Trevor’s image blurred behind her unshed tears.
“Then, we found you alive, and suddenly, that light was burning brighter than I’ve ever seen it.”
“Trevor—” Olivia tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t let her talk.
“Jake loves you more than anyone or anything on this earth, and there is nothing”—he squeezed her hands harder—“nothing he wouldn’t do to protect you. That includes risking any chance he may have had with you by lying about your brother.”
Olivia broke away from his grasp to wipe her eyes. Mikey had already told her that Jake lied to protect her, but for some reason, the way Trevor explained it seemed to have made more of an impact.
She hated it. Still wasn’t ready to forgive Jake, yet, but the wall that had been erected the moment she’d seen her dead brother standing in Jake’s living room began to crack slightly.
Olivia understood what Trevor was saying, but she still couldn’t ignore the betrayal she felt.
She must have been silent for longer than she’d realized, because Trevor stood and began to walk to the door before she’d made any kind of response.
“I’ll get out of your way.” He turned and nodded to her scrubs. “I don’t want to keep you.”
Olivia had nearly forgotten about work. She stood and wiped her face with her palms as she followed him.
“Yeah, the hospital’s short staffed, so I offered to cover the mid-shift today.” She glanced down at her watch. “I don’t have to be there until two, but thought I’d go in a little early.” They stood in awkward silence before she said, “Thanks for stopping by, Trevor.” She gently squeezed his rock solid bicep. “And thank you for telling me about Lisa. I can tell that isn’t an easy topic for you to talk about.”
His dark, tormented eyes stared down at her. “Definitely, not a story I tend to share.”
Olivia didn’t know what to say. Honored didn’t seem like the right word for what she was feeling, but that’s how she felt.
“Thank you for caring enough to share it with me.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I didn’t just do this for you. I love Jake like a brother, and I want to see him happy. I know you’re still angry, but...you’re a fool if you let him go. There’s no better man out there. Definitely none who would love you more.”
Olivia bit her bottom lip, unsure of the proper response to such a strong statement.
Seeming to sense her uncertainty, Trevor gave it one last shot.
“Just promise me you’ll talk to Jake soon. At least give him a chance to explain his side of things.”
She hesitated for a second, but finally agreed. “Okay.”
He raised his eyebrows and dropped his chin, waiting for more. He reminded her so much of Jake, she actually chuckled and rolled her eyes.
“I promise I will talk to him.”
Trevor smiled triumphantly. “That’s all I ask. Thank you.” He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “See ya.”
Trevor made his way down her porch steps and was almost to his truck when Olivia yelled out, “Hey, Trev?”
He stopped and turned around. “Yeah?”
“Did you know? About Mikey, I mean.”
Looking guilty but resolved, he said, “I did. I know you’re probably sick of hearing it, but it was for your protection, as well as your brother’s. I’d say I’m sorry, but the truth is, I’m not. I went against my gut once, and it cost me three friends. I wasn’t going to lose another one.”
Without another word, he got into his truck and started it up.
Knowing he was referring to her, Olivia stood at her door with a sad smile and a heavy heart. She watched as Trevor drove away, and thought about everything he’d said.
She thought about Jake, and wondered if it possible for them to recover from something like this.
Part of her wanted to say yes, but when she thought of all the times she’d cried on his shoulder—both literally and figuratively—the pain she still felt overpowered everything else.
Deciding to deal with it all later, she focused on getting ready for work. She quickly put on her tennis shoes and was headed back to her bedroom to grab her cell phone when her doorbell rang.
Given that she almost never had unannounced visitors, she assumed Trevor had returned to reiterate his point one last time. Olivia started talking before she’d fully opened the door.
“You do realize you’ve got to actually give me time to talk to Jake, right Trev?”
She said this in a teasing voice, but when she glanced up, Trevor’s eyes weren’t the ones staring back at her.
“I’m sorry, Miss Bradshaw. I’m afraid your time is up.”
Chapter 12
Javier Cetro smiled down at Olivia. He looked just as she remembered.
Tanned skin. Dark, wavy hair. That jagged scar running from the corner of one eye to his jawline.
And those eyes. She’d never forget those cold, evil eyes. Oh, God. Not him!
Moving with lightning speed, she tried to slam the door shut, but Cetro stuck his large boot between the door and its frame. He pushed against it from the outside and Olivia lost her balance.
She stumbled over and back, falling against the end table next to her couch. The candlestick lamp there started to fall forward, but Olivia grabbed it. Screaming like a banshee, she swung it back around toward her attacker.
Cetro threw his arm up to block it. Instead of the lamp hitting his head as she’d intended, its base slammed into his forearm.
It went flying back toward her kitchen, landing with a loud clanging sound. Cetro growled, baring his teeth like some sort of wild animal as he continued his advance.
My gun. I have to get to my gun.
Spinning away from him, Olivia began to run through her living room. She’d only made it a few steps when the full weight of his body slammed into her back.
They fell onto her coffee table, its glass top shattering the
