Page 62 of Karma

Liza ran her tongue over her lips, tasting the wine she’d been sipping. “That’s all it can be.”

“And now we come to the crux of things. Why?” he asked.

Liza owed him more than her standard “because that’s all I’m willing to give” answer. “For one thing, because I can’t take the hot-and-cold reactions you have to me depending on my brother’s behavior or your moods.” Liza glanced down, unwilling to let him see how much he’d hurt her. Not wanting him to know why his withdrawal affected her so badly.

“Hey.” He reached out and lifted her chin with his hand, forcing her to meet his gaze. “You deserve an explanation for that.”

She swallowed hard. “Okay.” She hadn’t expected that, but she was curious.

“Oh boy.” Dare leaned back on his elbows and looked up at the darkening sky.

She studied his chiseled profile, struck again by how handsome he was. Attraction? Oh yeah, she felt that in spades. She wished it were all she felt.

“Remember when you told me about the night Stuart Rossman died? How you felt responsible?” he asked.

She narrowed her gaze and managed a nod. “Why?”

“Because I feel the same sense of responsibility.”

“You? Why?” she asked, surprised.

“I was there that night. At the party.”

She stared at him, stunned. “But you were only—”

“Fifteen. Yeah, I know. But I wanted to be like my brothers. I wanted to run with the older kids. And…”

He paused, and she waited.

“I wanted to see you.” An embarrassed grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Yep, I knew who you were way back when. I guess you could say I had a crush on you.”

She flushed, also embarrassed by the admission. “Wow.”

“Yeah. Well, you weren’t home that night, and I wish to hell I’d never gone.”

They both sobered at the memory of what happened next. “You were there when that guy punched Stuart?”

Dare blinked and pushed himself to a sitting position. “Whenwhat guypunched Stuart?”

An uneasy feeling prickled over Liza’s skin. “Brian told us that a guy from another school got into an argument with Stuart Rossman and threw the first punch. Stuart was drunk, stumbled and fell, his head hit the concrete, and…” She didn’t have to continue. He obviously knew the rest firsthand.

“Liza?”

Goose bumps prickled over her skin despite the heat, his deep tone scaring her. “What is it?” she asked.

“There was no guy from another school who hit Rossman.” She studied his face and knew from his expression he wasn’t lying.

“Then who did?”

He stared at her intently, not saying a word. He didn’t have to. His silence spoke for him. If an outsider hadn’t struck Stuart Rossman, then…

“No.” She shook her head in denial. “Oh no.”

***

“I’m sorry.” Dare’stone was gruff but sincere, and as much as he hated her brother, she knew he was sorry for being the one to break the news. News she should have known over a decade before.

“Brian’s friends backed up his story to my parents and to the police,” she said. As if that made a difference.

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