Expired Cache - Lisa Phillips Page 0,85
for any reason, it is terrible. But in defense of a life, it can be noble. If a person’s life is in danger and another is forced to take the life that threatens that person, then it can even be a good thing.”
She’d never have spoken those words out loud, even days ago. Still living her “normal” life. But now she’d seen it. She’d felt that visceral fear, and Dean had saved her from a gun. Not just assault like she’d experienced before—or even worse. No, he’d saved her from death.
Ellie wasn’t ready to die.
No one was when they met their end. The split second when a person realized they would die. When they recognized what was happening to them.
She’d read many battlefield journals. But this was the first time she’d ever come close to experiencing it for herself.
Dean said, “Did you know Mark? You taught classes at the gym and the drop-in center, haven’t you? I thought I saw that you were doing First Aid and CPR training.”
Ellie shivered at just the thought of doing that again with the gauze. She’d had to press so hard, she must’ve hurt Dean a lot. More than his wound was bothering him.
“Mark, you said?”
Dean nodded in response to the doctor’s question. “The receptionist.”
“Ah. Nice young man, or so I thought.” Tension flickered in the Gilane’s temple and around his eyes. “Shame.”
“Yes.” Ellie said, “It is a shame since he’s the one who attacked me. It still astounds me that people are so capable of hurting each other. And I’ve experienced it.” The doctor didn’t know she read thoroughly all kinds of accounts of history. Battles. Hostile assaults on invading armies. All the horrible things man perpetrated on other men—along with women and children, too.
“Did he…say why?”
There it was. Dean stiffened beside her. Ellie’s fingers flexed on the gun she held.
She was about to speak when Jess broke through the tree line. “Ellie!”
Dean took the gun from her hand, and she jumped up to run to her sister. Sweetest hug ever. Ellie heard the whimper in her throat.
Jess made a similar sound then pulled back. “Are you okay?”
Ellie explained everything, including the dead male buried in the dirt. She left nothing out about coming up here, finding what was buried. About the guy from the gym holding her at gunpoint and making her dig.
She relayed it all in a rapid whisper, leaving out the passport and the buried man’s possible identity. Later she could explain that. Her sister was a cop, and they both cared about their grandfather and his reputation in this town. If he really had done something awful, then Jess could help her mitigate the fallout.
“That doesn’t make sense.” Jess shook her head. “How would Mark have known? What got him involved in all this?”
Maybe he was the descendent of a founder, the way she and Jess were. Maybe he’d been following her this whole time. Keeping tabs on her, then accosting her in the forest outside her childhood home. Was she supposed to have already figured out everything?
The whole thing overwhelmed Ellie all over again, and her legs started to give out. She had more questions than answers right now. Still. Even after all this.
“Doctor Gilane!” Jess grabbed her waist and helped Ellie sit. It was more like an ungraceful tumbling to the ground.
“Ellie, are you okay?” Dean crouched by her, concern on his face that she liked a whole lot.
The doctor knelt on the other side. Her sister held her hand.
Ellie was about to say yes, but it didn’t come out. She shook her head instead. How did she know what to say, and who to trust? Her grandfather trusted her to do the right thing. But what did that even mean?
Tears rolled down her face. She couldn’t get control of herself. If she could calm her breathing, she’d be able to have a rational conversation. Think this through intelligently. Work out what to do about everything.
The police were going to dig up that boy. They would do all kinds of forensic tests and figure out how he died. What that old gun had to do with it.
A man called out, “Dean!”
Dean squeezed her shoulder. “Conroy is here. You okay?”
She sent him a watery, emotional smile.
Dean touched his lips to her forehead. “You’ll be okay.” Then he got up and moved away.
That left her with the doctor, and her sister who said, “You’ll need to explain to me what all that was.”
Ellie didn’t want to. It was between