Page 60 of Oracle Returns: Time will Stop

She put him down.

Hard.

Okay, maybe a little too hard.

When he was staring up at her, his eyes were huge, and she was to the point.

“You can’t go kill him! We don’t know if he’s part of this. I know you’re hurt and upset, but this isn’t the way to do this!” she stated. “Calm the fuck down!”

He stared up at her.

“I let her die,” he whispered. “I was with Lucian, and I should have been with her,” he said, sobbing.

Yep.

There was no doubt he’d been ‘with’ Lucian, and that guilt was what he was feeling.

How did she know?

Well, when a woman knew, a woman knew.

Ultimately, she’d have to get to the bottom of that.

Later.

From his spot on the floor, nursing his balls, Lucian crawled toward the man. When he got to him, he pulled Ridge into his body and held him as the man’s sobs wracked his body.

“I have you,” he whispered. “I have you, Ridge. It’s going to be okay. I promise you.”

The man stayed against him, his hands going directly into Lucian’s hair and his face tucked into his neck as he held on for dear life.

That was when Bishop knelt beside them.

“Ridge, Honey, I know you’re hurting. I know this is painful, and it is for all of us, but this isn’t your fault, or Wynter’s fault, or Lucian’s fault. This is all the fault of the person who did this to all of these people.”

That didn’t slow the sobs down.

Not.

At.

All.

Bishop continued.

“Give us time to find him. We’re going to make that happen. Honor and I are going to work it legally, and keep pushing on the other victims, and Avalon Carter and her people will be in the static doing their thing.”

She took his hand, and he held it, as Lucian held him.

When Ridge moved his face, there were tears streaming down his cheeks. It was clear that the torment was real, and it had him by the balls.

“How do I tell Sophia when she gets older? How do I tell her that mommy is gone because of this? Because I didn’t protect her enough?”

They didn’t know.

There was no easy way to do that.

The one and only saving grace was Sophia was so young, she’d never remember any of this, or Wynter. She’d never recall losing her mother.