Read A Family Affair: Summer: Truth in Lies, Book 3 for Free Online Page B

doorbell rang. She slid off the couch and made her way to the front door. Maybe Melanie had reconsidered her position on the non-compete clause and would—
    “Ramona?”
    Cash’s aunt stood on the other side of the door, her dark eyes piercing Tess with determination and purpose. Eight years had streaked her black hair with gray, shifted her complexion to sallow, morphed her body from curvy to plump. Her clothes were still dark and severe, her bosom larger than Tess remembered, her middle larger, too. She moved her head and the gold hoops she always wore swayed against her neck, but it was her eyes that held Tess. Deep, dark, soul-searching eyes that spotted truth and lies.
    “I’ve come about my nephew.”
    Cash .
    Fear shot through Tess and crumbled years of denial. “Has something happened to him?” Ramona ignored the question and stepped inside, dominating the room with her presence. She would not travel hundreds of miles, or worse, breathe the same oxygen as Tess if she had a choice. Something had happened to him, and it was bad. But what could Ramona possibly want with her?
    “Please. Have a seat.” Tess tried to remain calm. Don’t let her see how much this news has upset you. Play it cool . She cleared her throat and sat on the couch next to the rocking chair Ramona had chosen. When the woman’s gaze landed on the scattered brochures, Tess gathered them up, muttering, “They’re for a friend.”
    “Cash was shot. He wasn’t even on duty, just pumping gas when he witnessed the robbery and…tried to intervene.” She paused, her lips flattening before she pushed out the next words. “He was shot in the shoulder and chest. He lost a lot of blood.” Another pause, a sharp intake of breath. “He’s back in Magdalena. He’s had therapy but he’s very weak and…and not like the Cash I remember.”
    Tess clasped her hands in her lap so hard her fingers hurt. “Will he be all right?”
    His aunt shrugged. “What does that really mean? The doctors say he’ll recover, with minimal limitations. But he’s different.” She sucked in a breath, frowned. “He’s not the same Cash.”
    “I’m sorry.” That was the second reference Ramona made to Cash being different. What exactly did she mean by that?
    “There’ s more. He says the incident is all a blur and refuses to talk about it. Thank God there were eyewitnesses who saw the whole thing and could get to him, or…” her voice trailed off. “He’s refused counseling and is on leave from the force.” She studied Tess, letting the silence fill the room. Tess fidgeted, clasped her hands tighter, and looked away. She had more questions about Cash, so many of them, but if she started asking, she wouldn’t stop, and the pain of asking would take over and suffocate her.
    “I was with him at the hospital and I stayed in that chair until I knew he was going to make it.” Her eyes glistened, but she didn’t cry. “He would wake in the middle of the night and cry out. Always the same thing. I tried to ignore it, but I couldn’t.” Her voice grew stronger, zeroing in on Tess. “The truth often reveals itself when we are weakest or most vulnerable. I didn’t want it to be so, but there it was.”
    “ There what was?” Cash used to say his aunt had a sixth sense about people and could often tell when something was about to happen before it did.
    She sighed. “You. He called your name. Such pain and torment, and there was nothing I could do but hold his hand and listen. I witnessed a broken man and it tore at my soul as surely as if the crows had pecked it apart. I vowed if he lived, I would find a way to make him whole again, no matter what I had to do or how many bargains I had to make.” Her dark gaze pierced Tess. “And I plan to keep that vow.”
    Cash had called her name . Perhaps she hadn’t been the only one hurting all these years. Perhaps Cash had known his own pain, had wished things were different. Had missed her even though she’d