Page 72 of Wasted

“Yes.”

The conflicting answers came from Victoria and Cillian at the same time.

She glanced at him, instantly regretting it.

His gaze locked on hers, confusion and a hint of something that looked like hurt clouding his dark irises.

“I remember I thought you were a really cute couple. Made me want a boyfriend.” Spring smiled and squeezed Torin’s hand, interlocked with hers. Her fiancé had lifted her from her wheelchair to sit beside him on the sofa, between him and Treese. He returned Spring’s adoring gaze.

Victoria forced a breath out through her nose, trying to ease the tension in her muscles without compromising her composure. “I only meant it was never official because…” Now she’d done it, boxing herself into a corner. She couldn’t announce to her siblings that she had rebelled against their father—the very thing she and Mom had raised them never to do.

“Because I left.”

Victoria jerked her gaze to Cillian.

He looked at her siblings instead of her, a nonchalant grin shaping his mouth. “Call of the wild and all that. Took me a while to settle down.”

Warmth began to filter through Victoria’s stomach and traveled upward as she stared at his profile. He understood her dilemma and took the blame for something she had made him do to protect her example for her siblings. He had made himself look bad for her, something the old Cillian, with all his confidence and pride, never would have done. Perhaps he had changed.

He turned his head toward her, catching her gaze with his. His eyes were full of meaning, of things she didn’t have the courage to decipher at the moment.

“Well, I think we’re all glad you’re back.” The amusement in Robert’s tone made her look away from Cillian, battling to hold at bay the heat that rushed toward her cheeks. “To help us prove Vicki is innocent, of course.” Robert grinned at her, his expression all too knowing. Wonderful. He likely wouldn’t miss anything that was between her and Cillian, given his psychiatric training.

She might need therapy after all this. But at the moment, she needed to distract her siblings from dating speculation and put the kibosh on this whole investigation idea before it continued. “I’m grateful you all want to help. It’s important that we rally around one another as a family during hard times.”

“But?” Robert propped the ankle of one leg on his opposite knee, comfortably encased in the low-backed, black leather armchair. “We can all hear it coming, Vicki.” His eyes twinkled with humor.

She pressed her lips together. “But none of you should become involved with a murder investigation. It could damage your reputations to be associated with it.”

“That’s already a risk with our sister on the news, being branded a murderer.” Robert lifted his last piece of pizza off his plate and took a large bite.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Precisely my point. You should all stay as far away from me and this case as possible until everything is resolved.”

“I’m not afraid of getting my reputation a little sullied.” Treese smirked.

“Is there any left to sully?” Hank grinned at the others as he asked the question.

Treese punched him in the shoulder from behind.

“Ouch, you must be working out.” He rubbed his shoulder, feigning a wince.

“The point is,” Victoria continued in a stern tone, “becoming involved in this carries risks. No matter how you feel about it, you all know Dad would not want any of you to get involved and would want you to distance yourselves.”

“You have a valid point.” Robert nodded, his expression actually befitting the gravity of this topic. “But I would argue that Dad also does not want his daughter tried for murder or convicted of murder.”

“You don’t think it could really go that far, do you?” Spring’s eyebrows bunched as she stared at Robert.

“Someone planted evidence in Vicki’s car, and the police believed it.” He turned his head to the left toward Spring. “Who’s to say that same individual won’t manufacture more evidence?”

“How did you know about the bookend?” Victoria had been told by the lawyer her father had hired that no details about evidence had been released to the press.

“From Spring.”

Victoria swung her gaze to Spring.

“I heard it from Hank.”

Hank readjusted his long legs to cross pretzel-style. “I got it from Treese.”