Bad Blood by Cynthia Rayne

Author:Cynthia Rayne [Rayne, Cynthia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-12-17T16:00:00+00:00

***

They stayed up all night talking.

Mary didn’t want to be alone, and she got the distinct impression neither did Chase. Talking to Chase kept her from sinking into a depression or freaking out. After she grew more comfortable, she climbed off his lap and lay beside him instead. When they got hungry, he made them an omelet, which they shared.

After a while, the horror of Harry’s attempted assault receded, but Mary knew it wasn’t over. It would always be there, lurking in the back of her mind, along with the new batch of terrible revelations.

“You got awful quiet. What are you thinking about?” Chase asked.

“I’m trying to piece some stuff together.”

“Like what?” Chase lay on his side, propped on one elbow.

“I’m figuring out who my grandfather really is. Evidently, I haven’t gotten the whole story.” She mirrored his pose. “I’m not even sure I’ve met him.”

“Don’t doubt yourself, Mary.”

“Why shouldn’t I? He’s been lying to me forever.”

“You moved in with him, after your parents died, right?”

“Yes, he took me in and raised me as his own. Since my grandmother died a few years back, it’s been just the two of us.” Mary felt like her existence was defined by loss. One by one people had been stripped away from her.

“What happened to your parents?”

“It was a car accident. I don’t remember much about it because I was only a toddler at the time.” Her grandparents had kept the gritty details from her. “When I was in middle school, I wanted to know more, and I found a couple of newspaper articles about it, but they were frustratingly vague, and whenever I asked granddad about it, he changed the subject.”

“Maybe it was too painful for him to talk about. After all, he lost a son.”

“Well, given out what I know about him now, I doubt he’s capable of tender feelings.”

Chase cupped her cheek. “Don’t.”

“Don’t do what? It’s true. He’s a monster, Chase. He raped and murdered a woman and killed your sister, too.” What if he’d raped Faith too? God, I can’t even deal with the thought, let alone the reality.

Chase sighed. “Yes, he’s done terrible things, but he cares for you.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know anymore.”

“Tell me about the accident.”

Mary knew he was trying to distract her, keep her from dwelling on the awful truth, but she went along with it, for now.

“All I know is, their car swerved out of control and went off a bridge.”

“And they couldn’t get out?”

“No, they both, um, drowned.” She cleared her throat. Mary tried not to think about how horrific their deaths must’ve been. She hoped they’d been knocked unconscious by the time the water poured in. “I guess it happened in the middle of nowhere on a deserted highway. No one discovered the wreck until the next day.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Me too. It’s a terrible way to die and it hurts to think of someone you love suffering like that.” She squeezed his hand and tears burned in Chase’s eyes, before he blinked them away.

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