Behind the Lies (Montgomery Justice #2)(54)

“Let me,” she said, kneeling on the soft earth. “That can’t be good for your shoulder.” She took the knife from him and sliced through the stalks of the plant. “You’re really good with Sam,” Jenna said. “He likes that you don’t talk to him like he’s a baby,” she said, through a smile. “He told me that.”

“He thinks I’m a superhero,” Zach said, holding another set of stalks so she could make the cut. “What’s not to like?”

The firelight illuminated Jenna’s features. “It bothers you.”

“I’m not the Dark Avenger,” he said. “I’m not anywhere close to being a hero.”

She added the wild cucumber to the pile and laced her fingers through his right hand. Zach’s body tensed at the voluntary touch. His chest tightened as if a vise closed around his heart.

“You saved my son’s life. You outheroed the Dark Avenger, Zach. You can’t run from that truth.”

He refused to meet her gaze. She didn’t understand. One saved life didn’t make up for the tragedies he’d caused—his father’s, Pendar’s, probably others.

She scooted closer to him. “Why don’t you see what I see in you?”

“Because you don’t see the real me, Jenna. No one does.” He stood, the darkness within rising up and taking over. “If you knew—”

“What? That you’re human? That you make mistakes?”

“That I’m not who I pretend to be.” He clasped her arm. “You just found out your husband lied to you for your entire marriage. You need to cloak yourself in skepticism, Jenna. For your sake and Sam’s. You need to see people for who they really are. Even your son.”

Zach weighed his words, and her need to hear the truth. “Do you know what Sam saw?” he asked.

Her hand dropped to her side. She backed away. “What are you talking about?”

“He saw your husband hit you. Sam saw you go back again and again. He believes Brad can change, that a time-out and ‘I’m sorry’ fixes everything. You and I know there are times when nothing makes it OK.”

An itch rose on Zach’s arm, the same sleeve that had been soaked in his father’s blood. Sometimes sorry meant less than nothing.

“You can’t let him believe in fairy tales any longer. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about.”

Even in the dim light, Jenna’s face washed out, completely devoid of color.

“I wanted him to have a father to look up to,” she said. “Like mine. My dad gave me hope and a belief in the possibilities. I want Sam to be optimistic, to dream big.”

“You can’t afford for him to dream big, Jenna. He needs to be safe. Sam Walters could dream big. Zan McMann has to live under the radar,” Zach countered. “While Brad is still out there, those hopes can’t exist.”

She turned her back to him. He tried to ignore the hurt fairly vibrating from her.

“Protect yourself and Sam, Jenna. You have to stop believing in superheroes,” Zach said. “Especially me.”

She rounded on him. “Why are you doing this?”

“For your own good. Go back to the cave. I’ll finish here.”

“Fine. I’ll just go ‘fix’ what my son has seen. I may have made some mistakes, but you underestimate us, Zach.”

He crouched to the ground, refusing to watch her return to their shelter. He sawed a few more wild cucumbers, trying to tear away the guilt at his harsh words. The clouds had hidden the moon, and the forest had grown black, save the littering of stars in the sky. The temperature had dropped. Zach told himself the chill settling in his bones had nothing to do with the truths he’d spoken and everything to do with the weather.

He made his way to the camp, shocked to hear Jenna’s soft chuckle.

“Then what happened?” Sam asked, his posture eager as he leaned toward his mother.

“The warrior knew he had to save the princess…”

“And her son, the prince,” Sam giggled.

“Exactly. He had a choice to make. To save himself and his own castle or to protect the princess.”

“He had to leave his home?” Sam said. “Like we did?”

“Sometimes you have to leave things behind to move forward. What do you think he did?”

“He saved the princess and her son.”

Sam’s voice was so very certain. Zach leaned against the outside rock face and simply listened.

“What about the diamonds in the floor of the hideout?” Sam asked.

“Because the warrior sacrificed himself, the Queen of the Forest gifted him with the cave. He was able to take the diamonds and give them to all those who needed help. Until the end of his days.”

She’d taken a few flecks of crystal in rock and incorporated them into a tale that mesmerized even him. And the message to her son couldn’t be clearer. Sometimes the past had to be left behind—for the best.

“He did the right thing,” Sam said.

“Sometimes doing the right thing is hard,” Jenna said quietly.

Zach cleared his throat and entered the cave. She nudged her son, and Sam stood and faced Zach, meeting his gaze with unblinking courage.

“I’m sorry I ran away, Dark…I mean, Mr. Montgomery. I’m sorry you got hurt because of me.”