Page 67 of The Pretender

She understood that she had become his target, rational or not. But while she mourned everything else, it made her ache for what could have been.

She walked over to the kitchen area, wanting to forget about the newest confrontation with a bag of chips. Get lost in the salt and fat. She might eat the whole damn bag. It sure wouldn’t be the first time.

The paper rustled in her fingers as she grabbed it off the shelf. As she looked down to open the bag, the door slammed. Her head popped up and the bag fell to the floor with a crunch.

There he was. Uncle Stephen, or a version of him. This one had a loosened tie and a wild look in his eyes. She’d never been physically afraid of him, but his words could land a wallop.

He’d planned to leave then changed his mind and insisted on staying the night on the island to inspect the house and made it clear he expected a briefing from Damon. She had walked away from all of that for a few minutes of quiet and snacking in the guesthouse. She had no idea Stephen followed her.

“What are you—”

“I am done with you.” Rage made his voice shake.

A strange energy thrummed off him. The sun beamed in through the window but he gave off a dark vibe. He wasn’t shouting but she got the sense his body shook from the force of holding it back.

It was as if a tidal wave of fury moved through him. He saw her and it exploded. He never looked disheveled. He was the guy who wore a suit to a kid’s birthday party at a water adventure park. Today the suit looked right, fit well, but there was something off. That in-control remoteness had given way to something else.

“Why are you here?” she asked.

He didn’t answer her but started walking. He paced around, watching her. “How is it possible you ruin everything you touch?”

She didn’t turn her back on him. She faced him head-on as they performed this odd dance. A good five feet separated them but she started to wonder if that was enough. “I didn’t—”

“Shut up.” He came to a stop with his hands on his hips. “Do you even know what you’ve done?”

She couldn’t even tell which supposed sin he was ranting about. “Nothing. That’s the point.”

“We need to end this, Gabrielle.” His voice rose with each syllable. “This, the destruction, has gone on for far too long. To this family. To my marriage. Enough.”

Marriage?She’d heard about a trial separation, but hoped the whispers were wrong. The few distant family connections she had said her uncle and aunt were still living together and trying to make it work. “Is Aunt Lena okay?”

His face twisted in disgust. “See, you get that worried look. Your voice sounds genuinely concerned. But there’s nothing inside you.”

The words ripped through her. They didn’t just sting this time. They shredded her. She sensed that was the point. He wanted her to pay and he was tired of it not happening.

“They are all dead because of you.” The words came out with a note of awe. He shook his head as if he’d just realized all he’d lost.

But what about her? She wanted to scream that question at him. He’d been allowed to mourn. People believed his pain. No one wanted to hear anything from her. Her being at a funeral earned a scowl of disgust.

Before she could say anything else, he moved on. “The evidence is clear.”

He talked without looking at her now. It was as if she were not there and he held the conversation with the air.

“There is no evidence.” She knew that with absolute certainty because she hadn’t done anything to Tabitha. She would never do anything to Tabitha.

“Because you burned it. That’s what this was, right?” He barked out a harsh laugh. “The investigator was getting close, so you burned it all down.”

He’d twisted all the facts until they didn’t even look recognizable. As he talked his expression changed, as if he were figuring out a problem in his head.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out she was that problem. “Uncle Stephen, listen to me—”

“You gave up your right to call me that.” He shook his head. “I warned your dad. I told Colin to be careful. Not to let you back in. To keep you away from Tabitha.”

The warnings to her dad. Keeping her sister away from her... It was old news but still too much. Gabby tried to swallow and couldn’t. She debated trying to run past him but feared he’d catch her.

She fell back on the only fact that still bound them. “I am your niece.”

“Not anymore.”

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