Page 107 of Revealing Mark

The revelation blew my mind.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

“He was unarmed,” I mumbled, trying to piece the exact story together.

Mark nodded, watching my reaction. I knew what that meant, I didn’t have to be a lawyer to know which side of the law that put him on.

“But there was no guarantee he would get out,” I floundered. “He would have gone away for life, surely?”

“Are you sure?” Damien interrupted. “I’m studying law and let me tell you something, sometimes the criminals get away with doing very bad things. Life is not fair.”

“But he tried to shoot up a school,” I argued. “There is no way he would have gotten away with that.”

“And if he had played the insanity card?” Mark questioned softly.

“He would have gotten a few years in a mental facility but eventually he would have gotten out,” Damien informed me.

I got it. There were so many variables and there had been no guarantee at the time that Haven’s stepfather would have gone to prison forever.

Haven was still seated across the table, looking morewithdrawn. I couldn’t imagine what she had been through, not just the multiple times her stepfather had tried to kill her, but all those years of abuse. And her mother.

How did someone carry on after something like that? But here she was in front of me, with the man in her life attentive to her every need. When she was upset, he held her hand, when she quieted, he reassured her with his touch, and when she needed support, he put his arm around her.

It made all my issues look like a picnic. It was grounding and put a lot into perspective for me.

“I’m sorry that happened to you,” I said to Haven. She withdrew her hands from the table.

“Mark saved our lives,” she responded. “Because of what he did… I’ve been able to try to live my life without fear.”

I nodded.

“We got our stories straight and told the cops Mark shot Grant in self-defense when he tried to attack him,” she added. “With no reason not to believe us, they never investigated it further.”

I digested that information quietly.

“The question is are you going to be able to keep our secret?” This came from her husband beside her.

There was no hesitation on my part. “I’ll never breathe a word to anyone.”

Damien held my gaze for a few moments, probably trying to gauge if I were telling the truth. “You understand that if this gets out, Mark will pay the highest price.”

I nodded. I had more to lose than him.

Mark had been quiet beside me. “I think it’s time to go.”

“Our visits are never long enough.” Haven rose.

When I stood, my legs felt a little shaky. Mark led the way to the front door.

“I’ll see you guys in a month,” he said, shaking hands withDamien and Chris before hugging Haven while I stood beside him.

“I hope next time Tracy will join you again,” Haven said, giving me a friendly smile, which was a lot coming from her.

“I’d like that,” I murmured. I was being allowed into a tightly knit group.

Mark was quiet when we started our trip back. I kept my mouth shut as well, not wanting to start a conversation with him yet. I wanted to wait until we got back to either his or my apartment.

When we arrived at his apartment, I was ready to say all the things that had built up in the car ride.