Her sister dropped her arms. “Oh?”
Briar snorted. “Yeah. He kind of agrees with you, actually. He doesn’t think I should date a guy like him either.”
Her sister stared at her for a moment. “And what about you? What do you think?”
“Does it matter?” She snorted. “When one person doesn’t want to see the other one, things are pretty much over.”
Laurel moved into the kitchen and examined the pies for a moment before facing Briar again. “I think you should keep seeing him.”
She narrowed her eyes on her sister. “What?”
“Date him . . . be in a relationship with him. Whatever you want to call it.” She waved a hand in the air. “The semantics aren’t important. Just give this thing with him a try. I think it’s worth pursuing.” She expelled a breath. “He’s worth pursuing.”
Briar couldn’t believe it. “Who are you and what have you done with my sister?”
“I know, I know. I said all kinds of judgy things, but that was before. You say he’s not some dangerous person, and I believe you. I trust you. Look, I’m sorry about Martin. I didn’t realize what a jerk he was at first, and even when I started to suspect it, I just let myself be blinded by his good job and bank account.”
“But Knox . . . he hit him at your barbecue,” Briar reminded. “Caused a big scene . . . freaked out your guests . . .”
“Yeah, because he was defending your honor. He did it for you, Briar. You’ve never had that before . . . someone willing to protect you. And for God’s sake you deserve it. You deserve someone to stand by you. I found that with Caleb, but you’ve never had that with anyone.”
Briar reached out and snagged her sister’s hand. “I had it with you.”
Laurel smiled tenderly at her and squeezed her hand back. “Yeah, and look what I did for you. Graduated, married Caleb, and never looked back. I left you in that house, Briar.” Her voice cracked. “I left you there for four more years, and I know Dad got worse. I wasn’t there for you—-”
Briar pulled her into a hug. “Of course you had to go.” She patted her back.
Laurel pulled back to look into her eyes. “I was wrong. Knox is what you deserve, Briar.”
She smiled sadly and shook her head. “No.” He walked away from her when she would have given him everything. She had stood there, offering him her heart, and he turned his back on it. She deserved someone who wasn’t afraid to love her. “He’s not.”
KNOX SAT INSIDE the prison he never thought to visit again. Of course he was in the visiting room, waiting to see if North was actually going to show. He wasn’t wearing a white prison uniform. The guards hardly paid him any attention as they stood sentinel in the room.
After a week and a half in the hospital, his brother had returned five days ago. But according to the social worker, he was sent straight to segregation for his role in the riot. Knox hadn’t been able to see him until now.
What the hell happened that day? North always tried to keep a low profile. He wouldn’t have instigated a riot, but Knox knew well enough that it was war in here and you did what you had to in order to survive.
Inmates filed into the room and moved to the tables where their visitors sat. Knox tapped his thigh under the table impatiently, desperate to see his brother, to confirm that he was still whole.
Finally, he stepped through the door. Knox shot up straighter in his seat and he felt sick. He hardly recognized the North walking over to him.
He had lost weight. His features were gaunt and ashen. His white shirt hung off his shoulders. He was all leanness. A rangy wolf. He even had that feral look in his brown eyes. Those eyes landed on Knox and narrowed. It wasn’t a friendly look. His brother was definitely not happy to see him.
Deep shadows stood out like bruises beneath his eyes, and as he drew closer, Knox saw the wound on his face. A deep angry slash ran down the length of his cheek, the skin held together with butterfly strips. It started near his eye and ran the length of his cheek, ending at his jawline.
North sank down in front of him. “What are you doing here?”
“What the hell happened in here, North?” Up close, he could see that the wound was going to leave a nasty scar. His brother was never going to be that too--pretty boy again.
“Shit happens in here. You know that.”
“Never had a riot in the eight years that I—-”
“Then we were overdue,” he snapped, and Knox fell silent.
The familiar guilt rose up to gnaw at him, and he looked down at his hands.
“Don’t do that,” North bit out.
Knox’s gaze shot back to his brother. “Do what?”
“Look all fucking guilty. That shit gets old. I’m in here because I wanted to go along with you that night. That bastard destroyed our cousin. He killed her.”
Knox shook his head. “It was my idea to go after—-”
“Yeah. And I threw the first punch. Remember that?” North slumped back in his chair. “Look, I’m going to have a hearing—-”