Wallace couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Jennifer was serious. “You did what?”
Jennifer didn’t look away, just remained focused on her dinner.
She hadn’t asked where he’d been for the last week. She knew he hadn’t slept in his bed. He couldn’t.
Not knowing that Allen Jacobson could be pulling Izzie in even more deeply. He couldn’t let her get hurt that way; not like he’d hurt Jennifer.
He’d watched Izzie with Allen and tried to decide how to fix it so Izzie wouldn’t make the same mistake Jennifer had. Mistakes weren’t meant to be repeated.
Wallace had stayed in the hospital parking lot, careful to avoid security, each night Izzie had worked. Just…keeping her safe.
He’d seen her in the cast. Had heard she’d been hurt in a car accident. It had worried him. She couldn’t have been in the best of conditions after what he had done to her that day. That could have complicated things.
He slept during the day, when Lizzie was most likely asleep herself.
He hadn’t brought himself to go near her at W4HAV. He wouldn’t compound her trauma in that way.
But this…a man had shown up at Jennifer’s doorstep two hours ago, demanding payment for services he’d rendered. Wallace had acted like he knew what the man was talking about. And he’d learned.
That man was very angry. His brother had been arrested because of this. Now Jennifer was going to pay.
Wallace had given the man the money he’d demanded, as casually as he could. As if he had known what his wife had done.
Had he driven Jennifer to this madness? Had it been because of what had happened to Reggie? That fool bastard Dennis Lee Arnold? What? What had broken his wife like this? He didn’t even know who she had become. “How would you even know someone capable of this? How could you do this to her? She never hurt you. Not once. Hell, Jennifer, she’s just a child!”
She actually flinched. “I’m trying to help you, you ass. Can’t you see? If she’s gone, then who will testify about what happened all those years ago?”
“What do you mean?”
“When you killed an innocent girl.”
Wallace flinched. She knew.
Jennifer knew he was the one responsible for their daughter’s death. Jennifer had taken her anger at him out on their defenseless little Izzie.
How could any mother do that?
“She’s just a child. You shouldn’t have done this.” He grabbed her plate and slung it at the wall. “How could you do this?”
Where would she even meet someone capable of having another human being abducted and killed?
Abducted and killed—Izzie. As defenseless as the girl was. It was a wonder Lizzie had survived.
Jacobson had been there again, to rescue her. She was safe. They hadn’t succeeded.
Jennifer paled and shook and took an immediate step back.
Wallace had never been this angry with her before. He…he wanted to hurt her. Like he had Connie. Like he had Miranda all those years ago.
Never…never had his rage been directed at her. Not Jennifer. Not like this. He had adored her from the moment they had first met.
Wallace forced himself to breathe. To calm down. Before he ended it all, right here in front of Jennifer. He had things to do first. “Don’t you ever do anything to hurt that little girl again.”
“Too late. She’s probably already dead. If not, it’ll happen at any time.” The smile she gave him was the coldest one he’d ever seen. It actually frightened him. What had become of them?
Wallace felt defeat fill him. This…this was all his doing. But now…He had to find Lizzie. Make certain she was safe. “How could you do this to her?”
“Get out, Wallace. Now. I’m doing this all for Reggie. All of it. Get out until you’ve calmed down.”
Wallace grabbed his keys. He was so angry, he almost struck her. For the first time in thirty-five years, he almost lifted his hand to his wife. “That’s probably a good idea.”
That more than anything had him going. To the hospital, where he knew Izzie was for the next little while. Either there or W4HAV.
Wallace was pulling into the parking lot across from the ER, when a gunshot rang out.
He cursed and nearly rear-ended the sedan in front of him. It was Virat’s; the other surgeon would recognize him if that happened.
He was too close to Izzie now; if he was seen, he’d end up back in prison.
He had a mess to clean up first.
That’s what Jennifer had always wanted, after all. For him to clean up his own messes.
Wallace drove away. The last thing he needed to do was get caught anywhere near Lizzie tonight.
Izzie. Izzie. Izzie. He had to stop confusing the two. She wasn’t his daughter. Logically, he knew that.
But she was damned well starting to feel like it.