Page 35 of The Fragile Truth

She rubbed her hands on both sides of her nose as she took in a deep breath. “When Brent was killed, I was in prison.”

Ian felt the blood drain from his face. This was getting worse and worse. He felt like he was in the middle of one of those seedy documentaries where the law officer gets taken in by a con artist.

Sadie raised up and turned to face him. Her expression was grave, her voice somber as she spoke. “I used to be a detective in Las Vegas.”

His words rushed out. “Denise said that you were talking to Grady about his time in the police academy. She said you seemed to know an awful lot about law enforcement.”

“Denise would do well to stop eavesdropping on other people’s conversations,” she snapped.

Everything was coming at Ian too fast. “How did you go from a detective to being put in prison?” Unease pricked at the base of his skull. He thought of his gun tucked into the holster at his side. Did he need to be worried about his safety? He certainly had a knack for picking convicted felons.

Sadie broke into his thoughts. “You really should sit Grady down and have a talk with him. He gets a little loose-mouthed when he’s trying to impress the girls.”

“Don’t presume to tell me how to run my department,” he growled.

Humor flitted over her beautiful face. “I wouldn’t dream of it,” she said sweetly.

This sent his anger soaring. “Are you toying with me?”

“No, I’m not.” She shook her head. “We’re getting off track.”

“Speak for yourself. You were gonna tell me how you ended up in prison.” He was having a hard time picturing Sadie—or Robyn—in prison. She was so wholesome and vulnerable. Or so she seemed. A painful truth hit him with enough force to nearly take his breath away. Everything he thought he knew about Sadie was a façade. His voice held a slight quiver as he spoke the question his heart was demanding to know. “Was any of it real?”

She looked confused. “What?”

“Our relationship.”

Tears gathered in her eyes. “Yes,” she uttered. “It’s all real. I never expected to fall for you.” She offered a wan smile. “And yet, here we are.”

Ian wanted to believe her with every fiber of his being, but could he? “You said there was a reason why you couldn’t tell me who you really were. I wanna hear it.”

She nodded. “I’ll get to that. But first, do you wanna know why I was in prison?”

“I do,” he answered.

“Like I said, I was a detective. My partner and I were working a case involving a drug operation run by a man named Vince Romano. We were part of a local task force program working with DEA state officers. We were posing as buyers. The deal went sideways, and Danny got shot.”

He jerked. “Danny? He’s the guy you told me about on the beach. Your former boyfriend.”

“Yes,” she said quietly, a shadow overtaking her face. Her sadness oozed out and encircled him in a tight hold. She stared into the distance, her voice going recollective. “Danny fell to the ground. I drew my Glock and started shooting. Two of Vince’s guys went down. We were in a warehouse. I took cover behind a shipping container as Vince fired off shots. I hit him in the hand, forcing him to drop his gun. He fell to his knees. I came out. My first thought was for Danny. He’d been shot in the chest. He was coughing, trying to breathe. There was so much blood.” Her voice trailed off.

“What happened to Vince?”

Her eyes hardened as she punched out the words. “I went over to him. He laughed, saying that Danny was a goner, lying in his own blood like a gutted pig. Vince told me to go ahead and arrest him, promising that he’d be out by the end of the day.” She turned and focused on Ian, her expression pleading. “Vince Romano was a monster. In addition to his drug operation, he was suspected of running a high-end escort service and was notorious for beating the women mercilessly. Rumor had it that he’d thrown one of them from her penthouse balcony a few weeks prior, but nobody could prove it.” Her voice grew hoarse, disgust carving a tight mask over her mouth. “Vince vowed that as soon as he was out, he’d come after me. While Danny lay dying, Vince detailed the vile things he would do to me.” Tears of rage pooled in her eyes. “I couldn’t let him just walk away, so I shot him square between the eyes. I was charged with first-degree manslaughter and spent three years in prison.”

The horror of her words settled over Ian. “I’m sorry.” He wasn’t sure what to think about Sadie/Robyn. While it would be nice to go vigilante and get rid of all criminals, laws were put into place for a reason. Without law and order, the world would be in utter chaos.

She nodded, wiping at her eyes. “When Brent disappeared, I still had a year left of my sentence. There was nothing I could do to help my brother.” Her voice was coated with regret.

Ian felt a pang of sympathy for her. Sadie couldn’t have imagined when she shot Vince that her actions would render her powerless to help her brother.

“As soon as I got out, I went to visit my mom. My dad died of a heart attack when I was a kid.”

“I’m sorry,” he said automatically.

“Thanks,” she mumbled.

“Where does your mother live?”