Nowhere to Run (Stephanie Carovella) Read Online Free PDF Page B

too.”
    “Jesse, I didn’t know,” Stephanie said, her voice breaking with tears. She raised grieving eyes to look at Jesse, wiping away the tears rolling down her cheeks, with the back of her hand.
    “This is the reason I didn’t want to tell you. I didn’t want you to know about it, and deal with the pain. I don’t know why you would want to know about it anyway.”
    Stephanie wrapped her arms around herself, trying to ward off the chill in her bones. She was unable to suppress a shudder. “I just need to know everything.”
    Jesse shook his head angrily. “Damn it Steph. You did the same when Dominic died. You needed to know every little detail. I didn’t understand it then, and I sure as hell don’t understand it now.” He broke off angrily, glaring at her. “I don’t understand why you want to put yourself through it. Tell me why. Make me understand what’s going on inside of you. Don’t shut Ben out. Don’t shut me out this time. Not like you did when Dominic died,” he demanded, grabbing her by her upper arms.
    She broke his grip, matching his fury with her own. “I needed to know, Jesse. I need to get inside his head. To find this son of a bitch, I need to get inside his head.” She bit out savagely.
    She cut Jesse off before he could speak again. “I’m going to find this son of a bitch, Jesse, and make him pay. I’ll find him and make him pay for it all. Pay for the hell he put Angel through, the hell you’re going through...” She broke off, her eyes glittering dangerously, as she stared at him. “I want justice.”
    Jesse nodded; his own darkening in turmoil. “I just want him dead.”
    “Then you understand? You understand why I need to know everything? Why I need to know every little detail from that night,” she said quietly. “I don’t want what was Angel’s life sitting in a box, just another cold case. I want her remembered. I want her to be laid to rest. I want her at peace with herself, and the world. Until her murderer is found, that’s never going to happen. I can’t just leave it like that. She wouldn’t do it to us. She’d crusade.”
    Jesse looked at her, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “Ben thought you’d only be here as long as you had to. You’d stay here for the funeral, and then disappear back to that hick little town you seem to love so much. I knew differently. You’re still the same, Carovella. You can leave L.A and change your lifestyle, but inside you’re no different than the day you left.”
    He shook his head when she opened her mouth to protest. “Whether you like it or not, Carovella, you need this. You need the action. You belong here.” He paused, shaking his head with a grin. “Ben’s not going to like this one damn bit.”
    Stephanie shrugged. “No, but he’ll understand it.” Her eyes narrowing, she said slowly, “But trust me on this, Jesse Carlisle, I don’t need this. I don’t want it. And, I happen to like that hick little town, I now live in.”
    Jesse smiled softly. “You keep telling yourself that, but I know you. I know you’re incapable of sitting still for too long. You get that ache deep down inside. That restless feeling, the one that keeps eating at you until you think you’ll go crazy if you don’t completely rearrange your life.”
    “Not anymore,” she argued.
    Jesse said nothing, his smile widening. Stephanie scowled at Jesse. He knew her too well. Even after all this time, he still knew her. He was right, of course. She’d started to feel restless. She’d thought by marrying Leigh, the feeling would fade, but it hadn’t. It had just grown stronger.
    She’d known as soon as she stepped off the plane at L.A.X this was where she needed to be. She was home. It didn’t mean she didn’t love Leigh. She did, in her own way. She just knew she wasn’t cut out to be a small-town wife.
    Jesse grimaced, his thoughts drifting back to Gena Evans – the lead Detective on Angel’s case and Stephanie’s former,