Between Gates (The Gate Chronicles Book 1)

Chapter 29: Secrets

“Amory did. When we were boys, we went to the same school. I spurned his proffered friendship, and he sent thugs after me for continually refusing to do what he wanted. He wasn’t stable, but I didn’t recognize him when I met him at West Base because he’d changed so much from the twelve years since I knew him. That’s why I have to get out of here.

"He’s planning to kill me for real, and he knows who I am, so that means there’s no way that just supporting him for the whole war will cause him to forget about killing me.” Chenn took her hands, eyes sad and begging her to believe him.

Her heart broke as she realized that he had betrayed her. She yanked her hands away from him. “Why do you need to make up such stories to convince me that you weren’t at fault?” Nari hissed.

“I’m not. I would never do this just to hurt you. I would tell you the truth, and I am telling you the truth. You have to believe me.” Chenn's voice caught and a few tears slid down his cheek. 

She resisted the urge to wipe them away with her fingers and kiss him. He had betrayed her. He had no right to expect her to care about him anymore. She shouldn't care. Not anymore. Not after this. “Why are you telling me now?”

“I didn’t know how to before.” He sounded so lost.

Inside, her heart was breaking into tiny shards, but outside she was under control and cold. “Yeah, well, forgive me if I don’t believe the stories of my sister’s murderer.”

“I didn’t murder her.” Chenn’s voice trembled, and it was so soft she barely heard it.

“Oh yeah? Then explain why you were standing there holding the smoking gun, and no one else was around, you liar!” She spat, slapping him.

He turned away, closing off his ears. Her words struck dagger-like into his heart. His insides were twisted with regret and shame. He felt nauseated. His gut clenched as he turned to her, tears sparkling in his eyes. “You’ve got to believe me. I didn’t do it.”

“No. I can’t believe that, Chenn. I've spent years hating you for what happened, and now you march back into my life, mess with my feelings, and then tell me this.” She turned away from him.

She heard his sharp intake of breath as he tried to hold in his sob. "Please, don't believe that about me. I told you because I didn't want to play with your feelings. I wanted you to know. And I thought you'd understand." He moaned.

She turned back to him, eyes sad. "Chenn, I gave you my heart, and now you come here telling me that you're the boy from the alley so many years ago. You come here to tell me that it was never your fault. But all those years as I played the scenario over and over in my mind, that was the only logical conclusion I could come to.

"You killed her. That's all I could conclude because that's what all the evidence pointed to. I was with Criminal Intelligence in the FBI, Chenn. I should know." She whispered. "Now please, just go."

“At least come with me when I run. If you hate me, fine. But don’t stay here and die. If you die, I die too, because it’ll be my fault that you did.” He whispered, turning back to her with his eyes still wet with tears and misery.

“I will never go anywhere with you. You killed my sister.” Nari whispered, eyes sparking, tears streaming down her face. “How dare you tell me all this? You should’ve kept your dark secret to yourself, Chenn.” She turned away from him again.

“You would have figured it out on your own eventually, Nari. You’re smart, and I wanted to be the one to tell you. I didn’t want you to find out on your own without hearing it from me.” Chenn's voice was a whisper.