Page 56 of The Moments You Were Mine

“Home. I was home. I fell asleep on the couch.”

No one said anything, but there was a rustle of clothes as the men shifted awkwardly.

“We have the security system on the house. It’ll show when I entered my code and that I didn’t leave until this morning,” I explained, irritated at even the idea of having to prove myself.

But as I looked around the cabin, my suspicions grew. Someonehadput me on that screen, which meant it had to be someone with access to our systems. Someone with the skill to do it. But why would they? What could anyone possibly gain from trying to pin this on me?

I couldn’t see JJ and Ace doing anything this crafty. They’d just come straight for me.

I swallowed hard, that bitter taste growing and coating my tongue until I didn’t think I’d ever be able to eat or drink again without tasting it.

“The video has obviously been messed with, right? I wasn’t here.” I turned to Parker, sending him a look that pleaded with him to believe me.

He nodded. “I’ll send it to Cranky. He’ll tell us when and how the video was modified.” He turned to Wylee. “You should send the footage to an official video forensic team. Going through the proper channels will take longer, but you’ll have legal evidence to back up whatever Cranky finds out for me.”

“Who the hell is Cranky?” Wylee asked.

“Member of my SEAL team. He’s in charge of all our tech and surveillance. He knows how to do things with code you wouldn’t even think was possible.”

“Sadie’s sister-in-law knows people at the NSA,” I said quietly. “If I had her ask, they’d take a look too.”

Wylee nodded. “I’d reach out to whoever you can. Getting as many eyes as we can on the evidence will help build our court case when we nail the son of a bitch.”

My stomach flopped. Getting the NSA involved meanttalking to Dad and coming clean about what had been happening since he’d left while also, somehow, convincing him not to come running back from Australia. If he did, Sadie would come too because there was no way she’d let him or me face any of this without her at our sides. And that meant my siblings would be here. In danger. No way would I allow that. Would the idea of keeping Sadie, Spencey, and Caro out of danger be enough to keep Dad away?

I had to put off telling them about any of it for as long as possible, and I had to convince Jim, Parker, and Kurt to do the same.

Suddenly, I felt trapped, buried under a heavy weight, just as I had over breakfast with Parker. I couldn’t breathe. I needed air…respite…something.

I hurried out of the security hut, anxious to get away. To smell the pine trees and the wildflowers instead of burnt wood. To feel the wind on my face instead of confused looks. To feel anything but desperation, fear, and a horrible sense of failure.

Chapter Sixteen

Parker

WHAT COWBOYS ARE FOR

Performed by Brandon Davis

EIGHT YEARS AGO

HER: I caught her with a new prescription.

HIM: Did she take any?

HER: She says no, but she flushed them before I could count them. She finally agreed to rehab.

HIM: Who’s staying with you?

HER: I don’t need anyone. We have an entire staff of people.

HIM: Fallon. Who the hell is staying with you?

HER: You sound like Dad. He and Sadie are coming, but I wish they’d just stay in Willow Creek. The performing arts center is so close to being complete. That should be their focus.

PRESENT DAY

I watched as Fallon shoved herway out of the cabin with the same desperation that she’d left her house at breakfast. She was unraveling, and I knew her well enough to realize she was escaping so no one would see it.