Dark Legacy by Jen Talty (reading books for 4 year olds .txt) 📗

She stood, knocking over the chair as she raced into his arms.

“Whoa.” He hugged her tightly. “What’s going on?”

“It’s Alex. He was at the hospital visiting another of my patients.” She sobbed into Jackson’s shirt. “I tell my patients, all of them, that this isn’t their fault and that telling someone is safe. That they can be safe. And yet, because I kept all this a secret, and didn’t do anything, that man is out there. And I think he’s killing my patients because he blames me for taking my father from him.”

“Hey. This is not your fault.” Jackson cupped her cheeks. “Even if Alex is coming after you through your patients for whatever sick reason, you still can’t hold yourself responsible for his actions.”

“But I can hold myself accountable for my inaction.” She pounded his chest.

“Did you ever tell anyone?”

She laughed, turning on her heel to pace in her kitchen. “I told my mother once. She called me dramatic and a liar.”

“Your mother is a piece of work,” Jackson muttered. “Why did they get divorced?”

“Because he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants, and he hit her a few times.”

“And when you told your mom you were pregnant?”

Shannon opened the front door and took two steps outside. “I told her it was one of my dad’s friends, and for about five seconds, she believed me. But then she realized what it might do to her reputation, and she decided that I was high on cocaine—which was true.”

“How exactly did your dad die?”

She spun on her heel and gasped. “What did you hear, exactly? And from whom?”

“I know he died of a heart attack, but a retired cop said that Annette’s story changed so much, he wasn’t sure he believed everything.”

Shannon opened her mouth, but Jackson shushed her with his finger.

“I did some digging today, and I read the police report. No one thinks Annette killed your father. Perhaps she waited to call an ambulance, but no one can prove it. And, honestly, if that’s the case, outside of turning the bastard in, Annette was the only adult in your life who had your back.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.” The sound of a car pulling down the driveway caught her attention. She glanced over her shoulder. “Fucking wonderful. Uncle Ned is here.”

“He’s early,” Jackson said, glancing at his watch. He took her by the hand and squeezed. “I’m not going to leave your side. I promise.”

She blew out a puff of air. “I don’t want him in my house.”

“We’ll sit outside.” He tugged her toward the fire pit and arranged some of the chairs.

Her uncle slipped from the driver’s side of the vehicle. God, he looked so much like her father with his chocolate eyes and salt-and-pepper hair. He’d aged some and had put on some weight, but he was still a handsome man.

He waved awkwardly as he strolled down the path. “Hi, Shannon,” he said softly. “You look well.”

She nodded. “This is my friend Jackson.”

“I was hoping we could talk alone,” Ned said.

“That won’t be happening.” Jackson put his arm around her. “And I know everything. So, this will be a very candid conversation.”

“Wow. I’m surprised.” Ned stuffed his hands into his pockets. “But relieved.”

“Why relieved?” Shannon asked. “You were a part of that life. You—”

“I was. But the day I got arrested, it changed my entire world. At first, I thought it’d ruined me, but in actuality, it set me free.” He took a few steps closer.

Jackson puffed out his chest. “But you did nothing to help your niece, knowing full well—”

“I did not know my brother would bring his own daughter into that life. When I was involved, family members were off-limits.”

“Oh, and that makes it okay?” Jackson said.

Shannon leaned into him, drawing on his strength.

“No. Of course, it doesn’t. And anything I say will sound like an excuse. But once my brother died, I knew she was safe because there was no one to pull her in. Her mother’s a lot of things, but once she was in—”

“That’s bullshit,” Shannon said. “Any of those men could have found me and manipulated me, and you know it.” For her entire childhood, Shannon had felt as though she had no voice. Now, she felt stronger than ever.

“I was dealing with my shit, and your mother wouldn’t have anything to do with me…we can go ‘round and ‘round with this all day, but that’s not why I wanted to talk to you. You should know that Alex Angler has moved back to the area.”

“You’re a little too late with that juicy piece of information,” Shannon said. “If that’s all you wanted, why didn’t you just send me an email?”

“I wanted to see you. I wanted to apologize personally. And I wanted you to know that not a day goes by that I don’t regret not saying something. I needed to say that to your face. But I couldn’t invade your space without your permission.”

“I appreciate that.” Shannon allowed the rage to fade into the background. She hadn’t forgiven him for anything but holding on to it didn’t help.

“How do you know about Alex?” Jackson said.

“When you went to rehab, as your mother spun that story, Alex and Borden came to me, wanting to know what’d happened to you.”

“You’d been out of that stuff for a few years. Why did they come to you?”

“You weren’t the first girl to give up a child from those sex clubs.”

Jackson kicked one of the flimsy plastic chairs, sending it flying across the yard. It smacked the side of his house, shattering into pieces. “Finish what you have to say before I beat the shit out of you,” he said under his breath.

“Your boyfriend is a bit of a hothead.”

“Can you blame him?” Shannon asked. “He’s had to watch you sit at the top of the driveway like a creeper, and now you’re spouting this crap about how you wanted to tell me to my face? I’m