The Confession

“I know he didn’t.” A heartbeat passed, then she peered up at him. “We’ll talk to him again when he’s less upset. But what about you? You went through a lot this morning. How are you doing?”

Beck sighed. “Honestly, I’m feeling guilty as hell. Adam’s dead, and Dean… I don’t know if he’s going to make it,” he said of the lodge’s caretaker and his police officer friend. “They’d both still be here if not for me. Their blood is on my hands.”

Heavenly shook her head, her blond curls brushing her arms. “They didn’t have to come and fight. They chose to. We all supported and defended you because we love you.”

“And I’m so fucking grateful. But I wish Jedediah and Esther had never sent Zacharias to find me. I wrote my biological family off a long time ago. Why couldn’t they do the same and go on with their miserable fucking lives?” And leave Gloria out of their delusional bullshit, too.

Heavenly pressed herself against him. “Because they were horrible people. I’m so sorry your brother and his crazy followers attacked you, so sorry you had to kill your own flesh and blood…”

“To me, they were nothing but depraved zealots, hungry for power and revenge. None of those bodies outside have meant a thing to me since I left Messiah City.” He tilted Heavenly’s head back, cupped her cheek, and gazed into her eyes. “You and Seth are my family now.”

“You’re my family, too.” She teared up. “I’m worried about Seth. I don’t know what to say or how to help him.”

Beck felt clueless, too. “Let me find him, talk to him. If I go for a few minutes, will you be okay?”

“Of course, but maybe I should go with you.”

Whatever secrets Seth was keeping, was he more likely to spill them if Heavenly wasn’t within earshot? “Let me approach him first, man-to-man. I don’t know if he’s reluctant to talk because he’s ashamed. The male ego can be a fragile thing.”

Reluctantly, she nodded. “Make sure he knows we love him.”

“He knows, but I’ll remind him.” He kissed her softly. “I won’t be long.”

Beck caught her worried expression as he left the room. That alone made him want to punch Seth first and ask questions later. Unfortunately, if he landed the first blow, the heavy-fisted PI might knock him out, like he had Pike a few months back. And violence wasn’t going to solve what was wrong between them.

Looks like it’s going to be a cage match of words.

As Beck shut the door and started down the stairs, he glanced down to find Seth’s pal, Liam O’Neill, ascending.

“Ah, you’re just the man I wanted to see.” The Irishman headed straight for him.

“I’m damn sorry about the damage your lodge sustained. I’ll pay for the repairs. Tell me how we can help clean up this mess.”

Liam waved his offer away. “No worries. My biggest concern isn’t the lodge. If you want to help, get Seth home as fast as you can. Circumstances are taking a toll on him.”

Was Liam’s infamous woo-woo—the psychic ability he’d seemingly inherited from his mother—kicking in? Or had Seth opened up to his old friend? “You and Seth go way back, don’t you?”

“A decade.”

“So…you know about his wife and son? How they died?”

Liam reared back, clearly shocked. “He told you about them?”

Beck nodded. “He says he killed them.”

“That’s how he sees it.”

“Why? He didn’t really kill them, did he?”

“I can’t answer that without breaking his confidence. All I can do is recommend that you and Heavenly pack your bags and take him home.”

“All right. We can do that, but I’m worried. Heavenly is near tears. Seth won’t talk to us. If you can give us an idea of what really happened to Autumn and Tristan so we can help him—”

“It’s not my tale to tell. When he’s ready to say more, he will.”

“What’s holding him back? Is he seriously worried that Heavenly and I won’t look at him the same way? Or that we won’t love him anymore?”

“Aye. You thought the same thing twenty-four hours ago before you told everyone about your childhood in Messiah City and how you escaped. So you should understand, mate.” He clapped Beck on the shoulder. “You were just there.”