Page 5 of You're My Person - For Always

She covered her mouth. That couldn't be right.

Kingsley turned in the chair and met Zane's gaze. "I think that's enough for right now." He turned off the monitor. "Let's take baby steps."

"No." Kenna lurched forward, trying to reach past him to turn the computer back on. "I want to read what it said."

He held her against his chest and backed her away from the desk, away from the truth. "Slow down."

Kenna struggled in Kingsley's strong arms, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps. "I need to know," she insisted. "I deserve to know the truth about my father."

River stepped closer, placing a comforting hand on her sister's back. "Kenna, maybe it's better if we take a moment to process this. We can look at it together, but let's just...catch our breath."

Kingsley's jaw clenched, every muscle in his body taut with tension. She wanted to push past him and look for herself. She'd imagined every possible scenario through the years when nobody believed her that her dad was alive.

She understood the headlines and could imagine the horrific details beneath them. But she needed to know what her father was living through when she was shuffled around in the foster care system, being told he was dead.

"Kenna, we'll go through everything," Kingsley said softly. "But we need to keep our heads. What you're going to read can't be unseen. You need to take more than two seconds to decide if it's in your best interest to know more or if you want to walkaway and put it behind you. You need to talk with your sister and see if this is something she wants to—"

"I do," said River, squeezing her sister's hand in solidarity.

Kingsley nodded in agreement, his grip on Kenna loosening slightly. He'd already kept the truth about her dad from her. She wasn't going to let him do that to her again.

"You're not alone in this." He rubbed Kenna's back. "Whatever happens next, you have your sister and us."

With a shuddering breath, Kenna stopped struggling and leaned into Kingsley's embrace. "I just want to know."

He leaned down to push the button on the computer tower.

"Wait." Kenna turned to River, grabbing her arms. "You don't have to stay here."

She'd always tried to protect River. How many times had she tried to convince her that her dad wasn't dead and there was no reason to be sad?

Growing up, she pretended he was on a business trip or got lost in another country while on vacation. Not once had she imagined him on death row.

She even excused Zane and Kingsley's need to watch over them as something her father would've wanted. He would've made sure they remained safe if he wasn't around.

"I'm not leaving you," whispered River. "You tried to tell me he was alive, and I didn't believe you."

Now was not the time to discuss how alone she felt, fighting for something no one believed in and how there were moments, long moments, when she questioned what family meant to her.

It was hard enough to understand what she had overheard and how she'd concluded that her dad was alive.

She shook her head and squeezed her sister's hand. "It's going to be bad."

There was no sugarcoating what happened to their dad. He was waiting for the state to kill him for crimes he committed.

Together, hand in hand, they walked over to the computer.

Kingsley moved out of the chair and motioned for her to sit. Zane brought over another chair and set it in front of the monitor for River. The two brothers stood behind them, silently supporting them while close enough to read over their shoulders.

As far as she knew, they had no idea of the crimes their dad committed, only that he'd remained on death row the entire time they were protecting her and River. She grabbed the mouse and clicked on the first Google result. A news article from Idaho Statesman newspaper.

Three days ago, forty-five year old Burt Shay entered Lehman's Mart & Gas with two automatic weapons, killing Mitch Bellow, Aaron Dixon, Shaun DeFrees, and Roy Fine. This horrific crime occurred precisely nine months after another grizzly murder outside the same business involving Shay's common-law wife.

"I didn't know Mom was murdered," whispered River.

Kenna looked away from the monitor. "What did you think happened?"

"I don't—an accident." River met her gaze. "Dad said there was an accident. I thought it was a car accident."

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