Page 121 of Mr. Edwards

My hand is trembling as I wrap my fingers around it and move it toward the notepad. In the end, I settle on two words.

I’m sorry.

A tear slips down my cheek as I remove the ring Grayson placed on my finger a few hours ago. I bring it toward my mouth and place a soft kiss on it before laying it on top of the paper. My heart is shattered beyond repair and I already know I’ll never fully recover from this.

Jason reaches down and scoops up my bag, hustling me outside. When we reach his car, he opens the passenger door and shoves me inside. Is this the end for me? Is he going to kill me and dump my body in the forest? Death is probably best because being forced to live a life without Grayson’s love is a fate far worse.

Half an hour later he pulls up alongside a gas station. We are in the middle of nowhere.

He reaches across me, tugging on the handle and opening my door. I’m perplexed is he letting me go?

“You go near Grayson, or tell anyone what happened, your mother will be the first one to die, followed by lover boy.” He roughly grasps hold of my chin. It hurts, but again I remain passive. He’d probably take pleasure in the knowledge he’s hurting me. “I’m not fucking around here, Carlee, so heed my warning if you don’t want blood on your hands.”

With that, he shoves me with such force, I tumble from the car. I land on my side in the dirt with a thud. By the time I push to my feet, he’s already reached into the back seat and grabbed my backpack, tossing it out, just like he did me.

He slams the passenger door shut and leaves a cloudof dust swirling around me as he hastily drives away. I stand there rooted to the spot until his car finally disappears from view. It’s only then that I let the gravity of this situation sink in.

Falling to my knees I begin to weep.

I take his warning seriously; this man is a monster. I may have the power to destroy him, but he’ll do anything to keep his secret safe, and that’s a chance I’m not willing to take.

I knew what I had to do. As hard as it was going to be to walk away, I needed to disappear, it was the only answer.

Chapter 28

Grayson

My stomach lurches as all the missing pieces to this fucking nightmare I’ve been living fall into place. Carlee didn’t leave because she didn’t love me, she left because she did.

“He came to the cabin that day?” I ask.

“Yes,” she answers without hesitation.

Standing, I clutch my head in my hands as I try to wrap my head around this madness. There’s no longer a faceless name associated with her attacker. Jason Edwards is the man accountable. Worst still, he used my dad’s nickname while doing it.

He’s responsible for all this heartache, not to mention the demise of my relationship with Carlee. For that alone, I could kill him.

I’ve always been a family man. I’ve treasured all of my relatives fiercely since losing my dad. If his death taught me anything, it was that life is short, so never take your loved ones for granted. After everything I’ve just learned, any affection I held for my uncle, a man I once respected, has disintegrated in mere seconds.

How many others were there? Was Carlee his onlyvictim? Images of my two young cousins, his daughters, flash through my mind… my sister Katlin too.

Turning, I start heading toward the doorway. I can’t stay here knowing that a man I trusted is responsible for this carnage. Carlee was right, this is all my fault.

“Grayson, where are you going?” Reece asks, reaching out to snag my elbow.

“I need to get out of here.”

“You’re going to see him, aren’t you?”

I turn my face away and nod. Carlee was right on the money when she said the truth wouldn’t set me free. My head is so fucked up right now. Thinking of all the time I spent with that man when I was a kid makes me sick to the stomach.

“Let me come with you.”

“Carlee needs you here,” I say.

He exhales a long, drawn-out breath. “She’s going to need you too. Don’t do anything stupid, okay.”

When Reece drops my arm, I resume my exit, ignoring his last statement. I can’t make promises I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep.