Page 64 of Stopping Short

“He planned on kidnapping you and keeping you hostage until he was able to force you into marriage. All of that? Yeah, he’ll be spending some time in prison.”

“Can I… Can I see him?”

“What? Why would you want to see him?” Jackson stares at me with his brows forming a deep V.

“I want to know why he did all of this.”

Both Dad and Mason open their mouths to answer me, but I hold up my hand to stop them.

“I know your theories, but I want to hear it from him. I want to look him in the eyes and find out the truth. I need closure and the only way I can get that is if I talk to him.”

“Fine, but you’re not going alone. I'm coming with you.” Jackson stands and waits for me.

“Yeah, you’re the last person who should go with her. I’ll go.” Mason motions for Jackson to take a seat and he complies with an eye roll.

“I'm not the one who shot him,” Jackson grumbles under his breath. “I only punched him.”

Chapter 41

Harper

Quietly stepping inside the hospital room, I softly shut the door behind me. The lights are dimmed and the only noise in the room is the rhythmic beeping of Evan’s vitals.

There’s a police officer outside of the room and one inside. Mason somehow convinced them to let us in here. He knew the men and promised I just wanted to talk to Evan and get some answers.

I slowly lower myself into the chair next to the bed and watch Evan. Mason’s standing behind me and I know he won't interfere unless I need him to.

It’s so hard to think of Evan as a monster willing to shoot someone. He still looks so much like the boy I met, yet that feels like a lifetime ago.

When we met in our freshman year of college, Evan seemed great. He was easy to talk to and he made sure to make me feel like I was a priority to him.

Now looking back, I wonder if he already knew Dennis and if any of it was real. It’s painful to think about a four-year relationship being a complete lie.

Evan groans and turns his head to the side. His eyes flutter open and closed several times.

“Harper? Is that really you?” He mumbles.

“Yes. I have questions for you,” I say firmly.

Mason reaches inside his pocket and pulls out his phone. He navigates to the voice memo app and clicks record. I frown, that’s an odd thing to do, but I'm here for answers, I don’t care what he’s doing.

“Are you going to marry me?”

“I'm not answering questions, Evan. I'm asking them. I want answers.”

“Ok. What do you want to know?” He groans, trying to readjust himself on the bed. He tugs on his arm and frowns when he can’t move. Does he not know he’s handcuffed to the hospital bed?

“Do you know Dennis Stone?”

His eyes open wide and he stares at me in horror. A little more of a dramatic response than I expected, but he really believed I was still in the dark.

“How do you know him, Evan?”

“He’s… uh… a friend of my parents’.”

“And what deal did you make with him?”

“What are you talking about?” He glances away, unwilling to meet my gaze. Maybe he actually feels slightly guilty about what happened.