The Best Man to Trust by Kerry Connor Read Free Book Online

house, away from the front hall and living room where they’d left the others, down another long corridor.
    She plowed forward, her head bowed slightly, her movements rushed and uneven. Concern rippled through him. “Hey.”
    When she didn’t react to the word, he caught her elbow to stop her progress. A split second after his hand made contact, he felt the tremor rip through her body, every inch of her tensing even more than she already was. A strong reaction, far stronger than normal for such a minor touch. He suspected he knew the reason for it, unease roiling in his gut.
    Still, she did stop. He dropped his hand. “Are you okay?”
    She nodded tersely, her head bent. “I’m fine. You just startled me.”
    It had been more than that. He didn’t doubt it for a second. Her reaction had been too fierce, too defensive. “Maybe you could stand to take a breath. Everything’s been happening so fast. You haven’t really had a chance to process any of this.”
    She mustered a smile without meeting his eyes. “And I don’t have time to now. I appreciate the thought though.”
    She stood there, her head down, her body still tight with tension, as if it was still protecting itself. The sight drove a hard lump to his throat, and suddenly he had to know. It really wasn’t any of his business, but he couldn’t hold back the question.
    “About what Jess said...” he said softly. “You didn’t lie about what happened with Brad, did you?”
    She winced, her expression saying she would give anything not to answer the question. He was about to withdraw it when she finally gave her head a tight shake, still not meeting his eyes. “No. I didn’t.”
    Anger surged from the pit of his stomach in a rush, for what had been done to her, toward the bastard she’d been married to whose face Tom couldn’t even remember. He struggled to keep the emotion off his expression and out of his voice. “I’m sorry,” he said gently, the words pathetically inadequate. He actually felt stupid saying them. “For Jess. For...everything.”
    “Thanks,” she said flatly. “But that’s pretty much the least of my concerns now.”
    “Understood. You’re sure you’re okay?”
    “I think I have to be, don’t I?” She glanced up at him, realization dawning on her features. “What about you? She was your friend.”
    Tom nodded, a combination of guilt and sorrow building in his chest at the reminder. He knew Haley was dead—murdered. He’d seen it with his own eyes, felt her cool skin with his own fingers. But it didn’t seem real. None of this seemed like it could actually be happening.
    “I actually hadn’t spoken to her at all since college, at least not until today. I should have stayed in touch with her.” Heck, he should have done a better job of keeping in touch with all of them. Even Scott, the one he’d spoken to the most, was someone he’d only been in contact with a couple times a year, if that. If there was one thing this weekend had already proved, it was what a lousy job he’d done maintaining the friendships that had once been the cornerstone of his world.
    “I only got a chance to catch up with her a little at the airport. And now she’s gone.” He could barely wrap his head around it. It was hard to believe that the same woman who’d been laughing and talking with them just a few hours ago was now lying dead in the upstairs hallway, gone forever.
    Meredith reached out, hesitating slightly before placing her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry,” she said, genuine sympathy shining in her deep brown eyes.
    “Thanks.”
    With a tight nod, she pulled her hand away, its absence inexplicably making him feel colder. “Come on,” she said, sending an uneasy glance down the corridor. “We should keep moving.”
    Tom followed her gaze. The hallway was empty and well-lit. He didn’t spot a single shadow. So why did it suddenly appear so impossibly long and dim somehow, every doorway seeming to contain a possible