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Thea’s uncle, Bruce, was just as awful as Tommy, and Emerson had suffered the abuse of her dad much more than Thea had. Bruce was especially cruel to Emerson and always had been. He’d wanted sons, not daughters, and Emerson bore the brunt of his disappointment. It was a miracle she’d survived as long as she had.

Emerson’s dark brows pinched together. “You better believe I can! It’s just like a Patton to show up when one of us is down and defenseless. When are they gonna get it through their thick heads?”

“None of this is Brett’s fault.” Thea said the words without thinking, and now she wanted to shove them back in her mouth. Defending Brett had gotten her into this mess to start with, and she’d let her family turn her against him back then.

She’d wondered over the years whether or not she listened to the right voice. At the time, the louder won out, but now, she was almost sure the still small voice that kept urging her to choose Brett was the one she should have listened to. She’d been so positive he was innocent, until Gage pointed out all the reasons he wasn’t.

“You’re trying to tell me that the Pattons didn’t do this to you.” Emerson huffed and propped her hands on her hips. It was her signature pose–one that sometimes made her five-foot-two stance look more like five-foot-ten.

Thea and Emerson had grown up together. They’d been born six weeks apart, but they were as different as night and day. Emerson was loud and didn’t care what anyone thought about the opinions she spouted. Thea shied away from any confrontation, often choosing the path of least resistance just to keep the peace.

Thea swallowed hard. Her mouth had gone bone dry. “I don’t know who it was. It was so dark.” Though, she was almost certain it hadn’t been the Pattons. They wouldn’t step foot on the Howards’ lands without expecting an all-out war.

“You mean this happened last night? What did you do?”

“I went to see Mom.”

Emerson threw her head back and grunted. “I told you not to go last night.”

“You said Tommy would be gone.”

“And I’m sure he was, but if you’d waited one more day he would have been in Cody.”

“Does it really matter how far away he was? I got caught anyway.”

Emerson turned to pace along the bedside, stomping and huffing with every step. “Those Pattons are gonna be sorry they ever set foot–”

“I don’t know who it was,” Thea said. She reached for Emerson’s arm again when she paced closer. “Promise me you won’t tell anyone Brett was here.”

“They’re gonna know!” Emerson smarted.

“I know, but I…I need some time to heal. I don’t want to get caught up in the kind of mess they bring until I’m out of the hospital.”

Emerson’s nostrils flared, and her lips thinned into a line.

“Please?” Thea begged.

Emerson rolled her eyes. “Fine, but they’re not gonna get away with this one. We’ll make sure they pay for what they did to you.”

Thea’s stomach turned. It was starting up again–the kindling that always grew into a wildfire when the Howards and the Pattons pointed fingers at each other. Emerson hadn’t even asked about Thea’s injuries. Emerson had always been driven by revenge instead of compassion.

It made sense to keep from getting emotionally attached to the people in their family. Her dad hadn’t been the only casualty they’d endured. Hate ripped the people you loved right out of your arms.

“Please, don’t say anything. Who told you I was here?”

“Nobody! I called Gage to find out if he’d seen you when I realized you hadn’t come home last night. He wasn’t even going to tell me!”

Gage’s secrecy confirmed Thea’s fears. Her brother probably knew the Howards were responsible for her injuries. It was the only reason he’d keep quiet.

Emerson flopped down onto the bed beside Thea’s throbbing ankle. “I shouldn’t have told you about Sharon.”

“No, I’m glad you did. Now that I’ve seen Mom, hopefully I can get out of here without starting any more trouble.” The thought of leaving her mom for good still gutted her, but what choice did she have? The old fires were still burning around here.

“I don’t want that guy hanging around here,” Emerson said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder toward the door.

Thea didn’t have a good response. She didn’t exactly want Brett to leave. She’d missed him so badly over the years it had physically hurt, but she also still grappled with the circumstances around her dad’s death.

Brett had been with Mark that night, and his presence implied some kind of involvement. At least, she’d thought so until today. Hearing Brett’s side almost broke her heart.