Read Online The Man She Once Knew by Jean Brashear - Free Book Online Page B

managing to withhold the outburst until the man was out of the room.
    Then he turned on her. “ Counselor ? Are you out of your mind?”
    “Maybe,” she admitted.
    “Don’t you have a job to get back to?”
    A flash of unease, quickly masked. “I have some time coming.”
    “Don’t I have any say-so?” Probably not. The presumption of innocence, the notion that everyone had basic rights, were only ideas and not reality in his experience.
    “Of course you do. In truth, I don’t even know if your attorney would allow me to help, but they don’t have to know that yet.”
    He stared at her, questions fighting to get past his lips. “I don’t want you here.”
    She closed her eyes briefly, then tossed her hair and stared right back. “You need me, David—or someone, at least. Surely you don’t want to go back to prison.”
    “Doesn’t matter what I want. I’m going. If you’d ask around, you’d know that.”
    “I have asked. That’s why I’m here. I don’t think much of the prosecution’s case thus far.”
    He couldn’t afford hope. Ruthlessly he strangled it. “The sheriff would have found something on me sooner or later.” He shrugged. “Just happened to be sooner.”
    There was nothing of the insecure, rebellious teen in the look she leveled at him. “This isn’t you. What’s going on?”
    He couldn’t let her keep digging. “You don’t know me at all. Now tell me about my mother’s house.”
    Her eyes narrowed, but she let the change of subject stand. “It’s nearly paid off, only three years left. I can stretch out the schedule, make the monthly payments less. Or I could forgive the debt altogether.”
    He stiffened. “We don’t need charity.”
    Her raised eyebrows expressed her doubts.
    Not that they weren’t justified. The alternative was generating more interest charges by extending the term. He didn’t like it, but he should be grateful for anything. “I’ll manage. Once I know where I’ll be sent and what kind of job I’ll have, I’ll let you know.”
    Her head cocked. “You’re giving up? Just like that?” She frowned. “You can fight this, David. Why aren’t you trying?”
    He should never have agreed to see her. “You don’tknow this place. No one’s forgotten Compton. They never will.”
    “But you didn’t start the fight with Patton.”
    His heart stuttered. “You don’t know that.”
    “I do now.” A sly smile quickly vanished. “What aren’t you telling me?”
    Get out. Go away. “Nothing. I’m done here.” He turned. “Guard—” he called out.
    She moved fast, grabbing his arm. “I saw the angel.”
    He jerked from her grasp. He had to get away from her. Now.
    “It’s beautiful. Thank you,” she said softly.
    “I didn’t do it for you.” He’d say anything to get her to back off.
    She slipped around in front of him. “I’m trying to help you. To make it up to you, what happened.”
    “You can’t.”
    “I can try.”
    His head whipped around. Would she never give up? “Meeting you ruined my life, Callie. Deal with it. I have.”
    Her eyes went wide in shock. She fell back a step.
    David banged on the door until the guard arrived. He got as close to the opening as possible, holding out his wrists. Hurry up, damn it.
    “I’m coming back. You can leave, but we have to talk.”
    “Don’t bother. I won’t show.”
    “Wait! We haven’t talked about your injuries.”
    “Leave me the hell alone, Callie. You’ve done enough,” he retorted for good measure, then squeezed through the space between the guard and the door frame,wishing he could forget her standing there, slim and beyond beautiful.
    Not for him. Never for him. No matter how her scent followed him. How her face haunted him.
    What aren’t you telling me?
    Go away, Callie. It’s too dangerous. You have to leave.
     
    C ALLIE SAGGED on the bench outside the jail complex. She didn’t know what to do. She always knew what to do.
    Meeting you ruined my life.
    She