Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 95080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
I didn’t react, and neither did Celia. She was smart; she understood I was playing for time. “And afterward, you found me.”
“Yes,” he said, smiling suddenly. “And I was jealous, because really, he replaced Turi with you.”
That was hard to hear, though in retrospect, with my new knowledge, I was fairly certain it was true. The reason Breckin had responded to me the way he had was because I reminded him of his first love, his dead lover. Everything clicked into place.
“But I was going to walk away,” he insisted, and I heard the truth in his voice. “I was. Killing Tim was so much harder than I thought it would be, and when Breckin learned of his death, I was certain it would hurt him, and that was enough. It felt like it was enough.”
I understood, clear as day, what happened next.
“When I saw you two together, Breckin looked so good, so settled, so happy. And so did you. I hung around just to watch you, to revel in Breckin’s happiness, live through him…”
It was strange to hear him speak about Breckin like he loved him and hated him at the same time.
I said, “Until he cheated with Celia.”
“Yes,” he whispered.
“You were enraged for me.”
“I was. And worse, you had no idea.”
“No.”
“And then he cheated again, with Sean Granger, and you caught him.”
I nodded.
“None of it made sense to me. He was in love with you. I watched him, night after night, miserable without you, and I understood then: he was in love. Truly, deeply in love.”
“And you got angry all over again.”
“I did. The rage was overwhelming,” he told me, his voice flat, dead. “And it hit me that you might forgive him, and he’d have his love like I never would, and a child that I never would. His life would be perfect because no one says no to Breckin Alcott. He always gets everything he wants, and how the fuck is that fair?”
“Most of all, though, you were still mad about Turi, weren’t you?”
“Yes,” he conceded, looking tired suddenly. “I mean, how could he ever get over Turi to begin with? I know not everyone mourns forever, but to take so much for granted—you, his child, even his family… Why does he get to have it all?”
“I don’t think he does.”
“You mean Turi.”
I didn’t, but that was okay. He could make his own decisions about what I meant as long as he kept talking and not shooting.
“Which is true,” Lucien said. “He loved Turi, and he’s gone forever.”
“I suspect you’re the one who loved Turi. I can’t speak for Breckin.”
He shook his head. “Whatever the case, he killed Turi, and now I’m going to kill what he loves—you and the child Celia is carrying.”
“But—”
“Shut up!” he roared, striding toward us, gun raised, ready to kill.
“Didn’t Turi kill himself?” I asked because I needed to give Cord more time to find me. I knew he was looking; I had been gone too long. He would have woken and called out for me, and when I didn’t answer, he would have gotten up. When he tried to call me and found my phone still there in the room with him, that would have tipped him off that something was really wrong. He was a cop, with a cop’s instincts. I prayed I was right.
“I told you the story,” he snarled at me, unhinged again that fast. “Breckin left him behind, and Turi lost hope.”
“No. Turi lost hope before Breckin left town. He killed himself because Breckin told him he wasn’t taking him with him. That’s what you told me.”
“Yes, but—”
“So isn’t it actually your fault? I mean, if Turi had known you loved him, wouldn’t he have lived for you?”
“No. It was Breckin, Breckin and Turi’s parents, who didn’t give a fuck about him.”
It hit me then. “You killed them. You killed Turi’s parents.”
He nodded. “They had no brakes when they hit that patch of ice.”
Jesus.
“All I wanted was to live my happily ever after with Turi, but Breckin took that from me, and now I’ll take from him. He’s been living on borrowed time.”
“Why can’t you just walk away?”
“Because Breckin needs to be punished,” he explained, as though it were logical. “He can’t just go on having a happy life. I mean, I know he doesn’t get to have you anymore. It’s obvious you’re in love with the inspector, but why does he get to have a baby? Why does he get to have a practice? Why does he never have to pay for Turi?”
“If you know he and I are over, why do you want to hurt me?”
“Because he still wants you!” he barked. “This isn’t about you, it’s about him.”
Of course it was. “But I don’t understand why you blame Breckin,” I said, though I did get it, as faulty as his logic was. “It was Turi’s choice to take his life. Breckin made mistakes, but do you truly believe that was one of them?”