Page 91 of Shattered Fate

“You’re right. Jerricka’s been working on a lot of—”

“What?” I cut in. “What did you say?”

“Jerricka. Her therapist. She’s been—”

“Jerricka Solis?”

“Yeah. You know her? After I discharged Zarah, Jerricka contacted me about the kind of care Zarah would need outside of the facility. She’s very qualified—”

“Yeah, I’m sure she is. Pop and I questioned her a few days ago. She’s connected to two girls who recently passed away.” I talk him through JodiAnne’s and Marci’s deaths.

“That doesn’t sound like anything,” he says, tilting his head back and looking at the sky full of stars. “But I learned nothing is ever what it seems. Zarah’s sessions are done until the new year. Then we’ll decide if seeing Jerricka is still in her best interest. She’s been making progress.”

“That might not be to Dr. Solis’ credit.”

“Maybe not. Fuck. Maybe Max is right after all. I’ll never be free of anything the Blacks did to my family.”

“It’s wise to hope for the best but be prepared for the worst,” I say, kicking at some snow. “I’ll keep poking around. I don’t like coincidences, but I have to agree, right now it doesn’t sound like much.”

I want to be frank with Zane, no holding back, but I know he won’t go easy on me. Hell, Stella warned me trust doesn’t come cheap. Zarah might say she loves me, but her skittishness gives her away. She doesn’t trust me not to hurt her.

I haven’t been in her life long enough to earn it.

“Was there ever a time when you thought you and Stella wouldn’t make it?”

Zane walks into the yard, his posture stiff. “Pick an hour, pick a minute. Stella, she forgives in an instant, you know? The second I apologized for trusting Ash, she forgave me. She’s like that. But that didn’t mean she wanted me or the life I wanted to give her. When she found her parents and went to Florida to get to know them, weeks turned into months. I thought, yeah, why would she want me, but I forgot one important thing. She loves me. When it comes right down to it, there’s not much that will beat out love. We say all the time that sometimes love isn’t enough, but God, that’s got to be some shitty circumstances if love can’t fix it. Are you worried about how Zarah feels about you?”

I shrug. I can’t admit how I feel.

“She’s got a ways to go, but the best thing I can suggest is not to give up on her. I gave up on Stella. Believed she left me for another man. Had I trusted her, believed in us, I never would have swallowed Ash’s bullshit. Maybe none of this would have happened. Don’t make my mistakes. If you love my sister, if you want her, you have to be all in. She needs steady ground under her feet.”

I say what’s been bothering me this whole time. “I don’t want her to date other men. I see the sense in it, I do, but I can’t watch it.”

“Christ. The pictures...” He fades off, his voice sad and full of regret, and then says, “If she doesn’t want to, I won’t push her.”

“She doesn’t.”

Zane meets my eyes. “If you hurt my sister, Iwillkill you.”

His words don’t scare me. “You know damned well I’ll hurt her, and before this is done, she’ll hurt me too. It’s that we come out the other side that’s important.”

He stares at me for a moment, then nods. “Agreed.”

Stella pops her head out the front door. “Are you guys coming in to eat?”

“I was telling Gage to behave around Zarah or I’ll kick his ass.”

Even from our distance away, I can see Stella’s eyes dart between us. “I’d like to watch that.”

The door slams shut.

Zane laughs. “Fuck. I better start working out more.”

I’m pleased Zane didn’t forget our talk, and in the kitchen, he steps behind Zarah and wraps his arms around her. She stiffens for a second then melts into his embrace as he rubs his cheek against hers.

“You did a good thing,” Stella says, holding a huge bowl of mashed potatoes in one hand and squeezing my arm with the other. “Let’s give them a minute.”

Carrying a bowl of vegetables, I follow her into the dining room. “How do you stay so down-to-earth?” I ask, setting the bowl onto the table and snagging a dinner roll to feed Baby.

---