Page 120 of Legacy of Lies
Dealing with saying good-bye to Garrison with all that heat from his muscled thigh brushing against hers added a degree of difficulty she couldn’t handle today.
However, she’d own up to her part in the disaster. “Look, Garrison, I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” His smile froze on his bruised face.
Her neck warmed. “The mess with Hank. Losing Zach at school. Oh, God.”
“How hard did you get hit on the head?”
“What?”
“You’re obviously delusional.” He touched her uninjured cheek, and damned if she didn’t lean into his hand. “The way I see it, I owe you an apology.”
“How you see it?” She tried crossing her arms, then gave up when it hurt too much.
“Hank’s had my number for a while. He hated me because of his own insecurities. He had a real screw loose with all that talk about a Great One. Then he resented me because of Tiffani. Frankly, the feeling is mutual.”
“I’m so—I don’t know what to say about Tiffani.”
He pressed his lips together and bowed his head. Then he pinned Sara with an intense gaze. The corners of his mouth dropped. “There’s nothing for you to say. It’s history.” He swallowed. “I feel bad that Zach has to grow up without his mother. But she and I had no real marriage and no future. I should have known. It was within my skill to know.”
“I don’t understand.”
“My ability to detect the truth? My psychic power.” He tapped his head. “I’m not like other people.”
She scooted over, like being a few more inches away from him somehow would protect her. “Wait. What are you talking about? What do you mean you’re ‘not like other people’? You were serious about the lie detector thing last week?”
“Okay, that came out wrong. Please. I’m like other people, but I can tell when folks are telling the truth. Get into people’s heads.”
“Like invade their minds?”
“Yeah. Kind of.”
“So you just ... do this thing ... whenever you feel like it?” Her hand fluttered up over her forehead, like she needed to protect herself.
From him.
“No, not like that. Yes, I went into Hank’s mind to find out the truth. And more. But that was different. I don’t normally go around doing that to folks.”
“What about me?” Her ears buzzed as if hornets swarmed nearby.
A pause. “Yeah, I did it on you before.” He stared at the floor, up at her, and then quickly back down again.
She rolled her hands into fists to keep them from shaking. “You didn’t believe me? And somehow you can justify the invasion of my mind with your ability?” Pushing to her feet, she had to get some distance between herself and Garrison.
He remained on the couch. “Please, let me explain. I’ll tell you everything, and then I’ll leave if you want me to. I swear.”
Waving her hand, she backed away another step. “Fine. Go on. But stay over there.”
His grim expression almost made her pause. Almost.
He cleared his throat. “So I never told anyone, and didn’t want to admit it myself, but before she left, I used my power on her. One of the times I truly regretted using the ability.”
“So you knew she was cheating?”
“No, I couldn’t go that far. I was too chicken. But I asked her several questions. She lied to every one of them. Way too easily.” He stared at the floor. “I couldn’t ask her the hard question.”
Anger bled away. What price did he pay to use his power? What price had he paid avoiding its use? An image formed of Garrison in the cafeteria in grade school, eating a PB&J sandwich and drinking his chocolate milk, all by himself. Then an image of a lean, tall, jeans-clad Garrison in college, resting on the arena fence rails, far away from the other rodeo teammates.
