Free The Lies That Save Us (The Broken Heart Series) by JL Redington

gun.  “What--what are you doing?”
    Her arms were straight, both hands on the gun in a perfect shooting stance.
    “Do you really think my father would raise me the way he did, and not teach his little girl to shoot?” she looked at him blankly and continued.  “I don’t know who you are, or why you’re determined to help me, but you’re not kidding me.  Either you tell me what your interest is in this right now, or I put a bullet in your knee cap and leave you on the side of the road.”
    The dynamic between the two of them had just made a serious left turn.  This was going to be a problem, and Cayman knew it.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Seven
     
    “You had your gun out before that car ever got to the side of us.  You knew something was going to happen.  How did you know?”  The gun was still pointed at Cayman, her voice was filled with suppressed anger.
    “Geez, Alexa!  It all happened so fast I’m not sure what I know.”
    “DON’T LIE TO ME!”  she screamed, her rage focused and intense.  She had reached the limit of her willingness to follow blindly.  She needed answers and she needed them now.
    “I don’t remember!  I just saw this car coming up behind us kind of fast, and my gut instinct told me I needed to be ready.  What do you want me to say?  I don’t know what you want from me!” 
    She stared into his eyes, frozen in time as the thoughts rolled around in her head.  With a hard sigh she finally released the trigger on the gun and dropped her hands to her sides.  She turned away from him and trudged across the road, looking over the dry plain that surrounded them.  She could feel the familiar sting of tears forming in her eyes, but refused to let them fall.  She only knew she would never be anyone’s stooge again, but she had no clue how to protect herself from that.  She was frustrated, angry and confused, right back where she was before Cayman ever came into her life. 
    “Why did you come to my diner?” she muttered to herself.  “Why couldn’t you and the rest of the world just leave me alone?”
    Cayman was right behind her. 
    “I was hungry, but I can’t speak for the rest of the world.”
    The situation was so ridiculous it made her smile.  She turned and looked at him and saw the same confusion and uncertainty she felt, and for some stupid reason, that made her laugh.  Still holding the gun, she placed the back of her hand against her mouth and laughed.  Soon she was bent over, trying to suppress it, but it just felt so good to laugh.  She realized she hadn’t laughed this hard since before her father died.  How had she lived without laughter?
    “First you’re going to shoot me, and now you think I’m funny?”  he asked, incredulously. He ran his hands through his thick head of hair and said, “You are one strange woman…one beautiful, strange woman.”
    She finally regained control of herself and took some deep breaths.
    “Sorry…but man that felt good!”
    They walked back to the car and he continued.
    “Maybe you need some meds, I mean, who does that?  Really.”
    They slid into their seats and Cayman started the car and looked at her.
    “What?” she said defensively.
    “What? That’s all you have to say is ‘what’?”
    “Oh, I forgot this part, ‘shut up and drive.’” 
    That made her laugh all over again and she spent the next few miles trying to explain what was so funny. 
    It really did sound crazy, but somehow Alexa felt relieved.  It was like a million pounds of mistrust and fear had been erased.  For the first time in more than a year she felt in control of herself and her situation, free of the benefactor in her diner purchase, free of the death of her father, free of the loss of her fiancé, and free of the hatred of him.  She felt free, and as she rolled down the window and the wind rushed through her hair, for the first time, she felt she was going to find out the truth about the death of her