“Did Rebekah call you?”
Ablett was uneasy. “Let the driver take you, and take a couple of officers with you?
“That won’t be necessary.”
Rebekah probably wanted to speak to her in private.
Blanche was stubborn, and Ablett couldn’t insist any further.
Still, as soon as Blanche drove off, an unmarked police car quietly followed her.
The café Rebekah had chosen was quiet and understated. Blanche sat across from her. The easy warmth of their first meeting was long gone.
Rebekah regarded her with a cold, scrutinizing gaze–more like an adversary than a sister–in–law. “What do you have that’s so special?” she demanded, confused and a little bitter. “Why can’t Eddy forget about you? Why is my brother so determined to marry you? You’re pretty, sure, and you seem nice enough, but I really don’t see what’s so remarkable about you.”
Blanche had no idea how to answer.
Rebekah’s voice trembled with frustration. “Do you even know? Eddy nearly died looking for you. He thought you’d been kidnapped, stabbed, hit by a car while trying to shield your precious head–and then he almost got blown to pieces by a missile. His health is wrecked because of you. His heart, his lungs, his liver–everything’s taken a hit because he wouldn’t give up on you.”
“To him, you’re more important than his own life.” Rebekah’s voice faltered, thick with emotion. “Will you really never give him another chance?”
She didn’t know what kind of answer she wanted. She felt angry for Eddy’s sake, yet terrified that Blanche might change her mind–because if Blanche ever did, Eddy would drop everything and whisk her away from her brother, no matter the cost.
“I’m your brother’s wife, Rebekah,” Blanche said quietly, refusing to look back, only forward.
Even after hearing that, Rebekah couldn’t relax. How could she? If there were a man willing to risk his life for her, she wouldn’t let him suffer like this. As long a Idy refused to let go, Rebekah was haunted by the fear that Blanche would eventually look back.
Anxious and helpless, she could only say, “My brother loves you–he really does.
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I’ve never seen him care about anyone this much. You’re the first
“You won’t break his heart, will you?”
“No matter how hard Eddy begs, you won’t go back to him, will you?”
Blanche saw how tense Rebekah was and tried to reassure her. “The wedding’s set. I’m not going to break your brother’s heart.”
Those words finally seemed to soothe Rebekah. She got up, her eyes a little shiny. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
The apology caught Blanche off guard.
Before she could ask why, the door swung open and a tall, broad–shouldered man
strode in.
Blanche shot to her feet, intending to leave, but he blocked her path and caught her
wrist.
Rebekah slipped out, quietly closing the door behind her.
The moment the door clicked shut, Eddy pressed Blanche back against it.
“Did he touch you?” His voice was rough and possessive.
His hands were burning hot as he gripped both her wrists and pinned them above her head, his other hand sweeping over her as if checking for injuries.
His eyes blazed, wild with jealousy, haunted by every memory of Blanche and Ablett together.
He was past reason, consumed.
“The first time I saw you, I fell for you,” Eddy murmured, voice thick with longing. “You were sixteen when we met, and by eighteen, you were mine. How could you marry someone else?”
“I’m sorry. I won’t hurt you again. Please, come back to me. If you want a daughter, we’ll have a daughter.”
The raw devotion in Eddy’s eyes made Blanche’s stomach churn.
