Page 83 of Set In Stone

“I have togo.”

I shrugged out of her reach and turned toward the door. Krystina called after me. So did Justine. But I just kept walking. It was all too much. My pace increased until I was in a full out run. I needed to get as far away from here as I possiblycould.

30

krystina

“Let him go, Krystina”Justine told me when I started to follow Alexander. I looked back ather.

“I can’t just let him go! He’s probably inshock.”

“Yes, which is why you need to give him space to process. Alex has a temper. You’d be better off letting him alone so that he canthink.”

I paused at the door when she said that. Alexander did have a temper, but he was usually careful to control it. However, having been on the receiving end of that temper once before caused me to hesitate. I wastorn.

I glanced over at Hale, hoping he would give me some sort of guidance. His nose was badly bleeding, a sight that should have kept me rooted to the spot, as it was proof that Alexander wasn’t in the right frame of mind. Yet, I still wanted to chase afterhim.

“I don’t know what to do,” I said to him. He didn’t respond, but the way his gaze held steadily to mine made me think that he wanted to saysomething.

“Let’s go to the lounge,” Justine suggested. “Hale, go get cleaned up and then meet Krystina and me there. Maybe if we explain things to her first, she’ll be able to get through to Alexander better than either one of uscan.”

Hale nodded and Justine stood. Turning to her mother, she said, “Lena, I’ll be back in a little bit,okay?”

Once Justine seemed satisfied that her mother would be okay, she led me to a quiet lounge area of the nursing home. She refused to speak until Hale joined us. It made me extremely anxious. The more time that lapsed, the more nervous I became. I needed to be with Alexander. I never should have let him go offalone.

When Hale finally entered the lounge a few minutes later, I rounded onJustine.

“I want answers. Now. And make it fast,” Idemanded.

Justine flinched from my harsh tone, but to her credit, her voice didn’t waiver when shespoke.

“I’m the one who shot our father,” she announced, like it was some sort of grand statement. I didn’t particularly care who killed him. I was more concerned over the fact that Alexander’s mother was very much alive, something that had been kept from him for over twodecades.

“I don’t give a flying shit about that!” I snapped. “Charlie already said as much in an interview to some sleazy reporter. I meant I want answers about your mother. I want to know why you and Hale hid the fact that she wasalive.”

“I didn’t know she was until a week ago,” she explained, then darted her eyes in Hale’s direction. “But Hale knew. He never told us because he was honoring a promise he made to my grandfather. Until recently, Hale believed that my mom killed my father. Now that he knows that’s not the case, he had to come out with thetruth.”

“I don’t understand,” I stated testily, shaking my head back and forth inconfusion.

“With your permission, I can explain, Miss Cole,” Hale said quietly from his corner of theroom.

“You don’t need my damn permission, Hale,” I bit out. “Just get it out already so that I can get toAlex.”

“I had just come off a stint in Japan. I was home on leave and decided to visit Lucille, Alexander and Justine’s grandmother. Before I left her house, she asked me to stop over to the Russo’s on my way home and drop off a loaf of bananabread.”

It was strange to hear Hale refer to Alexander’s family as the Russo’s, but I didn’t comment on it. I was too anxious to hear theirexplanation.

“I still don’t recall you being there that day,” Justine murmured. “I don’t remember the weeks after either. I onlyremember…”

Justine trailed off, and Halecontinued.

“When I got there, I found their father. He had been shot and had quite obviously been laying there for sometime.”

“Three days to be exact,” I filledin.

“So Mr. Stone told you then?” heasked.

“Only what he could remember. He said the details werehazy.”

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