Page 24

A scream tore through Reagan’s thoughts, but when she opened her mouth, only a faint gasp escaped. Her heart stopped a moment before beating a frantic staccato against her chest.

“What are you doing up?”

She instantly recognized Jackson’s voice. Her knees threatened to buckle, so she clung to the back of the first chair she came to.

“You scared me,” she finally managed to say. “I thought you were asleep.”

He stepped closer to her, the shadows slipping away to allow the light to illuminate his face. “I was. I don’t need much sleep.”

“Must be nice,” she said sardonically. “I like to get my full eight hours, but it wasn’t happening tonight.”

“So go back to bed.”

Her stomach chose that moment to let loose a growl to rival a grizzly bear’s, and she was thankful for the low light to hide her flushed cheeks. She thought his lips curled in the slightest of smiles, but she couldn’t be sure.

“Kitchen’s stocked. Feel free to flip on the light switch as you go.”

She doubted he could see her glare, but she felt better shooting one at him. She hadn’t made it farther than a few steps when she paused and turned back in his direction. He stood in the same spot watching her leave. She might regret pushing his buttons later, but she couldn’t let this opportunity pass.

“You didn’t have to lie. I know I pushed you for answers, but making up a story wasn’t necessary. I just wanted the truth. If I understand more about English and what’s going on, I could be some help to you and your brothers. You’d be surprised at all of the random knowledge I have from the researching a book and at how much reasoning it takes to work out the plot to a mystery novel. I could be a great resource for you.”

She didn’t expect him to reply. Having said her peace, she was already heading into the kitchen when he spoke. The quiet, gentle tone was one she hadn’t heard from him. It enveloped her like a warm hug, and the dim light and quietness of the house added an intimate feel and caused goose bumps to pop up on her skin.

“I didn’t lie. Not a lot of people know anything about what I told you, but you can ask Becky. She’ll confirm it’s all true.”

Her eyes slid closed, and she couldn’t bring herself to turn around and confront him. “So, you’re saying my father was a spy, and he raised you, Luke, Easton and Ben to be what? More spies or vigilantes or something?”

“Vigilantes is close, but we’ve never liked the word. That’s why we decided to name ourselves after Gish.”

“Right. The Legends…isn’t that what you said? People called him Legend. Well what kind of legend abandons his wife and daughter without an explanation?”

“The kind who wants to protect his wife and daughter from the danger he faced with his job. It takes courage to do what he did.”

She whirled around, her hair slapping her cheek with the sudden move. “Courage? You’ve described him as some big, bad spy who had such a stellar reputation that he earned a one-of-a-kind nickname. So what couldn’t the big, bad spy protect us himself? Why didn’t he come back after he retired? Why did he decide to raise boys in a crummy bar instead of being with his daughter who adored him and wished she could have an adventure with him one more time? That’s not courage, Jackson. That’s cowardice.”

She wasn’t sure what she expected from him. Anger at her accusation. Sympathy for her pain. Anything except him completely ignoring her rant.

“Gish is out of surgery.”

She blinked at the sudden change in subject. “How do you know? How is he?”

“Becky called. He’s critical, and they won’t know for a while if the surgery helped or hurt.”

“Why didn’t you come and get me when she called?”

“I thought you were sleeping. I figured I could update you in the morning. There’s nothing more you can do now anyway. It’s a waiting game.”

“That’s not the point. I needed to know he made it out of surgery. His life is in my hands, and I’ve been…afraid I made the wrong choice. And you decided I would rather sleep than know my father didn’t die on the operating table. I mean…I just…I can’t…”

Reagan angrily swiped at the tears that started to fall, but she hated the sobs wracking her body. She wasn’t one to cave into her emotions, but this wave took over, violently shaking her body. She couldn’t have Jackson witness her show of weakness, not if she wanted him to take her seriously. Whirling around, she was ready to run back to her room when a firm grip on her arm stopped her. She was gently spun around and enveloped in a strong, warm embrace. Her body stiffened until a hand smoothed her hair from her face and pushed her head forward to rest against a broad chest.

The steady rhythm of Jackson’s heartbeat thumped in her ear. She started to pull away, but his arms held her steady. Unable to stop herself, she collapsed against him and gave in to the tears. She cried as if she was releasing years of grief and hurt through her tears. Her sobs raged against the unfairness, not caring that this stranger was witnessing her vulnerability. Eventually her life would return to normal, and this man, his brothers and her father would cease to be a part of her world.

The tears seemed unending, but eventually her sobs eased into sniffles and hiccups. The force of the tears lessened, but she didn’t pull away. She told herself it was because she didn’t want to face him after her outburst. She imagined derision on his face at having to deal with a hysterical woman.

“I was eighteen before I found out about Legend. I had a hard time believing him too. I left for basic training the next day hating him. I guess that’s why he decided not to tell me about you. The only reason Becky knew was she happened to be with him when he was drunk and started reminiscing. He told her that leaving you and your mom was his greatest regret, but he couldn’t risk the danger of his job touching either of you. Keeping secrets is what kept him alive, and I guess he'd gotten so used to it, he never could bring himself to tell the truth to those closest to him. At least, that’s Becky’s theory.”

Reagan suspected Becky was right, but she wasn’t ready to be understanding. English hurt her when he walked away, and God help her, she wanted him to be the one to ask her for forgiveness.