“Rapist.” In his mind’s eye he remembered walking through the forest to see Arianna lying on the riverbank, her body white and naked, a faceless man atop her. She’d been whimpering, sobbing softly and painfully as her rapist had grunted in some kind of sick pleasure. “I went ape-shit,” Jase said. All the anger he’d felt at that moment came flooding back. “Jumped the guy and tried to beat him senseless. Or . . . or thought I had. It’s all a blur. It’s like when people say they ‘saw red.’ I don’t remember hitting him, but I did, and he turned, kind of roared and twisted. That’s when I saw the knife, the one he’d used to subdue Arianna.”

“Oh dear God,” Brianna whispered, her voice breaking.

Without thinking, Jase had attacked, sprang on the back of the man who had turned in the darkness, a blade flashing. He’d jabbed quickly, connecting with Jase’s face and slicing, creating the scar Jase bore today.

“He cut me.” With one hand, he indicated the scar. “Got his licks in.” The truth was they’d fought, struggled. “We went at it and somehow I managed to connect, a blow to his nose while holding his other wrist away from me. The guy was stunned and dropped the knife before crumpling into a heap.” His jaw worked as he remembered the scene, how the bastard, his pants at his ankles had slumped to the ground and Jase had given him one final kick. All the while Arianna had screamed and mewled, scrabbling in the darkness for her clothes.

“How come I’ve never heard of this?”

“Because it was covered up. That’s the way Arianna wanted it.”

“I don’t understand.”

Neither did Jase. Never had. Never would. “I—I was certain I’d killed the bastard and stupid kid that I was, once I saw that Arianna was safe, or as safe as she could be, I took her home, she begged me not to tell a soul and I lied and told her I wouldn’t. Then I asked my brother and father to help me. Since I was convinced I’d killed a man, I wanted my dad to go with me to the police, but Ed would have nothing to do with it.”

Brianna had wrapped her arms around herself as if to ward off a chill, or protect herself somehow as Jase took a corner a little too fast and the tires screeched in protest.