Page 158 of Breaking Hailey

A crimson river.

I’m transfixed, watching him wipe his trembling hands down the front of his shirt. He’s soaked in blood now, red all over. His chest rises and falls as he steadies his breathing, lifting his chin higher, his dark gaze focused on something I can’t see.

Someone.

A body.

He tucks a gun into his coat pocket, every move methodical, like he’s done this a thousand times before.

“Boss?” Someone’s voice breaks the thick silence.

I can’t see who’s talking. I can’t see anyone other than the blood-covered man, his dark hair peppered with gray... he looks so familiar. Broad shoulders, tall frame, the powerful way he holds himself: like he’s above everyone else. Sharp face,square, chiseled jaw, those eyes darker than a starless sky, and—

I know where this is going even before reading the last sentence. The familiarity she’s describing, those dark eyes...

She knows. She figured it out before I could come clean. She sawmein Rhett. She made the connection.

—a gold signet ring with an eagle glistening on his wrinkled hand.

So familiar.