Chapter 14
By the time they pulled into her brother’s place, the rain had passed, and the sun had finally pushed its way through, though the air still carried a sharp chill. Doug had a fire going in the pit, and Dena was running circles around the yard with Knox, laughing and carefree.
Monica’s gaze drifted to Kane. He was talking with her brother, looking strangely relaxed as he leaned back in his chair, long legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles.
The man she’d met in that bar—hard, cold, intimidating—was nowhere in sight.
This version of Kane, she hadn’t known he existed.
And she felt awful for how she’d treated him.
But in her own defense, she’d been terrified when she found out someone had been showing her picture around.
She’d had no clue what the hell was going on. The sad truth was, she still didn’t.
Taking down a man like John Griffen had sounded like the right move to figure out what happened to her sister, but she’d gone in completely blind to this world.
“Okay, I’m gonna get the grill started,” Doug said, pushing to his feet, taking her out of her thoughts. “Steak sound good to everyone?”
“Doug, we can grab something on the way back to my place,” Monica said softly. Her brother was just as drained both physically and emotionally as she was.
“I have to do something to take my mind off shit,” he said with a tired smile. “And grilling does that for me.”
She understood that all too well, so she nodded, watching him head for the grill. She glanced back to see Knox and Dena locked in a fierce tug-of-war with a stick. Ken was stretched out in a lawn chair, eyes closed.
And then her gaze found Kane sitting there, watching her.
“I misjudged you,” she whispered. He heard her; she could tell by the way his lips tugged into a grin.
“A lot of people do,” Kane said easily. “Keeps ’em guessing who the real me is.”
Monica snorted, rolling her eyes. “I’m being serious.”
“So am I,” he chuckled, but the smile slipped, replaced by something more serious. “What brought this on?”
She clasped her hands in her lap, staring into the flames. “I just realized I was wrong about you. And I’m… trying to apologize, but you’re not exactly making it easy.”
Kane uncrossed his feet and leaned forward.
“Monica, there’s no need to apologize. I was an asshole, am an asshole, and will continue being an asshole.
” He winked when her head snapped toward him.
“You reacted the way you did because you were scared. I get it. And honestly? I respected you for how you handled yourself. Pissed me off once or twice, sure, but I respected it.”
“Did I mess everything up by saying you were my bodyguard?” she asked, biting her lip. She’d thought she was being clever. Now she wasn’t so sure. Maybe she’d just killed any chance for him getting on the inside, or even her getting the job at all.
“I don’t know,” Kane admitted.
“Shit,” she muttered, dropping her head as if the fight had already been lost.
Kane stood, then came over to sit beside her on the bench. “Trust me to know what I’m doing, Monica.” He rested his elbows on his knees and glanced over at her. She turned, meeting his eyes.
“Can you trust me?”
She gave a small nod. “Yeah,” she whispered, meaning it. So far, he had shown nothing but kindness to her and her family.
“Good,” Kane said, still holding her gaze. “Because I’m trusting you, too. We need to be a team for this to work. I usually go solo, but if that phone call from Farrar earlier was about me, we might need a new plan.”
“Should I call him back?” She frowned, making it obvious that was the last thing she wanted.
“No.” Kane shook his head and straightened. “You’re in control right now. Not picking up today, of all days, tells me they need you more than you need them.”
“True,” she admitted, realizing he was right. “Or they are on to me.”
“Let’s not read into things we don’t know yet.” Kane’s voice was confident and sure. “That’s dangerous. We go on as if the plan is working.”
The relief she felt having someone on her side that she could actually trust felt so good, but then horror washed over her, sharp and sudden. “If I had listened to you from the start… if I’d let you in and told you everything… Beverly might still be alive.”
Her hand flew to her mouth as tears brimmed as that realization hit her full force.
Kane didn’t move at first. He just watched her, his expression tightening. Then he shook his head slowly. “Monica… no.” His voice was low, firm, leaving no room for argument. “Don’t do that to yourself.”
She dragged in a shaky breath, but the tears kept building. “But it’s true. If I hadn’t pushed you away, if I hadn’t tried to do everything alone—”
“Stop.” Kane reached out and pressed his hand gently over hers, where it trembled in her lap. “You were trying to save your sister. You were doing the best you could with what you knew. None of this is on you.”
“You don’t know that.” Her voice cracked, and she hated how small it sounded.
“I do,” he said without hesitation. “Because people like Griffen? They build traps long before we ever step into them. Beverly didn’t end up in his sights because of anything you did or didn’t do.” He squeezed her hand lightly. “That’s on him. Not you.”
A tear slipped down her cheek. She didn’t bother wiping it away. “I should’ve trusted you.”
“You shouldn’t have trusted anybody,” Kane corrected gently. “Not in the position you were in. Honestly? The fact you didn’t trust me right away tells me you’re smarter than you give yourself credit for.”
She let out a breath that was half-laugh, half-sob.
Kane’s voice softened even more. “Hey. Look at me.”
She lifted her eyes.
“You didn’t get your sister killed. And you’re not alone in this anymore. Whatever comes next, we do it together.” Kane replied with narrowed eyes. “You hear me?”
Monica swallowed hard, but she nodded. “Yeah. I hear you.”
“Good.” He didn’t smile, not fully, but there was something warm in his expression—steady and sure. “Because we’re going to finish what you started. And we’re going to do it the right way.”
Behind them, Doug’s voice carried across the yard as he cursed the lighter fluid, Dena squealed when Knox stole the stick, and the fire snapped loudly in the pit. The world kept moving. But for this moment, it was just the two of them—finally aligned, finally being honest.
Kane leaned back slightly, his hand still brushing hers. “We’ll get justice for Beverly. I swear it.”
And for the first time in a long time, Monica believed it and actually believed in someone other than her family.