Скачать книгу

got started on a tangent he was a tough person to try to wind down. “Stop playing the victim in this. It’s not about that.”

      “You stop, Sawyer. Stop judging me. Stop throwing everything in my face. Stop wishing that Ava was married to you instead of me!”

      Billy’s words had almost knocked the wind out of him. He’d opened his mouth to refute the accusation, determined to deny he’d been holding on to any romantic notions about him and Ava. As much as he’d wanted to deny it, he couldn’t. He’d let out a deep sigh. “Yes, I have wished Ava was mine. And I want you to know I’ve always been ashamed of that. Until right now. Because seeing you like this, watching you destroy the wonderful life you’ve built for yourself—” He’d stopped for a moment, too overcome with frustration to continue. “And let me tell you, if she were my wife, I’d treat her a whole lot better than you’ve been treating her lately.”

      The words hung in the air like a storm cloud on the verge of bursting. For a moment the room was quiet, with nothing more than tension crackling in the air.

      “No wonder she keeps nagging me,” Billy had muttered. “How can I compare to the great hero, Sawyer Trask? So perfect and righteous.”

      “Don’t call me that, Billy!” he’d growled, wishing it didn’t get under his skin so much when people touted him as a hero. In his mind he wasn’t a hero. He was an officer in the coast guard, sworn to uphold maritime law. Performing search-and-rescues was just part and parcel of his job duties. He wasn’t anybody’s hero!

      “Always so noble,” Billy had spit out. “It must be nice to be perfect.” He’d shaken his head in disgust. “I’m out of here!” he’d shouted, his long legs quickly carrying him to the door. Those were the last words they’d ever spoken to each other.

      A hundred times or more since that night, Sawyer had wished he’d stopped Billy from leaving. It was the last time he’d seen his cousin alive. Late that night he’d received the call from a frantic Ava, who hadn’t seen or heard from her husband all evening. For hours he’d driven around town looking for his cousin, to no avail. In the wee hours of the morning he’d received the devastating call from his best friend, Colby, who was a member of his coast guard unit. Billy’s capsized boat had been spotted by the coast guard a few miles out in the harbor. Although everyone had prayed that he’d managed to swim to land, Billy’s body had been found the next day in one of the inlets off Buzzards Bay Harbor. An investigation had concluded that, caught in a minor squall, Billy had drowned after his boat took on water. The fact that Billy had been under the influence had only worsened the life-and-death situation.

      Sawyer had never told a single soul about his argument with Billy. He’d been too ashamed, felt too guilty about the fact that his angry words with him might have caused his cousin to spiral downward. But he couldn’t keep this to himself any longer. Not when he’d made a promise to God he’d come clean with Ava after he’d almost died from cholera on the other side of the world.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEBLAEsAAD/4RHqRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABwESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAYgEbAAUAAAABAAAAagEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAUAAAAcgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAhodp AAQAAAABAAAAnAAAAMgAAAEsAAAAAQAAASwAAAABQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIDcuMAAyMDE0OjAz OjA3IDE2OjMyOjI0AAAAAAOgAQADAAAAAQABAACgAgAEAAAAAQAABkCgAwAEAAAAAQAACgQAAAAA AAAABgEDAAMAAAABAAYAAAEaAAUAAAABAAABFgEbAAUAAAABAAABHgEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAIBAAQA AAABAAABJgICAAQAAAABAAAQvAAAAAAAAABIAAAAAQAAAEgAAAAB/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEASABI AAD/7QAMQWRvYmVfQ00AAf/uAA5BZG9iZQBkgAAAAAH/2wCEAAwICAgJCAwJCQwRCwoLERUPDAwP FRgTExUTExgRDAwMDAwMEQwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwBDQsLDQ4NEA4OEBQO Dg4UFA4ODg4UEQwMDAwMEREMDAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDP/AABEI AIAAUAMBIgACEQEDEQH/3QAEAAX/xAE/AAABBQEBAQEBAQAAAAAAAAADAAECBAUGBwgJCgsBAAEF AQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAEAAgMEBQYHCAkKCxAAAQQBAwIEAgUHBggFAwwzAQACEQMEIRIxBUFRYRMi cYEyBhSRobFCIyQVUsFiMzRygtFDByWSU/Dh8WNzNRaisoMmRJNUZEXCo3Q2F9JV4mXys4TD03Xj 80YnlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1VmZ2hpamtsbW5vY3R1dnd4eXp7fH1+f3EQACAgECBAQDBAUGBwcG BTUBAAIRAyExEgRBUWFxIhMFMoGRFKGxQiPBUtHwMyRi4XKCkkNTFWNzNPElBhaisoMHJjXC0kST VKMXZEVVNnRl4vKzhMPTdePzRpSkhbSVxNTk9KW1xdXl9VZmdoaWprbG1ub2JzdHV2d3h5ent8f/ 2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AOjaHWNJH5vOoH4fJTax4cNRJ49w+CZm389oj4Ivp1lwgCPgqXDzX+eH+JD/ ALxsXh/zZ+0/98sN5IgDUaajsA7/AL8o25VGHULbxDHPYzdIPusO1iFmNFl1GCwEfaRY61zNHCqp vu+j7v0tttTFWzcbOvdj14dNebg1Orc4NLfVZZSWkfpS/bbvb/OMd/5mnwxcyTHj5gCJ1Ppxx9H9 6UfmVeLpD8ZOwIH+D/6QiRP/AJFOLGAas/6Q/wBeyxX05PrOrz32Otz7tz20j+bxaHbxjY3on2fa H2UUXWv9L6dv7ivjq1eXL8WtuPjtLTdl3Vgtr3tFtTW1e3+c+h6t36Kn/hE04ec0rOD3PBHh/wCh ++q8X7n4ltuu00Z/0gfD/wAkh+q4wY5MakeO3VVsbrtT29QyXYouxqHA0bKmt2Vk+i31/W9LfbY/ 9Z2Nf/M/6JXqsnplGO1mQ71RTRZa/MfWItbj7GZeQNg/0lns9myz/tP6iacPOxOuUdqEI3dcX7ie LF+5+P8AagNrudv/AEh/r+aoHKDTBZqNOQiZOZiWCjHwag3OynNDK7qj+jZ73PsvbpWz9HTZ6W6z 9J/O1eqtF+FiydtbQO2gQMebjV5QL7wj/wB6kHD+4ftL/9Dp2QQo25uLiichwa0DvPbyYHPQKLny N8keI5RbcTFyntdY0PIGm4lo2t/S+/3NY5rdu/8ASKEVet1/V3ZqcjPycfLF1z3vpY91ddJsZdWw UNPqWWW2hm39PafV2O/wddav3dM9WuyLN1d13qipk11lh/

Скачать книгу