Beloved by Brothers (Doms of Destiny, Colorado 6)

She loved him with all her heart, but what he’d said about Shane, what he suspected of him, what he was willing to do to her brother, tore her apart. She was so confused.

Say something, Phoebe. Don’t let him walk out again. Not again. But her lips remained sealed. She was apparently destined to repeat the past.

Jason took a deep breath and his eyes left hers. He exited without another word.

“Sis, don’t worry.” Corey gave her a hug. “We’ll get this cleared up.”

“Shane is a lot of things, but he’s no murderer. Your dads and I will see if we can find him.” Her mom turned to Mitchell and Lucas. “Will you two stay with Phoebe tonight?

“Mom, I’m fine.”

“You heard your brother, Phoebe. There’s a killer on the loose. No way am I leaving you alone. Either the Wolfes stay with you or we are taking you home with us.”

“We’ll be happy to stay with Phoebe, Mrs. Blue,” Lucas said.

Mitchell nodded. “She’ll be safe with us.”

Phoebe’s hands were curled into fists. She’d just let Jason walk out the door and hadn’t made a single move to stop him.

Why does he always have to act like an ass?

Obviously Jason was shaken. Why? Did he still care for Shane? What damn evidence does he think he has? Doesn’t matter. He’s wrong about everything.

Her world was falling apart. She needed Lucas and Mitchell to hold her, to tell her everything was going to be okay.

“Are you fine with this plan, baby girl?” Dad Curtis put his hand on her shoulder. “Staying with Mitchell and Lucas? If not, you can go home with us.”

“Yes, Daddy. I want to stay.”

* * * *

Jason sat behind his desk, hating everything about the job he’d worked so hard to get. In his pocket was Shane’s wallet, the thing that would put his old friend away for a very long time.

“It’s just us lawmen now. So, what evidence do you have that makes you think Shane killed McCrae?” Corey asked flatly.

“Too soon to reveal that to you.”

“Really?” Corey frowned. “Something is up with you.”

“I’m not sure what you mean.” I know this can’t have been Shane. God, why did I rush to Phoebe and say Shane was a murderer?

“Don’t bullshit me, Jason. I’ve known you my whole life. You’re holding back and not because of some legal protocol.”

“I fucked up, Corey. Fucked up bad once again.” He’d kept what had happened at the diner three years ago to himself. A heavy burden he’d carried for Phoebe to protect her from the darkness Shane had rushed into of his own free will. But this new hell was too much to bear alone.

“Talk to me, Jason. I know you care about Shane as much as I do. This sucks, but you know more than you’re telling me.”

I have to trust someone, don’t I? “If I do tell you, it could mean my job, my badge, and possibly my freedom. I could go to prison.” He took a deep breath and reached into his pocket and touched Shane’s wallet. “You’re a fucking US marshal.”

“And you’re a damn sheriff. Come on, buddy. I’ve got your back.”

He placed the billfold on his desk. “This is Shane’s. I found it at the motel where McCrae was killed.”

Corey’s eyebrows shot up, realizing what this piece of evidence meant for Shane. “Why in the hell do you have this?”

“I knew Shane would be arrested and sent back to prison with this kind of evidence. I can understand why Shane would’ve wanted to kill the motherfucker. Hell, we all wanted to. All the way from the motel to Phoebe’s house I kept thinking how I would’ve done the same thing. I tried to hold back from your family, from Phoebe, but I just couldn’t. Not again. I wish I had kept my mouth shut. I think I was wrong to accuse Shane. Corey, McCrae’s body was mutilated. That’s not something your brother would’ve done.”

“Unless he was high on drugs at the time,” Corey added, his face dark with concern.