Page 84 of Search for the Truth

Her throat hurt at the question. She flinched.

Liam’s face softened. His fingers traced the side of her jaw before his hand enveloped her own at her side.

“You landed yourself in the hospital. We’re in a private room. You just cleared a round of doctors.”

Blake’s brow scrunched of its own accord.

“Concussion?” she asked.

He nodded.

“And one heck of a bruise and bump for it.” His face darkened. “Who knew Elijah Grant had such a damned hard head.”

The name brought a bad taste into her mouth.

It wasn’t the only thing.

“Did I get sick?” she asked. Blake felt like she was extremely hungover. He confirmed her suspicion.

“You came to in the ambulance and got sick a whole bunch. Poor Theo nearly lost it at the sight but didn’t want me to tell you that.” He smiled, lopsided. “He says he’s not like most teenagers, but he really wants to keep that reputation of his tight.”

Blake was relieved to see Liam joking about the boy.

“He’s okay, then?”

He nodded. Then became serious again.

“I actually don’t think I could have pulled off getting you to the ambulance without him. You’re easy to carry under normal circumstances but off a building’s roof—well, it was a bit trickier. Plus, he kept fussing after the stitches on my arm. They didn’t pop, though, and he kept his cool.”

Blake was trying to think back.

All she remembered was Elijah’s head hitting hers.

That and his admissions. The old ache in her heart started to hurt. She decided to push it to the side for now.

“What happened?”

Liam held her hand tight as he recounted the rooftop fight. While she had taken on Elijah, he had made his way out onto the roof from the office and shot the man named Eric the moment he was close enough to get a good opening. Before he could knock the man out with a bone-crunching hit, Elijah had already attacked Blake.

“That’s when you shot Elijah,” she guessed.

She was wrong.

“Someone followed me and came out onto the rooftop too. He’s the one who shot Elijah.”

Blake didn’t understand his expression. She raised her eyebrow in question.

“Who was it?”

She wasn’t sure she heard him clearly, so she asked him to repeat himself.

The second time, it was clear enough.

“Ryan Reed, your sister’s former brother-in-law. He’s the one who shot Elijah.”

“Ryan? As in Tim’s brother? Clem and Bruce’s uncle?” Blake didn’t understand, so she had to make sure she clarified.

Liam nodded.