Page 85 of Tempting Devil

How Brian and James conspired to sell him to a human trafficker in order to make money, still staging the crime scene to make it look like Jonah had shot and killed him to cover their tracks.

How Samuel spent nearly four years fighting for his life in underground death matches broadcast on the dark web.

How, one night, he escaped when the van he was in crashed.

How he found a cabin by a lake where he could get cleaned up and figure out what to do next.

How he called me, but I hung up on him, thinking he was someone trying to play a cruel joke on me.

How he made his way to Atlanta so I could see with my own eyes it was him, even if his face had been beaten and disfigured.

How he saw me with Liam and felt betrayed, considering the role he’d played.

How he went to Henry, who took him in and nursed him back to health.

How all the injuries he suffered required him to endure extensive surgery.

How he decided to change his appearance since he was having facial reconstructive surgery.

How the scars covering his body weren’t from a car accident but were the result of all the torture he endured for years.

How he vowed to make those who betrayed him suffer as he did.

Then I told her how I learned he was Samuel in the first place.

How I noticed similar burns when I was looking at pictures of Samuel the night I learned about his fingerprints being found.

How I accused Gideon of being Samuel after confirming he had marks in the same location.

How he then accused me of only wanting to be with him because he reminded me of Samuel.

How I went to Atlanta to clear my mind.

How Gideon was also there and we both apologized for our behavior.

How, when I left his hotel suite the following morning, I ran into Henry Fontaine getting off the elevator.

How I saw him approach Gideon’s door.

How I followed him, if for no other reason than to dispel my suspicions.

Then how I overheard Gideon admit he was Samuel Tate, confirming what I’d known in my heart all along.

“This is...” Melanie shook her head, searching for the right words to communicate everything she was thinking and feeling after listening to the story I’d kept from her for the past week.

“A lot. I get it. I struggled to believe it all myself. It seemed so far-fetched.”

She snapped her gaze back to mine. “Oh, I definitely believe his story.”

I furrowed my brow. “You do?”

“Don’t you?”

“I do now. At first, I was skeptical. I wanted to believe him, but it was hard after all the lies. So he told me that the next time I saw Liam to mention a detective had reached out to ask me about Samuel Tate’s death.”

“Did you?”

I nodded.