Page 34 of A Sister's Secret

“I can’t believe you went to meet him,” he said, sounding angrier than he was. He was more worried. What did this mean for them now? For their family? “He could have killed you. Why didn’t you tell me?”

"Because you would have stopped me. Michelle's boy…." Lisa's voice broke, the fragments laced with horror. "Sammy. He's your nephew, Oliver. The sheriff… he killed Michelle because that boy is proof—proof that he raped her. And now, Sammy is in danger, too."

Oliver's heart thudded painfully against his ribcage, the implications of Lisa's words spreading through him like wildfire.

“We agreed,” he said. “We agreed when he attacked you to leave it alone. It was too dangerous. We have children, and yet you… you… you’ve put us all in great danger. We risk losing everything we’ve built—the café and the life we have with our children. How could you do that to us?”

A shudder racked her body. "He came after me again, Oliver. I managed to escape, but he's after me. He wants to silence me. I'm terrified for Ethan, for Abigail, Julia, for Daniel…. I know you asked me to stop, but I couldn’t. How could I?" Her voice cracked, dissolving into sobs.

Oliver stared at her, his fists clenching. All he wanted was to forget the whole thing. Once he realized it was the sheriff in those Polaroid pictures, he knew they were up against someone stronger than themselves, someone too powerful, and it wouldn’t be worth the fight. Oliver wasn’t ready to lose everything for this. He had hit rock bottom and just come back and turned his life around again. He was on the right track. And now this? It was all destroyed again. Oliver sighed and glanced toward the liquor cabinet, craving a drink to calm his nerves. Luckily, it was empty and had been since he threw it all out after deciding enough was enough. Lisa’s big eyes stared up at him, awaiting his response, his love. How could he not give it to her?

Oliver wrapped his arms around Lisa, pulling her close and feeling her tremble against him. His mind churned with the need to act, to protect the woman he loved and the life they had built together. Fear clawed at him, but beneath it all, a fierce determination began to smolder. Tomorrow, they would meet with Travis, and they would form a plan—a plan to bring the truth to light and keep their family safe. He would know what to do.

But for tonight, he held Lisa, his embrace a fortress against the darkness encroaching upon their small-town existence. It was love entwined with fear, heartwarming yet chilling, as they stood together on the precipice of a battle neither of them had asked for but were both ready to fight.

Chapter Sixteen

The crunch of snow beneath their boots was the only sound in the cold twilight air as Oliver and Lisa made their way to the secluded fishing cabin by the lake nestled amongst towering pines. Tension hung between them like a third companion, both of them armed with the heavy knowledge of who had brought terror to their small town. Oliver's hand found Lisa's, his grip firm yet reassuring as if he could squeeze out the fear that threatened to paralyze them both.

"I’m here for you," Oliver whispered, his voice laced with a cocktail of determination and concern that was as familiar to Lisa as the contours of his face. “Always and forever.”

Lisa nodded, her eyes mirroring the resolve she saw in him. She felt the weight of the past and her history of violence that had taught her to be guarded, casting a shadow over her heart. But there was something else there, too, kindled by Oliver’s unwavering support—a spark of courage that refused to be extinguished.

They neared the cabin. It stood as a silent sentinel, promising either sanctuary or peril. Their steps slowed, caution threading through their bodies as they surveyed the scene. The door—a rough-hewn slab of wood that should have been secured against the night—stood inexplicably ajar.

"Travis would never leave it open like that," Oliver muttered under his breath, his brows knitting together in a frown.

"No, he wouldn't," Lisa agreed, her pulse quickening as she clutched the strap of the bag slung across her shoulder.

Oliver's woodworking-honed muscles tensed, ready for whatever lay ahead. He exhaled slowly, his breath visible in the chill air, and stepped forward. Lisa followed, her own body coiled tight with adrenaline. They shared a glance, both sets of eyes communicating a wordless pact—they were in this together, no matter what awaited them inside.

With each step closer to the threshold, the suspense twisted tighter, the unknowns multiplying like shadows at dusk. But amidst the thrill of the impending confrontation, there was an undercurrent of warmth that only two hearts weathering a storm together could understand.

Oliver reached out and pushed the door wider, its creaking hinges singing a foreboding note into the stillness of the evening. They crossed the threshold, stepping into the unknown.

The floorboards groaned under Oliver's weight as he stepped into the cabin, a stark contrast to the silent dread that hung in the air. He let his eyes roam quickly over the interior, instincts sharpened by years of braving the unpredictable sea now tuned to the more immediate danger lurking within these walls. The musky scent of aged wood mingled with something metallic, a tang that set his nerves on edge.

Lisa’s presence was a palpable force at his back; her breathing was shallow and quick, but her resolve was just as firm as his own. They moved together, seamless as a tide drawn by the moon's unseen pull—two halves of a whole facing the tempest.

There, in the dim light filtering through the dust-streaked windows, sat Travis. He was bound to a chair, his rugged face etched with lines of tension, his eyes a silent alarm. The sight struck a chord of trepidation in Oliver's chest, a note that resonated with every beat of his heart.

"Travis," Lisa whispered, her voice a mix of relief and fear, a beacon reaching out for connection in the gloom.

Before another word could part from her lips, the door behind them swung shut with a resounding crash that fractured the silence like a gunshot. Oliver whirled around, his protective instinct flaring bright and hot, only to find the source of their nightmare standing between them and their only exit.

Sheriff Coleman loomed like an ominous cliff against the stormy sea. His shadow stretched across the floor, darkening the room with the weight of betrayal. It was a scene that mocked every sense of security they had ever known.

"Jim?" Lisa's voice cracked, laden with disbelief and burgeoning panic.

Oliver's mind raced, every warning signal blaring as he took in the sight of the handcuffs securing Travis to the chair—their ally rendered helpless by the very hands meant to uphold justice.

"It’s a setup," Oliver growled, his gaze darting around the room, searching for any advantage, weapon, or means of escape. His fingers itched for the familiar feel of his woodworking tools, for anything that could be wielded to defend his family, to carve out their survival in this dire twist of fate.

"Oliver…." Lisa's hand found his, gripping it with a strength born of desperation and love, her touch grounding him amid the chaos.

The flicker of the light switch was brief yet ominous—a stutter of light that preluded darkness. It descended upon the room with voracious speed, swallowing shadows and shapes until Oliver and Lisa stood blind in the belly of the cabin. They clung to each other, two silhouettes adrift in an ocean of black, their breaths shallow drafts in the silence.

"Stay close," Oliver whispered, his voice a low rumble in her ear. His fingers tightened around hers, their calluses a testament to years of crafting safety from wood and love. He remembered the cabin's layout, every corner and crevice from when he'd helped Travis with repairs. With each step, he felt for the familiar, willing his eyes to pierce the dark.

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