Page 50 of Falling For The Enemy (The Gilbert Curse)

“Are you sure he did what they are saying?” Mal asked Kit.

“Yes, Aunt Mal. Rory is telling the truth. Declan attacked her,” he said.

“Then on behalf of our family, please accept our apology,” Mallory said. She looked horrified as the details were being revealed.

Dash shoved his hands into his pockets, rocking back on his heels. “No one could have known about the assault but your brother. Your father had left earlier in the evening.”

“What did happen? I have only snatches of clear memories,” Rory said. “I don’t mean just with Declan and me, but after that.”

Mallory, Kit and Rory all turned toward Dash. Her brother took a deep breath. Rory wasn’t entirely sure she was ready to hear about that night. Her memories of it were fragmented and Elle had suggested that it might be her mind’s way of protecting her.

“Con got Dec first and yanked him off Rory. I arrived, pulling Con off him as Grandfather and a few other guests followed,” Dash explained. “Grandfather was horrified at the spectacle and ordered us into the study. He demanded to know what happened. Dec suggested that Rory had led him on...and we had a fight. Grandfather wanted us to apologize and Rory and Declan to ‘date’ in public to make things look right. We refused and left.”

Dash squeezed her tight as Rory was shaking and tears were rolling down her face. Images were jumbled together in her mind.

“Dec followed us, cursing the Gilberts. I’m not sure if he lost control of his car or rammed us, but he hit the back of my car as we were on the bridge. Both cars flipped and rolled. Con was thrown from ours as he wasn’t wearing a seat belt. Rory was knocked unconscious. I got out as the emergency vehicles arrived. Your brother was mortally wounded.”

Dash held her close as shudders wracked her body. Mallory and Kit looked at each other, their faces pale. “I think you two should leave,” Rory said.

Fifteen

Kit didn’t want to leave until he could talk to Rory, but the look on her face made it clear she wanted him gone. Aunt Mal turned on her heel, walking down the hall and out of Rory’s house. Dash looked as cold and ruthless as Kit had always thought the other man to be.

Rory wouldn’t meet his gaze, so Kit took a deep breath. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”

“But not sorry you kept it from me?” Rory asked quietly.

“No. I didn’t know you well. Or Dash, or anything about the Gilbert family except what Aunt Mal and I had been told and what I’d observed myself from being in the business world,” Kit said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants and balling them into fists. “You were a stranger to me.”

“I was,” Rory admitted. “One who walked up to you and asked you to pretend to be someone else. But we stopped pretending the moment you started sleeping with me. I think you owed me the truth.”

Dash’s face tightened even more and Kit knew that this was a conversation he didn’t want to have in front of Rory’s brother. But he wasn’t going to back down from this. Not now. “You’re right. I went home and dug through all of my father’s old paperwork and found that letter from your grandfather. It made me realize that not everything I took for fact was true. And when I heard about my brother... I believed you. I still do. But accepting that someone I loved could assault someone...”

Dash rubbed the back of his neck. “This is complicated and I don’t think we’re going to resolve it—”

“We’re not,” Rory interrupted him.

“Just let me finish this and then I’ll leave. We hadn’t been told any of that about what my brother did to you. When you told me your date—my brother—had attacked you... I had no idea what to do next. I stopped thinking of revenge and wanted answers. I knew I couldn’t have a future with you until everything was cleared up. I wanted to know everything, to be sure I could talk to you about it without hurting you all over again.”

Cleared upwas such a small way to frame what Rory had been put through. What his brother’s actions had put both of their families through. But at this moment it was all he had. His mind was a whirlpool of jumbled thoughts and there was too much to process right now.

“I agree,” Dash said. “You and I need to talk about the business side of things, but this stuff with my sister...you are going to have to make it right. It’s all I can do not to kick your ass for lying to her and using her.”

“I didn’t use her. I’ve never used you, Rory. I might not have told you everything, but I never deceived you,” he said. “You were the first person who I was wholly myself with. But I am deeply sorry for hurting you.”

He knew that there was nothing else to say right now. He didn’t want to sound defensive and there was no other way to frame this in his mind. He turned and walked down the hallway, seeing the hardwood floors that he’d helped Rory stain and seal. This house had felt like a beginning.

But he’d known even at the time that a solid foundation couldn’t be built on half-truths. It was one thing for him to try to convince them that he hadn’t lied, but in his heart he knew he had.

He’d been afraid to tell her everything, afraid that once she knew who he truly was, she’d see all the darkest parts of his soul and he wouldn’t be good enough for her.

His aunt was sitting in her car. She got out when he approached.

“About time you got here,” she said. “We need to talk.”

“I agree.” They went into his house, and when they were seated in the formal living room, he looked over at his aunt.

Some of the arrogance and pride that had always been so much a part of her was dimmed. She seemed smaller than she had earlier, which was exactly how he felt.

---