Page 40 of Dead Man's Alibi

Failed.

“Sam.”

The other half of her, the half of her in this moment right now, was just numb and frozen.She knew if she did anything—spoke, moved, accepted—the pain would be so all-encompassing, she would just crumple in the face of it.

Because failure seemed like the only option, and she just… couldn’t.

“I think I’m going to go home.”She heard her own voice, almost as though it was far away and floating above her.

Tinny.Detached.If she could get home.Away from Cal.Away from this place and the scent of the burger she’d brought Nate and… everything.

Maybe if she got away, she could survive.

“Sam, you’re not going anywhere.”Cal moved closer.“Listen, I’m going to take you up to the ranch.”

Sam wasn’t sure she understood him, but she knew she had to get away from him.She needed to be alone.She took a few steps in retreat, feeling her head moving back and forth in refusal without really willing it to.“No, thank you.”

She turned away from him then, feeling like she was wading through some kind of pudding.Her heartbeat thudded in her ears, and it seemed the only thing real in the moment.Everything else was fuzzy.Far away.

It had to stay far, far away.

But Cal was in front of her now, blocking her exit.He stopped her by reaching out and wrapping his hands around her upper arms.

Brown eyes looked right into hers.Dark eyes like Nate’s.But it wasn’t Nate.It was Cal.Cal didn’t have the same kind of kindness, but she saw the worry for his brother, the love for his brother.

Because Nate had been arrested, and she had to relive this nightmare knowing she would fail him too.

She should go down to the jail.She should feel righteous fury.And she should damn well take it out on JakefuckingHayes.

But she couldn’t.She couldn’t muster her usual grit or anger or all the hard feelings she’d honed to shield herself from the fear she’d spent half her life surviving.

The fear was all that existed now.Like an ocean wave trying to take her under.She couldn’t let it in, couldn’t let it win, so she had to getaway.

“You’ll need to get down there,” she managed to tell Cal, not able to say the wordjail.If she said it, she’d picture him there.Her father there.All her visits.All her failures.“You shouldn’t be here.”

“No, I shouldn’t,” he muttered.“Look, I’m going to take you back to your house, and you’re going to pack a bag.Then I’ll drop you off at the ranch.”

“You have to be with Nate.”He had to handle this somehow.Fix this somehow.Because God knewshecouldn’t.She looked at him now, a little desperate.He was their only chance.“Go.”

“Nate made me promise to get you somewhere before I handle his shit.So you need to cooperate.”

“I just—”

Cal’s grip tightened, just hard enough to bite through the weird distance and fuzziness.

“He’s in jail formurder, and his priority isyou,” Cal said harshly.A little disgustedly.“So do what he wants.Not for me or yourself or anyone else.For him.”

It felt tangible almost.This thing to do.This thing Cal was telling her to do.When no one ever told her what to do, because she handled everything.

Failed everything.

When Cal pulled her toward the door, she went because it was what Nate wanted.

And because she didn’t know what else to do.

Chapter Fifteen

The Bennet Ranch