Mind Games by Bernice Layton

Author:Bernice Layton
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-58571-638-8
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2012-04-03T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Amid sighs of relief and prayers of thanks, Neal found a small, secluded room for the family to have a private conversation. Neal broke the silence, seeing that Jordan seemed to be in shock. “Listen, folks, something has been happening recently that might suggest another reason for the accident.” He looked meaningfully at Jordan, waiting for him to speak up and explain. He didn’t.

Olivia watched Jordan. He had never lied to her, and she was sure he wouldn’t now. Whatever was going on was hurting him deeply. “We love you, Jordan, no matter what it is, we love you, and your dad and me,” she stopped to look at Grayson briefly, “and your entire family, for that matter, will support you,” Olivia said. “Now something bad has happened to you and I suspect to Layla as well, but whatever it is has put her sister and your sister’s lives in danger, so you no longer have the luxury of privacy in this matter. So tell us what’s going on, we deserve to know.”

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Jordan told them everything about the blackmail. When he faltered, Neal filled in the blanks.

Layla had slipped out quietly before Jordan mentioned the intimate nature of the pictures.

She sat beside Kacy’s bed, holding the hand that didn’t have an IV. Her heart ached seeing her vibrant and vivacious sister lying so quiet and still. She had left a message for Jason and thought about calling her mother, but immediately rejected that idea until she’d gotten another update from the doctor. Layla knew she was hanging on by a thread, and sheer willpower was keeping her from falling apart. Rushing out of the house so suddenly, she’d left her purse and her pills, and with the adrenaline wearing off, she could feel her self-control seeping away.

She was so deep in thought she didn’t hear Jordan slip into the room until he put a hand on her shoulder, making her jump.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said. “I just came up to see how Kacy was doing and also to thank you, Layla. You saved their lives, and I know my family is as grateful as I am.”

“No change. The nurse just brought me Kacy’s personal belongings that had been pulled out of the car,” she said, indicating the plastic bag at her feet. “This was in there, too.” Layla pulled out the silk scarf, now stiff with blood. It was the scarf given to her by the ladies at the Latino restaurant on their date. She had wondered what happened to it, and now she realized that she had mistakenly left it in his car. “The nurse told me that Kat had used it to make a bandage to try to stop Kacy’s head from bleeding. Your sister is the real hero here,” Layla said, looking over at Kacy’s swollen face.

Not knowing what else to say, Jordan told her that everyone had gathered at Paul and Gwen’s and the investigating detectives would meet them there to take their statements.

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