Buried Secrets (New Adult Dark Suspense Romance) Read Online Free Page A

wrong it’s right.” He waggled his eyebrows.
    Dusty rolled her eyes. “No. Just no.”
    “What’s so bad about Shane Curtis?”
    “Do you want a list?” She started ticking Shane’s faults off on her fingers. “He’s smug, he’s arrogant, he’s demanding, he’s impatient, he doesn’t ever listen to anyone else’s opinion, he’s stubborn, he’s defiant, he’s—”
    “See, that proves it!” Nick laughed when she punched him in the shoulder, ducking when she aimed a magazine at his head from the stack on his bed. It fluttered uselessly to the floor. “Look how much you’ve thought about him!”
    “Shut up!” she fumed, feeling the flush in her cheeks. “Besides, he’s probably going to end up in jail, just like his brother.”
    “Hey, that’s not fair.” Nick straightened, eyebrows knitted. “He’s never even been arrested.”
    “No?” She crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes at him. “How about the fireworks stolen from Cougar’s last year?”
    “That was my fault.” He smiled, a little sheepishly, reminding her. “Besides, no one was arrested. We were just… questioned.”
    “You got off because Dad got you off!” She wagged her finger at him, just like Julia did at the two of them. She recognized the gesture but didn’t censor herself. “If it had just been Shane, he’d be in juvy right now.”
    “This town.” Nick got up, striding toward his dresser and putting the cap back on the gel. “Buck Thompson is a nice guy, but he’s about as sharp as a bowling ball. He can’t look past the usual suspects.”
    “Sheriff Thompson isn’t that stupid,” she retorted, defending him despite knowing her brother was, in fact, probably correct. It was a very small town. There had never been any major crime committed in Larkspur. Sheriff Thompson’s mettle had never really been tested. “He knew it was Buddy Curtis stealing those lottery tickets.”
    “That doesn’t make him Sherlock Holmes.” Her brother snorted, turning around and leaning against the dresser to look at her. “They caught him on camera. Besides, Buddy isn’t Shane. Just like you’re not me.”
    “It wasn’t Shane who got caught poaching on state land our junior year?” She didn’t know why, but she felt like she had to win this argument, to vilify Shane completely and prove her brother wrong.
    Nick blinked at her, quiet for a moment. Then he surprised her by asking, “Ever think I might be the bad influence on him, not the other way around?”
    She scowled, swinging her feet against the side of the bed and mumbling, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Isn’t that what Julia says?”
    “Jesus, Dusty.” He gave a long, deep sigh, shaking his head. “Sometimes I think you’re more like Julia than you are like Mom.”
    “That’s not fair.” It hit her like a blow to the midsection and she sucked in air, blinking back tears.
    “I’m just trying to tell you…” Nick’s voice took on a tight, sharp tone. “Shane isn’t a bad guy. It’s not his fault, what his brother did, what this town thinks of him.”
    “Right.” She didn’t care if he was angry. She was too. “They’re the victims.”
    “What if they are?” The silence stretched between them. Finally, Nick sighed. “I just wish you could hear yourself.”
    “So I’m a little cynical.” She shrugged. “Sue me.”
    “I’m gonna be a vet, not a lawyer.”
    She smiled at his comment. Her soft-hearted twin had opted for MSU because of their outstanding veterinary program. He loved animals—even if Julia wouldn’t let them have any pets. Not even goldfish.
    “Come on, Nick,” she pleaded. “Let’s not fight. This is stupid. We haven’t had a fight in a long time.”
    He gave a conciliatory nod. “Funny how we still fight about the same things.”
    “Good thing neither of us is a psychologist.” She laughed. “Not yet anyway.”
    “Let’s hope they teach you some empathy in psychology