Free An Eye for an Eye: Zach and Katie's Story (Redwood Falls) by Lynda Chance Page A

at Hannah's pained gasp, the cousins turned in unison to watch her begin to slide to the floor as emotion got the better of her.
    Josh lunged for Hannah and caught her just before her knees buckled completely.
    He stood still and erect, holding a visibly trembling Hannah in his arms. Katie watched as he ran a steely hand behind the younger girl's back and held her to him with a possession and familiarity that was telling.
    Katie felt her face blanch completely when she realized the depth of the clandestine relationship. For some reason, denial perhaps, Katie hadn't thought the two of them were sleeping together. God, she needed to get a clue and start living in the real world. Just because she'd been denying her own sexuality for years, it didn't mean that the rest of the world lived in the same deep freeze that she'd been enduring.
    She tried to calm her raging heartbeat enough to understand the details. "Josh, tell me the truth. Zachary doesn't know about the two of you, does he?"
    Her cousin's arms noticeably tightened on the girl he held and it was a blatant indication to Katie that he'd never let the younger girl go, no matter what. "No, he doesn't. But only because Hannah won't let me confront him." His voice roughened with accusation. "And that tells me all I need to know about whether or not she's ready for this."
    Hannah flinched at that last cutting comment and Katie asked her, "Do your parents know how far the relationship has gone?"
    Hannah licked her lips and met Katie's eyes. "They know. They like Josh, they really do. It took my dad awhile, but he's good with it now. Except for . . . except for telling Zach."
    "So it's not just me, everyone is afraid of Zachary finding out?" As Katie asked the question, she was aware of the angry, hooded look that came over Josh's face before he shut it down. The conversation was definitely not pleasing him.
    "It's awkward, and nobody wants Zach to be hurt by any of this," Hannah replied softly.
    Katie didn't have a rebuttal for that, and at her silence, Hannah's top lip quivered. "Please, Katie. Don't be upset. What are we supposed to do? I love Zach; he's my brother and I don't want him upset. He's been hurt so much in the past." The younger girl's gaze drifted away from Katie and down to the strong, masculine hands that were wrapped around her middle as Josh held her. "But I'm in love with Josh; I've been in love with him forever and yes, my parents know," the younger girl reiterated.
    Katie wasn't hearing anything completely new, but something about the way Hannah used the word forever made her eyebrows lift in question. "Forever?" A sudden, suspicious thought came to Katie as she studied the younger girl. "Is that the only reason we're friends? Because of my cousin?" Katie felt a slither of pain; the idea hurt, more than a bit.
    Hannah's eyes dropped uncomfortably from hers and her reply was hesitant. "I can't deny that I wanted your friendship because being close to you always made me feel closer to Josh when he wouldn't have much to do with me because of my age. But I love you and I'll always love you no matter what happens."
    Josh's muscles surged into prominence as his arms clenched around Hannah in a grip that looked as if nothing could ever break it, "Nothing's going to fucking happen."
    As Katie witnessed firsthand the raw emotion that her cousin felt for Hannah, she couldn't help but remember Zachary accusing her of using Hannah to get to him. If only he knew the truth. The situation was so twisted; her hand shook as she ran it over her trembling mouth.
    She turned her mind away from the hurt she was feeling and tried to focus on the more important details. "So what does this mean? What's going on now?" Katie asked.
    Josh answered. "Hannah wants to get married now and not even start college full-time. She wants to get a job at the bank in Redwood Falls instead and start taking online classes. I want her to get her degree in case anything happens to me, because