Forgotten Sins

Chapter 21

Early morning, Josie pinned her wet hair up, smoothing lip gloss on her face. Shane had retrieved clothes and toiletries from her house. Thank goodness. Though the isolation was beginning to bother her. She needed to get back to work. Now that might be a battle.

The thick socks masked her steps as she meandered down the hallway toward the smell of coffee.

At the living room, she stopped short.

Matt and Shane lounged on the couch reading files while Nathan stood near the door, a ball cap on his face and thick sunglasses over his eyes.

Josie’s heart began to pound. “Nice glasses.”

Nathan shrugged. “Yeah. Helps with the security cameras everywhere. Standard when I travel.”

Her breath caught in her throat.

Shane glanced up, a frown settling between his eyes. “Angel?”

Memories shot through her head in rapid succession. She took a step back, her wide-eyed gaze on Nathan. “It’s you.”

He cocked his head to the side. “What’s me?”

She breathed out. Hard. “In the coffee shop. Ball cap. Eyeglasses.” Her gaze slashed to Shane and then back again. “It’s you.” She knew he looked familiar. Rage and fear boiled into a lump in the pit of her stomach.

Shane unfolded to his feet, his gaze moving from Josie to Nathan and back again. “Honey, a lot of people have aviator glasses.”

Pure raw fury ripped through her so fast her breath heated. “Don’t lie to me. He was as big as you. Built like you.” She turned on Nathan. “It was you. The asshole in the coffee shop.”

Pain splashed ice over the fury. She rounded on Shane. “You didn’t save me. You set me up.” Two years ago. The scene where Shane had been her hero. When everything started. They’d planned the confrontation. No wonder the bully had left so easily without argument. The bully was Nathan.

He cut his eyes to Shane.

Josie leapt for the black gun on the table, flipping off the safety and backing away. She kept all three men in her sight. “The safety’s off this time, Matt.” Her voice trembled low with fury. Her hands shook.

He remained relaxed from his perch on the sofa. “You know, this is the second time you’ve held a gun on me this week, little sister.” He cleared his throat. “If one of these two tried that, I’d break their hands.”

“You’d try,” Shane and Nathan said in unison, gazes locked on her.

Matt tilted his head in acknowledgment. “Put the gun down, Josie. Let’s talk.”

The keys to her Toyota sat on the coffee table. “Throw me my keys, Matt.”

Shane stepped between the table and Josie. “Not going to happen. Now put down the gun before you really piss me off.”

She widened her stance, swinging her aim to the center of his chest. “So, genetically enhanced boy. Can you stop a bullet?”

“No.” Anger began to burn slate through his eyes. “Now, Josie.”

“It’s true, isn’t it? You set me up.”

“Yes.” His gaze remained on her eyes, not on the gun.

“The whole thing… meeting me, marrying me… you fucking set me up.” Her grip tightened on the weapon.

“No.” He took a step toward her. “The meeting was a setup. The rest was real.”

“Bullshit.” She dropped her aim to his knee. Her own stupidity slapped her in the face. “Take another step, and you’ll limp for life, Shane. If that’s even your name.”

“It is,” Nathan chimed in. “Always has been.”

Her breath began to come out in short pants. “Give me my keys.” She needed to get out of the cabin. Confusion rioted through her mind.

“No,” Shane said.

Did he just get closer somehow?

Josie backed up until she met the wall. “Why? Why me?” Did he need a cover for a couple months? If so, why had he come back?

“You had something I wanted.” His gaze swept her body, a slight smile tipping his lips.

Even when she was scared and pissed off, her body responded to him. Warmed and tingled. She lifted her chin. “What did you want?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Give me the gun, and we’ll discuss the matter.”

Nathan eased toward the door. “I’ll give you some space. Good luck with this, Shane.” He dodged outside, whistling the Dixie Chicks’ “Ready to Run.”

Josie gasped, starting to swing the gun toward the door and then refocusing the weapon back on Shane.

He smiled. Studying her. Knowing her. “Matt? Take off, would you? I need a moment with my wife.” He emphasized the word wife just enough to snap her spine to attention.

She kept her gaze on her husband. Betrayal burned like cigarette ashes down her esophagus. “You move, Matt, I’m shooting him. Watch me.”

Matt stretched to his feet. “That’s okay. He probably deserves it.” Then Matt opened the door. “I’m going for a jog. See you folks later.” The door shut behind him.

A strangled scream filled Josie’s throat. The gun did not even remotely scare these guys.

Shane blew out a breath. “Josie—” Quick as a whip, he struck, pinning her arm against the wall. His body boxed her in, while the grip on her wrist tightened. “Let go of the gun.”

She bit her lip, holding on with every ounce of stubbornness she owned.

With a growl, Shane yanked the gun from her grasp. He stepped back, flipping on the safety. “I’ve about had it with your defiance, angel.”

Fury. Pure, raw, and deadly, rage raced through her to light her veins on fire. She saw red. Jumping forward, she pivoted and shot a hard kick into his gut. He blocked her with a casual swipe of his hand on her foot.

One eyebrow rose. “Sit down, or I’ll sit you down.”

The tone. Low, dangerous, and commanding. He’d never used it with her before. Never. She faltered, her gaze on the sofa.

Well, it wouldn’t hurt to hear the truth. Finally. “I’ll listen. Then I’m leaving.” With a huff, she flounced to the sofa and sat.

“You’re not going anywhere.” He stalked to the deep cherry wood cabinets in the kitchen and placed the gun on top of one. Where she couldn’t reach it. Then he returned. “You want me to stop treating you like something fragile? Make sure you understand what you’re asking for.” Cushions dipped as he sat next to her on the couch. Broad hands wrapped around her arms and lifted her from the sofa.

She yelped, pushing her hands against his chest, struggling.

“Stop.” He sat her on his lap facing him, her legs straddling him. His hands manacled around her arms, holding her in place. “You want the truth. Sit here and take it.”

His eyes glittered an angry gray. The hard thighs beneath her heated her butt.

Desire, unwilling and unwanted, caused a swirling in her lower stomach. “Fine. Give it to me, then.” He wasn’t the only one who could play word games.

“We targeted you because of Fuller Labs.”

She stilled. In a million years she hadn’t expected his answer. “Why?”

“Scientists at Fuller used to work with the commander. We think. Some of Fuller’s research includes genetic engineering.”

Her mind spun. “Who’s the commander?”

“The monster who trained us from birth. The man in charge of our program.”

“You remember?”

“Yes. Everything but the last two years.”

His childhood was sad and had damaged him. But he’d made the choice as an adult to use her—to hurt her. Right now she needed to let go of her dream of a happy ending. “So you used me to get their financial records?”

“Yes.” Shane’s voice remained steady. “I monitored their finances before and then during our marriage.”

Sharp knives slashed through her insides. Only true force of will kept her from doubling over. Even so, tears pricked the back of her eyes. “Wait a minute. All of my computer problems—the ones you helped me to fix…”

He shifted. “Yes. I messed with your computer to gain access to the files.”

No wonder her laptop was always having issues. She’d been so grateful to Shane for fixing the problems. The bastard had created the problems.

Heat blazed between her ears. Memories followed suit. All those late nights when he was supposed to be working, where was he? All those little coincidences of her files being slightly rearranged in her office gave her a clue. “Did you break into my office, too?”

“Yes.”

She shook her head. “How? I mean, they had cameras.”

“I took care of the cameras. Apparently nobody really checked them, because there was never an outcry.”

There was never an outcry because nothing had ever been taken. There was no warning.

Another memory almost had her scratching at his face. “What about when I fainted the night we went to pick up the file folders I thought I’d forgotten?” She’d never fainted before—and she’d been sure she’d taken the right folders home.

He flushed a dark red. “I hid the files so we had to go back to your office, and ah, you didn’t faint.”

She’d come to lying on the sofa in her office, and Shane had been so concerned, so gentle. “You knocked me out?”

“Yes.” His eyes darkened. “I’m sorry.”

He was fucking sorry? Rage had her almost seeing double, while hurt pounded through her entire body. “You asshole. Why did you marry me?” She struggled to keep her lips from trembling. “Why not just continue to screw me?”

Shane gave a short nod of his head. “Marrying you was not part of the plan. Believe me, my marriage pissed off my brothers to no end.” Emotion deepened his voice. “I wanted you, Josie. Still do. With everything I am.” He tugged her closer. Pain twisted his lips, and his eyes glimmered. “I knew I shouldn’t marry you. I knew what the danger would mean. But I convinced myself I could keep you safe.”

Such pretty words. “You lied to me. The entire time we were married.”

“Yes. I abandoned you, thinking it would keep you safe.” He looked up and shook his head, his nostrils flaring. “I didn’t know how badly it would hurt you, and I’m so sorry.” His voice lowered to guttural, his pain palpable.

The room hazed. She looked away, trying to dispel the hurt in her chest. Soothing him wasn’t her job. “I don’t believe you really wanted me. When you’d finished the job, you discarded me. Like an old coat, one that didn’t matter.”

“Not true. Jory died, and we knew there was only a short time to get information. I had to go and fast.” His grip tightened. “I didn’t think the investigation would take two years. I planned to return for you. No way could I stay away forever.”

Incredulity had her breath catching. Anger slapped pain to the floor. “Wait a minute. You get the divorce papers, head up to see me, and instead of knocking on my door with a ‘Hi honey, good to see ya,’ you bug my house?”

“Well… I don’t remember that yet, but I assume I checked out your house, found the bugs, and decided to find out what was going on.” Doubt wrinkled his forehead but was quickly smoothed out.

“So you used me as bait. In case the commander had found me.” Hurt flashed hard and bright. She couldn’t believe it.

“No. I may not remember, but no way would I ever use you as bait.” His hands tightened on her hips. “From the pictures we found in the little house, I was keeping you in my sight at all times—and I had a go-bag packed for you.”

“Is that so?” If she grew any madder, her head might blow off. “So kidnapping was a possibility.”

“Sure.”

Reality settled in her stomach like a flare of light. “No. We started on a lie, and we ended on a lie.” She met his gaze head on. Not flinching. “We’re done.”

His eyes softened. “I know I hurt you, baby. I’m sorry.”

“You can’t keep me here.”

He huffed out a low chuckle, weariness tightening his face. “You have no idea what I can do, angel. What I will do to keep you here. Keep you safe.”

“I have a pretty good idea how far you’ll stoop.” She aimed her words to cut. “Nothing would surprise me now.” Her thigh muscles bunched to leap off him. His hands pressed her immobile, and her anger flared back to the surface. “Let me go.”

Self-disgust curled his lip. “I can’t.” Heat coursed off his palms to her thighs. “Right now we need to figure out who is after your files, and I need to keep you safe.” His long fingers curled around to grip her legs.

Even now, with hurt and anger riding her hard, she longed for what might’ve been. But she’d listened to her heart long enough with Shane. She was a smart woman, and it was time to let her brain take over. “No. We’re done.”

Genuine surprise flashed in his eyes.

Her focus cleared. “You truly think I’ll let you treat me like this? That you’re so irresistible I won’t walk away?” She lowered her chin. “Watch me.” Determination straightened her shoulders. The arrogance of the man. Yes, she’d been stupid to even think about trusting him again, and she was now paying the price. But enough was enough.

“I left because I knew you were safe. Or at least I thought you were.”

“I don’t care. Anger filtered through his eyes, but she really didn’t care. “It doesn’t matter why you lied, why you left. What matters is the fact that you lied and you left. How can you not understand?”

“You love me.” His lips tightened into a straight line. “To a good woman, to a soft woman, that means everything.”

She snapped her teeth shut, almost relieved when her brain took over. When focus became easier than hurt. “I do love you, Shane.” Her frown actually made her forehead ache. “But do you really think you’re the only one able to walk away from us? You were right to leave. It’s better that way.” She blew out a breath. “I can walk away, too.”

Sympathy for him almost stopped her words. Almost. He really didn’t understand. Poor guy raised without a mother, with some idealized view of what women should be. She’d been alone her entire life. Even during her marriage. Seeing the real Shane this last week only made that truth clearer. She leaned closer, her eyes an inch from his. “I. Can. Leave. You. And I will.”

This time, he let her go.

Matt stomped his feet on the porch, just in case his brother was getting busy. He hoped Shane figured out the right path—away from Josie. Though Matt understood. From a young age, they’d all had a fantasy about what real families were like. They’d wondered what they’d done wrong to be so alone. Maybe being created by men instead of God marked them for life. Deep down, he was pretty sure of it.

He nudged open the door, slipping inside.

Shane sat on the sofa, a notebook in his hand, his gaze unblinking on the far wall.

“Ah, where’s Josie?” Matt ripped off his shirt and wiped his brow. It had felt good to run through the woods in the cold of fall again. To hear the wildlife and be kissed by the sun.

“In the bedroom.” Shane looked up with blank eyes. “I think she just dumped me.” Incredulousness whipped a flush over his cheekbones.

Matt raised an eyebrow. “Dumped you?” The innocuous words tasted weird on his tongue. “As in a regular relationship type of dumped you?”

“Yeah.” Shane frowned at the empty hallway.

“Huh.” Matt kicked off his combat boots. “I don’t think any of us has ever been dumped.” Sure, they’d had lovers try to kill them. But never just… dump them. “So, ah, what are you going to do?”

Shane shrugged. “I have no idea.”

Maybe it was better this way. Though the frown on Shane’s face revoked that thought. “Shane, we’ve been trained by the best psychologists in the world to manipulate people. You can win her back.”

“No.” His brother threw the notebook down on the sofa. “This is real. Not the same.”

Well, now. That was true. Matt rubbed his chin. “I’ll talk to her.”

Shane snorted. “You can’t fix everything.” He stood, stretching his neck. “I may not remember all of my childhood, but you, I remember. Always present, always trying to protect us.” His eyes darkened. “Thank you.”

Matt shook his head. He didn’t deserve the gratitude. Nathan had spent a lot more time raising Shane and Jory than he had. Besides, if he’d done his job, Jory would be alive. “I’m taking a shower.”

Shane stood and headed for the door. “I need some fresh air.”

Matt sighed. “We should get out of here. Your wife needs to get those files from her work tomorrow.”

Shane nodded, his back to Matt. “She will.”