Page 22 of Twisted Truths (The Sunburnt Hearts #4)

“Rylan was only young when I moved away, but we spoke after every game, and he wasn’t afraid to dissect every part of my game and tell me what I was doing wrong.

He’d rattle off player stats like he was auditioning for a job with ESPN.

” Soft laughter breaks out, and I smile for the first time today, though it’s full of pain and regret.

“Ry looked up to me, and I never got the chance to tell him how much that meant to me.”

I risk a glance at Hadley, who’s dabbing at her swollen eyes with a tissue.

“Zara…”

My breath catches, and there’s a tightening in my chest, like my ribs are folding in on themselves. Fuck, am I having a heart attack?

The shift happens almost instantaneously. The moment I say my sister’s name, the silence in the church switches from that of grief to discomfort. I know what they’re all thinking. What they really think. Zara’s a murderer. They’re sitting here today because of what she did.

I see it in their eyes, their tight mouths, their lowered gazes. They mourn Mum, Paul, and Rylan—but Zara? They’re not sure what to do with her. She doesn’t fit into the story they want to tell.

I clutch at my chest and movement at the back of the church catches my eye. Hadley sits forward in her seat, her hands gripping the pew tightly as if she’s about to launch herself towards me.

Gabriel is watching her, an unreadable expression on his face. Something inside of me breaks. He doesn’t get to look at her like that. He needs to stay away from her. Like he should have stayed away from Zara .

My sister deserves justice, but now is not the time, nor the place.

This is the time to celebrate the sister I knew.

In a rush of words, I let it all out.

“Zara loved hard. She was loyal to a fault. When we were younger, she would curl up on the couch with Mum every night and complete some craft project or another. On Saturday mornings, she would sit at the table with Paul and puzzle over the crosswords and quizzes in the newspaper. And she loved Rylan fiercely. Zara was the one who taught him how to ride a bike and how to stand up for himself. She was the one who sat with him when he had his appendix out and did all the crazy social media trends with him. She was the best sister anyone could ever ask for, and now she’s gone. They’re all gone.”

I bury my head in my hands and finally let it all out.

All the pain, all the sorrow, all the guilt.

Everything. For the first time since I’ve been home, I completely break down.

I can’t move. I’m stuck, frozen in time and space, until I feel Levi’s arms around my shoulder, and I let him lead me down from the altar.

The rest of the service is a blur. Others get up and speak of Mum, of Paul, of Rylan. Levi shares of his relationship with Zara. But I don’t hear any of it. I’m too lost in a storm of grief.

I can’t look when the slideshow of photographs from my childhood plays on the big screen to a medley of “Angels” by Robbie Williams, “In the Stars” by Benson Boon, and “How do I say Goodbye” by Dean Lewis.

It was hard enough going through the photo albums. More so when I reached the years after I left Barrenridge.

While I talked to my family every other day, there were so many things I missed while chasing my basketball dreams overseas.

When the haunting melody of “Forever Young” by Youth Group starts, I’m hit with another wave of emotion.

Ziggy and Rylan will never grow up, never fall in love, get married, have kids.

They’ll be eternally young. Mum and Paul weren’t that old, either.

She was only eighteen when she had me. She still had her whole life ahead of her.

There’s movement as Father Malachi calls for the pallbearers, and my chest constricts with the reminder Zara has no one to carry her.

I steel myself to do this one last thing for her, but then Paige grips my hand, grounding me, and she nods towards the steps of the altar.

Four burley bikers move forward in formation—black leather, heavy boots, solemn expressions. Once again, Rowan Knight is leading them.

He steps up with that quiet, unshakable presence he always carries, like the world could fall apart around him and he’d still hold the line.

My heart aches, because I know he’s not doing this for Ziggy.

He’s doing it for me.

Because he knows I can’t do it. Not today.

That knowledge kills me and saves me all at once.

Rowan reaches the casket and places his hand gently on the wood, before catching my eye and giving me the smallest nod, as if to say, I’ve got her now.

And just like that, Ziggy isn’t alone.

Clutching Paige’s arm, with Levi on her other side, we follow the procession down the nave. Gabriel and Hadley are noticeably absent when I pass the final pew, and I wonder if I imagined their presence, but I don’t have time to dwell on it.

I’m numb, watching as my family is loaded into the hearses.

I want to scream .

It bubbles inside of me, but I can’t fall apart.

Not here.

Not in front of everyone.

Swallowing it all down, I tell myself to keep it together.

Just a little longer.

Mourners approach, offering their condolences, each one wearing the same carefully constructed mask of sympathy.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” they murmur.

“Such a tragedy.”

“Your mother was a lovely woman.”

They say all the right things, their hands brushing mine, but it’s clear in their eyes. The flicker of hesitation.

It’s not for Paul, or Mum, or Rylan.

No. It’s for Zara.

If they mention her, it’s in a vague, hurried breath. A tight smile. A hand on my shoulder followed by an immediate glance away.

I’m only just holding my shit together.

And like he knows, Rowan steps into my vision. Sadie Cooper is by his side, and my eyes widen slightly. I hadn’t realised she was back in town. Last I’d heard, she’d left after finding her best friend, Logan—Rowan’s brother—dead on graduation night. No one talks about that anymore, either.

“I’m so sorry, Nash,” she says, enveloping me in a warm embrace. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”

“Thanks,” I mutter as we pull apart. Looking up at the imposing biker standing next to her, I try to convey how much his actions today meant to me. “Thanks for stepping up in there, mate.”

Rowan shakes his head. “Don’t mention it.”

Sadie bites her bottom lip, hesitating before speaking. “I don’t believe it,” she says, glancing briefly at the Ridge Riders’ VP before locking eyes with me again. “I don’t believe Zara did it. I hope you find the answers you’re looking for.”

My stomach twists. If the chief of police’s daughter doesn’t buy the story they’re all pushing, then how the hell can her father close the case?

Rowan gently touches her elbow and guides her away, giving me space. But the knot in my chest only tightens.

Before I can dwell any further, there’s a flash of purple in my periphery, and before I can even react, arms are wrapping around my waist.

“Hey, Nash,” comes the soft voice muffled against my chest.

“Hey, Dottie,” I say, awkwardly patting her back.

She’s changed a lot from the shy, goth girl I was dared to kiss during a game of spin the bottle back in year eleven. I glance past her, meeting the eye of an older, tattooed man hovering a few feet away, watching us with quiet protectiveness—her uncle, Damon, who owns the mechanics in town.

“Long time no see.”

She pulls back and looks up at me, her violet eyes rimmed with tears. “I wish it were under different circumstances.”

“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “Me too. Thanks for coming.”

“Of course.” She tucks her hair behind her ear. “If you need anything—anything at all—please don’t hesitate to reach out. I remember Zara from high school, and what they’re saying is completely outlandish. It’s utter bullshit, and whatever you need, I’m here for you.”

Her voice cracks on the last word.

I nod, unable to say anything around the lump in my throat.

I expected the entire Barrenridge community to be against Zara, but it’s nice to know I have some people in my corner. People who really knew my sister .

As Dottie moves over to talk to Levi and Paige, Shane and his sister, Morgan take her place.

“There’s nothing new,” Shane says when I open my mouth to ask. “I’m only here to offer my condolences. I know today isn’t easy.”

“You got that right,” I mutter, as I focus on his sister. “Thanks for coming, Morgan.”

She hugs me tight. “My brother is trying,” she murmurs, too soft for anyone else to hear. “I know it’s not much, but he wants to help.”

I tense as she releases me and steps back.

Morgan joins Paige and Dottie, but Shane doesn’t move on.

Instead, he holds out a familiar set of keys, and I swallow the lump forming in my throat as I take them from him.

“There’s some work to be done,” he states gruffly. “But the worst has been taken care of.”

The worst has been taken care of.

The blood. So much blood.

Shane doesn’t know I’ve been out there. He doesn’t know that what I saw has been plaguing my nightmares since I returned to Barrenridge.

“Thank you.”

“If you find anything, let me know.”

My eyes meet his in a silent confirmation.

Levi moves to my side after shaking hands with Shane who gives a nod and walks away without looking back.

I don’t know what he sees on my face, but Levi nudges me with his shoulder. “I know this is a redundant question on a day like today, but are you okay? What did he have to say? Has he found anything new?”

“I’m fine,” I tell him. “There’s nothing new. He was simply here to offer his condolences. ”

He studies me carefully before nodding. “Alright, we’ll be heading back to the house for the wake in a few. You ready?”

I’m about to say yes when a flash of auburn hair catches my attention. “Give me a couple of minutes,” I tell him, heading back towards the church.