I stayed silent, keeping my gaze on him but also trying to scan the room. All I had was the fork gripped tightly in my hand. A piece of silverware was no match for a bullet and two men much larger than me.

“You know that’s why I had to punish you. But you never listen to my warnings.”

“Why we had to punish her,” Sam corrected him.

Michael’s jaw worked but he nodded at Sam. “Of course. We’ve been keeping all of these local yokels chasing their tails, trying to find a killer who was right under their noses.”

My stomach pitched, acid surging up my throat. “Y-you had an alibi for every crime. How?”

Michael beamed. “Bingo! She finally gets it. Someone give this girl a prize. It really is fascinating that you fell in love with someone whose past is almost as dark as yours. And the man they sentenced in New York? He really was helpful to ensure we got the details right.”

“You really think your brother couldn’t fake some video footage? I thought you knew him better than that.”

I should’ve known better. But even with as much energy as I’d put into protecting myself, I’d let my guard down.

Sam shot Michael a grin. “We tag-teamed everything we needed to. Once each of us had at least one alibi, the rest was easy.”

“Why?” I croaked. So many people. And for no reason.

Michael pulled a knife from a sheath at his side, his eyes narrowing. “Why? Because you’re a heartless bitch who abandoned me when I needed you the most. You knew they were planning to send me away. But did you warn me? No. You were just going to let them do it.”

My gaze stayed focused on the knife, the glint of metal in the sun. I swallowed hard. “Because you needed help. They were trying to get you well.”

“They were trying to get rid of me!” he screamed. “And you were going to let them. I never had any of you on my side. I had to fight for every little kernel of attention. Do you know what that’s like?”

I did know. Because as wonderful as my parents were, they focused on Michael. They had been terrified of and for their son, of what he was turning into. And somewhere along the way, I fell by the wayside. They hadn’t meant to, and I knew they loved me. But I wasn’t the one screaming out. I was simply trying to keep from drowning. “I know.”

Michael lunged forward, stopping just a few feet in front of me. “You do not! I know! You were loved. I was hated.”

“Stop,” Sam ordered. “I want to have my fun first.” He cut around Michael and grabbed me by the throat. “This bitch has been teasing me for years.”