst thing that could happen right now You told me, and the world didn’t come to an end"

"Yours did"

I winced Jared feeling that way had never occurred toht was make-believe This is what’s real"

Jared pul ed into the drive of e door to open "You don’t work for the police department, Nina

The sao"

"He just wants to knohy he saw her in the desert, Jared It has nothing to do with Graham"

Jared closed his eyes, exasperated "Maybe not to Ryan, but for someone that can’t pass his psych eval and is stil in physical therapy, he was accepted into the the Providence PD without a hitch It wouldn’t be hard for someone to connect Ryan to you, and anyone who could pose a problem knows you are a direct connection to me, and Claire…and Graham This is not an innocent oops, Nina This is a potential threat"

"Everything is a potential threat to you people," I grumbled

"You people? Since when are we not on the same side?" Jared said, taken aback He shook his head, and then headed to the house without waiting

I fol owed in silence, cursingNoas getting the cold shoulder

Bex sat the top of the stairs, cleaning his fingernails with a large knife, nodding to us as we passed He was less of the boy I knew, and oodness couldn’t prevent Bex fro his innocence

Jared rubbed the back of his neck "I’ll er…I’ll see you in the oing to find Claire?"

"We need to talk"

"Okay," I nodded, wrapping my arms around him He shifted, uncomfortable in my arms "I didn’t mean it I suppose I’m just surprised at your reaction He’s not in love with ripped his t-shirt infor hiClaire’s Talehelse, and we don’t knohat that is"

I sighed, irritated at his negativity "Maybe it just ether Like us"

Several e on a htened his arms around my back "You think so?"

"What other explanation is there?"

A wide grin spread across Jared’s face "It doesn’t matter I like that one"

Chapter Twelve

The One

"No way"

"Way"

"A cop?" Beth said, her voice raised an octave

"One of Providence’s finest," I replied

She took a sip of coffee, and then shook her head "I don’t believe it Chad hasn’t said a word"

"Ryan hasn’t told anyone"