Page 58 (1/2)

"Get to the point," she said, needing to hear how he ruined her life so that she could build up a defense around her heart and hate him so the pain would end

Connor looked away, his jaw clenched tightly as he said, "By the ti to shove you down behind the du to wet her suddenly dry lips when the words refused to leave her mouth It didn’t uy had hurt her like that would be difficult to get over As she waited for his answer, she hoped that Connor had gotten there in tiotten there in time, she prayed as dread coiled around in her stomach

"He didn’t have a chance to hurt you, Rory I promise you that he didn’t hurt you," he said softly, but wouldn’t look at her

"What aren’t you tellingto protect her fro else to tell, Rory You know the rest," he said, shaking his head as he pushed away from the counter and moved to step past her, but she wasn’t ready to drop this

"No, I don’t," she said, planting her good hand against his chest, stopping hiot the rest of her answers

"He pulled a knife We ended up in jail Case closed, end of story, let it go," he said fired to walk away from her and was halfway to his bedroom door when she asked, "And how did we land in jail and him in the hospital if he was the one with the knife, Connor? Huh?" she de him off before he couldthe answers that she desperately wanted to knoith hiet wrecked, Connor? Tell me," she demanded When he clenched his jaw and didn’t answer, she screamed it "Tell me!"

"You wouldn’t listen toher a shake, not hard enough to hurt her, but it was enough to stun her "I told you to get your ass back in the bar, but you wouldn’t listen! You should have fking listened to me, Rory!" Another shake "Do you have any idea how close I caht? Do you?" he practically roared in her face as he pushed her back up against the wall and got in her face, clearly done with avoiding this subject

"I begged you to go inside, Rory, but even drunk you’re a stubborn pain in the ass!" he snapped, glaring down at her "When that assle pulled out a knife, you got pissed and went to punch hiet between you in time! Do you have any idea how close that piece of shit carier and angrier with each passing second when all she could do was stand there, desperately trying to catch her breath as his words sank in

"How did he get stabbed, Connor?" she asked, reaching out and grabbing onto hih her head with the possible knowledge that she was the reason theone of his kidneys removed

"He fell on the knife when I tackled hirip on her arms turned supportive

"But in the police report he said that you attacked hi to wrap her ure out how the hell they’d gotten off when it was the other guy who ended up in the hospital when there hadn’t been any witnesses to back theet her hands on the police report a few times over the years, but because the case was closed and she wasn’t a Canadian resident, her request had been denied

"I knohat he said, Rory, but his story didn’t add up," Connor explained softly

"What are you talking about, Connor? There were no other witnesses and he’s the one that got hurt How exactly didn’t his story add up?"

Locking his eyes on her, he gently took her good hand off his arm and placed it on the left side of his chest When she opened her lided her hand over his chest It took a istered and when it did, she shook off his hand and traced her fingers over the three inch scar that she’d never noticed before Not that anyone would have really had a chance to see the scar with his tattoo covering the area

When he raised his left hand, pal thin scar that ran across it Without a word, she reached up with a shaky hand and traced the thin scar that ran across his pal construction

"Defensive wound," she said numbly as she dropped her hand to her side