Page 46 of Steal My Heart

“In front of myself, Brian, and his mother. Also, I found a few gems in the police report that will back up the story.” Hilliard gave Grant the entire breakdown.

“But he isn’t the thief,” Grant said.

“No. He’s just Brian’s framer—and I think that’s the worse of the crimes. Sure, someone stole Violet’s things, but Frank stole part of Brian’s life.”

Grant nodded. “We’ll take it from here, and we’ll need you all to give a statement.”

“Gladly.” Hilliard followed Grant into the dining room, and he cuffed Frank and read him his rights. Then Hilliard followed them out and joined Brian on the porch. “At least part of it is over.” Brian nodded and pulled out his phone. “What are you doing?”

“Taking pictures of the asshole who framed me.” He snapped some images of Frank in cuffs and then put his phone away. Brian shook next to him, and Hilliard put an arm around him, drawing him close. Hilliard turned to look at him just as Brian buried his face in Hilliard’s shirt… and began to cry. Years of hurt and shame seemed to come to the surface all at once, andHilliard didn’t blame Brian at all. Hell, he wondered how Brian had kept it together for as long as he had.

“It’s going to be okay now. All the evidence against you is slowly slipping away.”

“It’s not that,” Brian said.

Hilliard expected an explanation, but Brian clammed up. “Let’s go home,” he said gently.

Brian shook his head. “I have to make sure Violet is all right.” He went back inside, wiping his face. Hilliard stayed where he was until the police pulled away, then joined Brian, finding him and Violet at the dining room table, each holding the other’s hands, sharing their loss and shock, both likely feeling the exact same thing over the same situation, but for opposite reasons.

Hilliard stepped out of the room. “Ruth, it’s Hilliard,” he said when she answered the call.

“Yes, honey?” she said softly.

“Can you come to Violet’s? She’s had a bit of a shock, and I don’t think she should be alone. Brian and I are here, but I need to take him home.”

“Of course I can. But why?” she asked.

“We didn’t find the thief, but her son Frank confessed to framing Brian because he thought his sons were the thieves. It’s an emotional minefield.”

Ruth gasped. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Don’t worry. The ladies will see that Violet gets the support she needs.” She hung up, and Hilliard went back inside. Tears ran down Violet’s cheeks.

“It’s okay,” Brian said, looking at Hilliard like he wasn’t sure what to do.

“Ruth will be over in a few minutes,” Hilliard said softly. “We’ll wait until she gets here.” He didn’t want to leave Violet alone, so he pulled out a chair and sat down until he heard aknock at the door. He let Ruth in, and she took over like the force of nature she was.

Hilliard got Brian out of the house, and they walked back to Hilliard’s. Poppy and Gigi crowded around Brian as soon as he sat down. They must have known that he needed them. Poppy stretched up and licked his ear as Gigi hopped into his lap. Hilliard made some coffee. When he returned to the living room, the dogs had found a way to curl around Brian, whose head rested back against the sofa cushion.

“I thought at this moment I’d be happy. That I could smile and laugh because finally I’ve gotten what I wanted. Everyone will know that I’m not a thief, and….”

Hilliard gently sat next to him, getting a soft growl from Gigi. Brian lightly scolded her, and she licked his hand as an apology. “The important people already knew that.” He smiled and rested his head on Brian’s shoulder.

“I know that. Gran never stopped believing. But what I don’t get is why you believed me in the first place.”

Hilliard thought for a few seconds before trying to answer. “I don’t know. I’d like to say it was because of some innate lie-detecting ability or the way you looked at me, but the truth is, I just knew. I’ve done quite a bit of thinking, and that’s the best I can come up with. I’m an experienced attorney, and I’ve heard enough bullshit to last a lifetime, but I knew that what I was getting from you was the truth.” He drew Brian closer and kissed him hard, pouring all the relief and joy he felt into it.

When Brian shifted nearer, the dogs jumped down. “I’m glad you did, for so many reasons.”

The dogs barked, which was unusual. Brian stiffened and pulled away. Hilliard went out front but didn’t see anyone. “Maybe we should get them home. Your grandmother is going to want to know what we found out too.”

“Yeah,” Brian agreed, his eyes filling with disappointment. “Maybe we can get together later.”

“To celebrate, definitely.” Hilliard kissed Brian and helped him get the leashes on the dogs; then he said goodbye at the door and watched them go. He waved a final time and closed the door before going up to his office. He had some work to do and phone calls to make to get the ball rolling from a legal perspective. Since he wasn’t licensed to practice yet, he needed someone to act as a sponsor—to act as lead while he did the work. And he set about the job of trying to locate someone willing to help.

Chapter 16

“GRAN?” BRIANcalled as he went inside. He let the dogs off their leashes, and they hurried through the house. Gigi’s sharp bark drew him upstairs. “Gran!” he said when he found her on her bedroom floor.

“What?” she asked as he lifted her head.

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