“No,” she gasped, searching Sidney’s face, desperate to deny his words. “Let me go. That isn’t true. I-I heard you talking by the stairs and—” Alex had sounded downright jealous by the prospect of Charley and Sid together. True hope had blossomed within her, bringing back the love and adoration she’d locked away, denied, for so many years. After all that had happened in the last hours she needed for her knight in shining armor to be just that… a real hero. Memories of Alex’s tender touch in the woods twined with his cruel words from the past and carved a vicious path through her soul. “I said let go!” She struggled against Sidney’s strangely possessive grasp. He shook his head. “You know Alex as well as me. He’s out for himself and his career above all else.” She didn’t respond, only blinked back tears. “There’s more, Charles, much more.” Sinister warning darkened his eyes. She stilled, more than a little frightened.
