Declan winced.
This would be her future when word got out. People being uncomfortable around her. Georgie nodded, her throat growing tight as she saw Clark’s dead body on the ground. “I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to you later.”
She hurried to the car and slid behind the wheel.
“Everything all right?” Matt asked.
She shook her head as she backed out. She wanted to get away from here, away from everyone except her family.
“He fired you?”
“No.” Georgie took a breath to get her emotions under control. “I told Declan the kidnapper was dead. He thinks I killed him, and it changed his whole demeanour. People are going to treat me differently.”
“Then we tell the truth.”
She shook her head. She couldn’t. Lee had asked this one thing of her. She could deal with the side-glances for a few months if it gave him time to put a stop to Stonefish. It wasn’t as if he wanted her to take the fall. He was already wanted for one death. “I have to trust him.”
“He’s lied to us the whole time we’ve known him.”
No. She had a gut feeling about this. Maybe she was being played, but she would do what she could to help him. “I need to do this,” she said. “I need to believe Stonefish can be stopped and life can go back to normal.”
Matt squeezed her knee. “I’ll support whatever you decide, Georgie, but I don’t like it.”
“I know.” She smiled at him and let out a breath. “Let’s go home.”
This time when Georgie pulled up behind the farmhouse her whole family rushed out. The only ones not there were Faith and Lara who were at work and school. Matt parked next to her as they’d stopped so he could get his car on the way.
Darcy practically yanked her out of the car. “I’m so glad you’re all right.” He smothered her until Brandon said, “Give the rest of us a turn.”
Georgie chuckled, glad to feel safe again as Brandon replaced Darcy, and Darcy turned to Matt. “I thought I was going to lose another brother.”
She didn’t hear Matt’s reply because Darcy had smothered him as well.
“My turn,” Amy said, bumping her husband aside. “I’m glad you’re both OK. Come in, I’ve got lunch prepared and whisky on the table.”
Perfect.
Amy and Darcy fussed around them getting drinks and food while Brandon stared as if trying to get the story from them mentally. They had discussed telling the family the truth but decided the fewer people who knew the better. Her brothers were likely to tell Dot the real story in order to protect Georgie.
Georgie inhaled deeply. The scent of freshly baked scones, coffee and home. She squeezed Matt’s hand. They were truly safe.
Matt told his side of the story first.
“Wait, Lee was there?” Amy said. “He was going to kill you both?”
Georgie hated not telling her. Amy and Lee had been friends. Instead, she nodded. “Matt warned me, and I managed to avoid Lee to get to Matt.” When she got to the bit about shooting the gunman Brandon studied her. “You killed him?”
She nodded, taking a sip of her whisky-infused coffee and not looking at him.
“That’s awful,” Amy said. “How do you feel?”
Shit. She probably should be a mess if she’d really killed him. She swallowed. “It was shoot him or Matt would die. It wasn’t a choice.”
Matt squeezed her hand.
“We can talk later,” Brandon said. “The first person you kill is always hard.”
Georgie jolted. She hadn’t considered Brandon might have killed people while he’d been in the army. Foolish for sure, but he didn’t talk about that part of his life.
