Page 116 of Echoes of You

“Vitriol,” he huffed. “You think because you use big words, you’re better than me. But you forget that I know where you come from. You’re lower than dirt. You turned on your own family.”

Something in me snapped. I was so tired of people thinking they could beat me down time and time again and that I would just take it and never fight back.

“I’m pretty sure throwing your twelve-year-old daughter down a flight of cement steps is what qualifies asturning on your family. My skull fractured because of that man. I almostdied. If you think I’m going to stand here and take whatever BS you throw at me, you’re dead wrong. He’s garbage, and you defending him just shows that you are, too.”

I hadn’t realized that the entire café had gone quiet around us until someone started clapping. Then another person. And another.

With each customer that joined in, Dale’s face got redder and redder until he was the shade of a tomato. “You deserved it. You’ve never been anything but trouble. You’ll get what’s coming to you.”

He turned on his heel and stormed out of The Brew. I held up a hand in a little wave, and the patrons laughed.

Aspen moved in at my side. “Are you okay?”

I straightened and looked over at her. “You know what? I really am. I feel great.”

Her mouth curved. “Found that spine of steel, I see.”

I grinned. “I guess I did.” And it felt damn good.

38

NASH

Lawson pulledinto a parking spot in the lot behind Town Hall. He switched off the engine but didn’t make any move to get out of the vehicle. Neither did I. He glanced over at me. “I’m sorry this is happening.”

“You and me both.” I looked up at the building.

“None of this is your fault.”

I shifted in my seat. I wasn’t so sure about that. “I needled Dan.”

Lawson rested his hands on the wheel. “He’s a douchebag. Giving back a little of the bullshit that spews from him is understandable. And it doesn’t mean he’s justified in pulling this. Truth is, I think he’s miserable and just wants everyone else to be, too. I heard Jane left him last week.”

“Good for her,” I muttered. I didn’t know the woman well, even though we’d all grown up together, but she seemed kind enough. Though she was the shy type who blushed whenever you looked her way—not a match for Dan at all.

I stared out the window, my gut churning. “I probably should’ve let you go see Adam alone. I knew he’d get to me. Just seeing his face would do that.”

Lawson made a humming noise. “Probably should’ve. But if he’d hurt the womanIloved, I’d have needed to have that conversation, too.”

I glanced over at my brother. I wasn’t sure Lawson had ever truly been in love. He’d thought he was once. And he’d never forgiven himself for falling for the wrong woman. But I wasn’t sure he’d ever actually loved her. He’d been young and infatuated, sure, but I didn’t think it went beyond that.

My phone rang, breaking into my thoughts. Holt’s name flashed on the screen. I tapped two icons. “Hey. You’re on speaker with me and Law.”

“You guys have privacy?”

I looked at Lawson. A question like that didn’t scream good things. “Yeah, we’re in his SUV outside Town Hall.”

“Good,” Holt said. “That Westchester is a real prick.”

Lawson turned in his seat. “We knew that already.”

“He put that investigation firm on Nash.”

Annoyance flickered. “That’s not all that much of a surprise, I guess.”

“They found out about Dan’s complaint against you with the town. It’s in the report,” Holt informed us.

Lawson cursed. “He knew that a second complaint would likely get more traction.”

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