Page 27 of Marked for Danger

The flashbacks loomed, but Izzy used the coping mechanisms she’d learned a lifetime ago to help push them back below the surface. A tear escaped, but she swiped it away before it could get too far.

“I know. And I’m incredibly grateful you showed up when you did. But at the same time, if you hadn’t, you never would’ve gone to prison, and you wouldn’t be—”

“A total loser?” His brow arched expectantly.

She sighed. “I was going to say you wouldn’t be so unhappy.”

“Yeah, well.” Olly shrugged, his eyes flickering with a mix of guilt and regret. “That’s life, right? Not everyone is meant to have a happy ever after. No matter how muchyouwant them to.”

“Olly…”

Her heart ached for her brother’s lost dreams and potential. He deserved more than this. More than a life in the shadows.

“It’s okay. Really. I made peace with it a long time ago. You should, too.”

Make peace with the fact that her brother—a man who, as a kid himself, had sacrificed his own future to save hers?

Never gonna happen.

“You can still have your happy ending, Olly. You said it yourself; you have a steady job, you’ve been staying out of trouble… It’s a great start.”

“A job the FBI is apparently hell bent on screwing up.” Another shake of his head. “I don’t get it. If they think Valdez is such a bad guy, why isn’t he behind bars?”

“Like you said, Valdez is smart. And the Feds need more solid proof of his involvement before they can obtain an arrest warrant.” She licked her dry lips before adding, “You can always say no. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t even be here asking.”

“If you don’t wait me to do it, why bother coming by?”

“Honesty, I thought if you knew what your boss was doing on the side, you’d quit and find employment elsewhere. Someplace safe without fear of getting a bullet to the back of the head because you made your boss mad.”

Tilting his head slightly, Olly studied her with an assessing glance. “You really think Valdez is doing what they say, don’t you?”

“I do.” She nodded. “Listen, I know you don’t have a lot of trust when it comes to law enforcement, and I understand why. But the people I work with…they’re the real deal, Olly. Sergeant Riedell runs Denver’s Major Crimes unit. He and his team are working the three murder cases tied to Valdez. I’m friends with his team, and I can promise you they’re the good guys.”

“Friends” sounded off as it had fallen from her lips, but she and Olly had only just reunited. Izzy wasnotabout to delve into the whole casual sex relationship she’d just ended with Grady. Not when they had more pressing issues to tend to.

“Even if that’s true”—Olly finally spoke again—“you said the Feds are going after Valdez.”

“It’s a joint investigation. Major Crimes is working with one of the local FBI units. I haven’t personally worked with them yet, but I know several people who have, including Sergeant Riedell and his team. And everything I’ve ever heard about SAC Hunt’s unit is good. Better than good, actually. They have the highest solve rate in the entire Denver Bureau. That’s gotta say something, right?”

“I don’t know, maybe.” A slight shrug. Olly was quiet for a moment, presumably taking everything in that she’d shared. But then, “Is that the only reason you came here tonight?”

His voice sounded off with that last question. Small, almost vulnerable. Very unlike the Olly she knew and loved.

Is it possible? Could I have been wrong about him all this time? Was I wrong about…everything?

For the past seventeen years, she’d carried around a massive dose of soul-crushing guilt. For so many things.

Izzy felt guilty for what had happened to her parents. She woke up every morning blaming herself for Olly’s trouble with the law. Sometimes, on those particularly hard days and nights, the little girl in her still questioned if she’d said or done something to lead on the man who’d attacked her that fateful night.

But now…

I thought you finally understood. What happened back then wasn’t your fault. It washis.

She looked up at her brother with renewed vision. A professional, clinically assessing vision. And what she found there nearly brought her to her knees.

He isn’t looking at you with hate or resentment. There’s no animosity or blame reflected in his intense stare. In fact, the only things Izzy did find there were regret and…

Love.

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