Noah walked over.

Her father’s expression brightened with a burst of lucidity. “Eddie Haskell,” he said. In a surly tone, half playful, he added, “What in the hell are you doing out here in the middle of the night with my daughter?”

“I’m sorry, Charlie. How about we both get her home?” Noah walked to the vehicle and opened the back door.

Her father sauntered over. “All right. But I don’t want to see you out here again. She’s too good for you.”

After getting her father settled at the nursing home, Noah drove Liv back to Cindy’s house.

Before getting out of the car, Liv looked at him. “Thank you, again.”

“It’s nothing.”

“No, it means a lot. Especially after what I said to you the last time I was in Nebraska.”

“I deserved it.” He paused. “I was just going through a bad time. I thought Tommy looked so much like Kyle when he was little.”

“It’s okay. They’re both handsome boys.” She recalled the anger—the fear—when he’d asked her to do the test. She’d been back in Adair, dealing with another episode with her father. The documentary had just come out, and the town was riled up. The governor had refused to support Danny’s pardon, and Noah wanted a goddamned paternity test.

So she’d taken the test—told him she’d sent strands of Evan’s and Tommy’s hair off to an internet paternity testing company under a false name. It felt vile, like she was a guest on one of those awful talk shows where couples revealed the results of paternity tests on live television. When the results came back showing that Evan was the father, she emailed them to Noah. He’d asked that it be sent to a particular email address, one he’d likely made to keep any record of the discussion untraceable. Always the politician.

Noah looked at her as if he were going in for a kiss.

The thought repelled her. She opened the car door, keeping her distance. Making it clear that wasn’t going to happen.

“Good night, Noah.”

He nodded, his expression defeated. “Send me those papers Sampson’s wife gave you,” he said. “Maybe there’ll be something we can use for the pardon.”

Inside Cindy’s house, Liv went to Tommy’s bedside and watched him sleeping. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, praying he would never learn that the strands of hair she’d sent along with the paternity test weren’t Evan’s. They were Noah’s.

Excerpt from

A Violent Nature

Season 1/Episode 2

“They Just Got in My Head”

INSERT – A school photo of DANNY PINE in his football uniform.

INSERT – PRISON TELEPHONE RECORDING

EVAN PINE

I don’t understand. They said you confessed to hurting Charlotte. Why would you say that, Danny? It doesn’t make sense.

DANNY

(sobbing)