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A collapsed lung? No wonder her chest hurt so bad. What did that even mean? Some of the fear in her heart dissipated at Brett’s softness.

Why did he want to stay? They were at odds now, born on different sides of the war lines. The last time she’d seen him, he was being questioned by police with his hands cuffed.

She could still see the flashing lights from that night. The eerie glow had cast his face in shadow. Sometimes, that’s how he appeared in her dreams. Sometimes, he was the sweet boy who’d made her believe in love.

Did any of that boy still exist? She’d really thought so before he got his hands bloody. The lines between witness and suspect had blurred that night, but did it matter which category he fell under? He’d been there when her dad took his last breath. He’d been thereasonher dad had never taken another one. What was innocence when everyone was at fault?

There wasn’t any innocence when Gage had basically overheard Brett’s confession, moments after he’d been legally found innocent. He himself had admitted to killing her dad. What defense did he have after that? He even had a motive. All signs pointed to guilty, despite what the judge and jury had decided.

Brett crouched beside the bed and slid his hand under hers. The warmth crept from her hand up her arm, and she pulled away.

A shock of hurt flashed across Brett’s features. “I don’t know why you left, but I’ve been looking for you ever since.”

The tug-of-war started fresh in her mind. The sweetness of his voice said he didn’t mean her harm, but had he been looking for her for the same reason as the other Pattons and Howards? Did he see her as another Howard to destroy in the name of revenge?

No. He’d killed her dad in a misguided attempt to help her, and despite her dad’s evil ways, she couldn’t think murder had been the solution to her abuse.

Brett rubbed a hand over his face. “Thea, I wouldneverhurt you. Ever.” He threw his hands in the air. “And despite what your brother would have you believe, I didn’t hurt anybody!”

Gage narrowed his eyes and scoffed. “My jaw begs to differ.”

“You know what I mean. I didn’t have anything to do with what happened to your dad. If that’s what you’re unsure about, this is me assuring you that I didn’t have a part in that.” Brett’s volume started to fall toward the end, and he looked back to Thea. “I’m sorry.”

Her dad and the man she loved had been on starkly opposing sides that night five years ago. She’d been so shaken up about her dad’s death that she hadn’t stopped to reason. Innocent until proven guilty had briefly crossed her mind only to be overpowered by her family’s bias.

Another piece of the ancient puzzle clicked into place. Brett’s dad had been killed first, throwing gasoline on the fire burning between their families. Her dad had been a casualty of retaliation. An eye for an eye.

The whole concept was ridiculous now, but it hadn’t always been that way. Thea had grown up in a home where loyalty to the Howards was prided above all else. No one ever told her to love her neighbor or do unto others as she would have them do unto her. No, the Howards knew how to fight the Pattons, just as their parents had taught them.

She had to be careful. If she tried to defend Brett again like she had back then–before she knew his true guilt–Gage would run back to their family and label her as a traitor.

Once a traitor, always a traitor.

Gage crossed his arms over his broad chest and lifted his shoulders. “You gonna keep looking at her like that, or am I going to have to escort you out of here?”

Brett rolled his eyes and leaned toward Thea to whisper, “His bark has always been worse than his bite.”

Thea’s cheeks had already started to lift in a smile before she remembered the pain. The thin skin under her eye stretched, and she winced.

“If you two are going to dance, can you take it to the parking lot?” It hurt to talk past the swelling in her face. “And maybe send a nurse this way while you’re at it?”

Brett stood and fumbled for the bedside remote. “I hollered for someone when you first woke up.”

Gage took the opportunity to question her. “Do you know who did it?”

Thea held his gaze for a few seconds. Was he asking because he wanted to know how much she knew? Or was he asking out of concern? “I don’t know.”

“Come on, Thea. Was it us or them?” Gage jerked his head toward Brett.

“Why would it be a Patton?” Brett asked. “I had no idea Thea was even in town, and I guarantee you the other Pattons never give her a second thought when Tommy, Bruce, and Cain are out there.”

Thea’s stomach rolled. Was it the pain or the mention of her uncles and cousin? Either way, she was about to be sick. It was all too much, and she was tired of fighting the dizziness.

Her mom was dying. Two men had run her down in the forest and beaten her senseless. The man she’d foolishly thought she loved was standing beside her, but he’d broken her heart just as thoroughly as he’d appeared to treasure it. She didn’t know if she could trust her brother. Oh, and she apparently had a collapsed lung and really didn’t have the money to spring for an extended stay at the hospital inn.

Gage’s thick arms flexed. “Why would it be a Howard?”

“It wasn’t me or any of the minions I could have at my beck and call. I’ll tell you that for free. The only ones you needed to worry about are either dead or in prison. I’m here because I care!” Brett said. “You’d have to be stupid to think I did this.”