Read Online Last Chance (Liar Liar #3) by C.A. Mason - Free Book Online Page B

sweetheart. You have to believe me. If I’d known—”
    “Ben did this? He was the one who raped me?” Her words were barely more than a whisper, her voice clogged with emotion.
    “It looks that way.” I closed my eyes, unable to watch her beautiful face crumple.
    She lowered her head into her hands. People turned to stare at us, so I pulled a few bills from my wallet before standing.
    “Let’s get out of here, angel. We can talk more outside.” I helped her get to her feet and clamped my arm around her waist as I led her outside.
    “I can’t breathe.” She bent over as she gasped. “Oh God, I think I’m going to be sick.” She slapped a hand over her mouth.
    “It’s okay,” I said, guiding her to my car where we would have some privacy. I opened the passenger’s door for her.
    “No!” she cried. “I can’t get in there. I told you, I feel sick.”
    “I don’t care. Just get in.” If she got sick in the car, I’d have it cleaned. The only thing that mattered to me was making her feel safe.
    She sank into the seat, and I closed the door. I glanced at her through the windshield as I made my way around the front of the car. She was sobbing uncontrollably, her whole body shaking.
    As soon as I got in, she said between broken sobs, “The whisky. The cigarettes. It all makes sense now. That’s why he whispered, because he knew I’d recognize his voice.”
    I pulled her into my arms, resting her head on my shoulder. “Sssh, it’s gonna be okay, angel. That son of a bitch isn’t gonna get away with this. I swear to you, I’ll make him pay for what he did to you.”
    “And to you.” She clutched my shirt. “Oh God, I sent you to prison for a crime he committed. I ruined your life. It’s all my fault. I slept with him. I—”
    “Stop,” I said gently, stroking her hair. “Just stop. I won’t let you blame yourself for any of this. He did this. He’s the one who deserves to be punished.” I held her for what seemed like hours, just letting her cry.
    Eventually her tears stopped and her breathing returned to normal. “What now?” Her voice was small as she looked at me. “Do we go to the police?”
    “Not yet. We need more evidence. I put a call in to my investigator on the way over here. He’s on it. He’ll build a case, then he’ll go to the police when he’s convinced he has enough for them to press charges against him.”
    “He still lives here, you know.” Her voice trembled as she clutched her stomach. “Oh God, I take my car to Riley’s for service sometimes. They’re the only ones in town who can service my Audi without voiding the warranty. I could take it to the dealership, but they take forever. I can’t be without my car that long.”
    She was babbling, but I let her talk and process her thoughts.
    “I see him sometimes, through the glass. I don’t have to talk to him because he’s always in the bay working on a car. I just deal with the clerk at the service desk. But sometimes I catch him looking at me, and it’s so… unnerving.” She shut her eyes. “God, why didn’t I think of him?”
    “You had no reason to,” I said, rubbing her back. “I was the last person to see you, the one you’d been arguing with. I was the jealous one with a legendary temper. Of course the cops were gonna try to pin it on me. I was the logical suspect.”
    She looked at me. “Do you think he followed us to your place from the bar?”
    “He must have.”
    “I guess I didn’t notice because he was driving that white van.” She rubbed her face. “It was his dad’s. He picked me up in it once when his car was in the shop.”
    All of the pieces were falling into place. I knew it wouldn’t be long before my guy had enough to go to the police. My cell phone started ringing. It had been buzzing incessantly all morning. A quick look at the call display told me it was an unknown caller.
    “I’m sorry, angel. I should get this.”
    “It’s okay,” she said, sitting up. “Get