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Sheriff Brewer glances from me to Dr. Hammell, settles a second on Lauren before moving back to me.

“You alright there, Everly?”

I nod.

It must not have looked convincing when he shifts his attention to Dr. Hammell for confirmation.

“A few bumps and bruises. A small hairline fracture in the humerus, but nothing that won’t heal itself.”

Brewer’s mouth thins under the bristles of his mustache. “Should have kept that son of a bitch locked up longer.”

“Should have shot him,” Lauren corrects.

Brewer doesn’t argue, but gives a low grunt and faces Dr. Hammell. “Can we get a minute, Doc?”

I know what’s coming.

I’ve watched enough crime dramas to deduce this is where he asks what happened. Lauren and I rehearsed our story a million times on the drive back. We know it by heart and still my stomach quivers with uncertainty. I have to resist the urge toglance at her, not trusting myself to keep a blank expression if I do.

Dr. Hammell waddles out and closes the door softly behind him. It’s just the three of us in a weird triangle.

“Want to tell me what happened, honey?”

I start from the very beginning. I start from the lie. The shady gray where I realized Bron was no good for me. Where his treatment of me became a concern. I skip over catching him with Lauren. That story isn’t mine to tell and Lauren isn’t ready to tell it. I avoid everything that has to do with Van and Lachlan and move to the night he arrested Bron at my house.

“I think he knew I was going to break up with him,” I say softly. “He came to my house all crazy and kicking at the door. You heard him, Sheriff.”

Brewer nods slowly, expression a mixture of fury and kind insistence to continue. So, I tell him about Bron ambushing me at Holland’s. Everything he did in the clearing. Almost everything he said.

“He wanted me to lie and clear his name,” I murmur. “I said I would. I just wanted him to bring me back.”

Thunderclouds darken Brewer’s worn face, tightening his lips into a thin, white line, but he doesn’t interrupt.

“He attacked me. Said it was payment for everything I put him through.”

“That’s when I found them,” Lauren pipes in when I fall silent. “He was on top of her. She was screaming, telling him to stop. I grabbed a branch and I hit him.”

Brewer turns his whole body to face her. “How did you see Everly getting grabbed?”

“I was on my way to meet her at Holland’s. I saw her get out of her car. Saw him grab her. She dropped her purse and keys. I tried to run after them, but he already had her in his truck. I grabbed her keys, got into her car and followed. She had her phone plugged in and I called you.”

Brewer’s wide chest expands with a deep inhale. “I was in my truck, following your directions until our signal got cut off.” He pivots to face me. “Do you remember at all where you were or what route he took?”

I shake my head. “He slammed my head into the door. I think I blacked out .”

He glances at Lauren who shakes her head. “I was too focused on getting Everly. Afterwards, I was trying to get her to the doctor. I didn’t really care about anything else.”

He rubs a hand over his face and along his jaw. “And Bron was alive when you left him?”

We both nod. A little too quickly. But he doesn’t seem to notice.

“I only hit him twice,” Lauren lies. “He was moving when I pulled Everly to her feet and helped her back to the car.”

“Well, I have men driving around town and checking with the hospital up in Mayfield in case he decides to check himself in. Don’t worry. We will find him, and I’ll make sure he doesn’t do this to anyone else ever again.”

I think about how this is going to get back to Lachlan and my anxiety spikes for the first time.

“Has anyone talked to Lach ... Mr. Shaw?” I ask.