Page 51 of Tempting Devil
“Okay. I’ll listen.”
He pushed out a relieved breath as his lips curved into a small smile that reminded me so much of Samuel it ached. “Thank you, Imogene.”
Chapter Twenty
Gideon
“What would you like to know?” I asked Imogene once we were sufficiently away from the few people gathered at the top of Stone Mountain.
Without even discussing it, we’d both navigated down our usual path of the Cherokee trail. It was a longer hike than the route most people took back, but it was worth the extra few miles to walk along the tree-covered trail, past the creek, and by several Civil War era buildings.
“Everything.” She laughed under her breath. “And nothing at the same time, if that makes any sense.”
“It makes perfect sense. I want to tell you everything and nothing, too. Not because I don’t want you to know,” I added quickly. “Some of the things I had to go through, Imogene…” I shifted my gaze toward her, meeting her confused stare. “They won’t be easy for you to hear, but I want you to know everything. Even if I hate having to relive the worst time of my life.”
“What happened? How are you still alive when every expert said you’d never be able to survive that amount of blood loss without immediate medical care?”
I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my shorts. “Because I did get immediate medical care, just not in the traditional sense.” I looked forward, the sun peeking through the canopy of leaves coupled with the sounds of nature reminding me I was free.
That I’d survived.
That the men who did this to me would soon pay for their crimes.
“I thought it was a good Samaritan. Now I know he was hired to clean up the mess.”
“By who?”
I licked my lips and studied her. “What I’m about to tell you might be difficult to hear, and if I didn’t think it was necessary, I wouldn’t. But it’s more dangerous for you not to know.”
“You’re not making any sense, Gideon.” She shook her head, then corrected, “Samuel. I don’t even know what to call you.”
“It’s safer if you stick with Gideon.”
“Who shot you? Was it Jonah?”
I narrowed my gaze on her. “I think we both know it wasn’t.”
She blew out a breath, nodding in agreement. “Then who?”
I hesitated briefly, a part of me worried she wouldn’t believe me. That she’d choose Liam over me, as she often did during our relationship, thanks to the years he spent manipulating her.
But she needed to know. I could only hope she’d be able to see past years’ worth of Liam’s mind games to the truth.
“Liam,” I said finally, the name seeming to ring out around us.
She came to an abrupt stop, dirt and leaves kicking up around her. Her eyes widened in shock and confusion, her mouth falling open. “Liam? H-how? Why? Are you sure?”
“A lot about that time of my life is a blur. But I’ll never forget seeing the man I thought was my best friend and business partner point a gun at me.”
“Why? Why would he do that to you?”
“Why do most people commit crimes?” My lips curved into a bitter smile. “Greed. Money.”
Realization washed over her, as if the missing piece of a puzzle finally snapped into place. “You were against selling Cloud Hero to ImageScape.”
“Without me in the picture, Liam Pierce became one of the richest men in America.”
“And this good Samaritan?”