Page 174 of Twisted Collide

He looks down at me, his gaze meeting mine. His eyes are glassy and tired. “How do you know?”

“She loves you. You do realize that she’s an incredibly smart woman. She could do anything in the world, but she chooses to work with you, to help you, and she does that because she loves you.”

“She does it because she feels indebted to me, which is insane.”

I lift my hands and place them on his thighs. “Dane—”

“Now, what do we have here?” Molly’s question cuts me off. When did she get to the house?

Shit.

I pull back, dropping my arms. Dane and I never spoke about what we were going to tell her. My mouth opens and shuts as I try to find words to explain why I’m kneeling in front of her brother, but Dane beats me to the punch and answers the question. “Josephine and I are together,” he tells her as I stand and sit beside him on the couch again.

“It’s about damn time. I’m happy you got your head out of your ass.” She laughs, and I peer up at her. She’s smiling broadly, and it makes my heart feel lighter. If she’s happy about it, maybe my father will be too. It gives me hope. “Is that why I had to come? You need help telling Robert.”

Dane shakes his head, and my body vibrates from the movement. “Unfortunately not. It’s actually something else I need your help with, and it’s bad.”

“Wow, that’s not too ominous.”

“I think maybe you should sit.” Dane gestures to the chair.

“Maybe we all should,” I say.

With a sigh, Dane drops his arms from around me but takes my hand in his as he leads us to sit together on the couch.

He never lets go of me. Something tells me it’s because he needs my added strength to get through this.

Fifteen minutes later, Dane finishes telling Molly everything. Tears stream down her face.

“It’s not your fault. I don’t blame you.”

“How could you not—”

“Stop right there. Why did you get into a fight, Dane?”

“To protect a girl. I heard the scream and, well, just reacted. I had to get him off her.”

“Exactly.”

Dane shakes his head. “I don’t understand.”

“You were doing what you do.Youprotect.You’re a protector, and it’s why we love you. Listen to me right now . . . only Dad is to blame for our parents’ deaths. I know you think I was too young, but I remember. I was in the car with him that night. He shouldn’t have been driving. Mom wanted to drive. Did you know that?”

“No.”

“Well, she did, and in his typical abusive way, he berated her, and ultimately, he drove. That’s the reason they’re dead. Not you. And as for the game, you had to. You have no idea what our uncle was like. The man was a bad man. He hated Dad. He hated you.And the way he felt about me? You saved my life, and I will never fault you for what you did.”

“What do you mean I saved your life?”

“He was abusive when he drank, which was always. He lost his temper. There is no question he would have hurt me if I had lived with him.”

“Did he hurt you, Molly?” Dane grits out through clenched teeth.

Molly looks away from him, choosing to stare at the ground instead. “He did.”

From where I’m sitting, I see Dane clench his fist. “I’ll kill him.”

“He only physically hurt me once, and I’m not stupid, Dane. I took pictures.”

---