Shattered

“He won’t understand.” Reef shut off the water and turned to face Piper, blood still smeared across his shirt.
“Of course he will, when you explain.” Cole would understand, just as everyone else would. Reef had found the poor woman after she’d already been killed. “Let’s get you into a clean shirt. Cole and Gage are always leaving stuff here.” She rummaged through the hall cabinet and yanked out a sweatshirt—Landon’s UAF sweatshirt that she’d borrowed months ago. Back when they were still . . .
She shut the closet door. She didn’t know what they had been then or what they were now. Everything seemed inside out between them.
“Here.” She tossed it to Reef, despite the strange longing to hold it tight. “Thanks.” He pulled the bloody shirt over his head and tossed it on top of the washer. Piper hopped up on the dryer, careful to keep her distance from the shirt. There was so much blood soaked into it. She winced at the loss of life, at the pain the poor woman must have suffered. “Tell me again why you didn’t call the police,” she said as Reef washed the blood that stained his chest. Landon would harp on the fact that Reef hadn’t called the police, she just knew it—surely as she knew Landon, or had known Landon. Things seemed so different now. He seemed so different now. Distant. Edgy. Withdrawn.
“Because I panicked.” Reef swiped his chest with a dry rag. “Tug and Ash thought I did it. They wouldn’t listen.” He pulled on Landon’s sweatshirt and stalked back to the kitchen. Piper hopped down to follow him. “But didn’t you explain?”
“I tried, but . . . Wait a minute . . .” His blue eyes narrowed. “You believe me, don’t you?” He shook his head. “Of all people, I thought . . .”
Guilt seared her conscience. How could she even for a second believe her brother capable of murder?

From SHATTERED by Dani Pettrey. Bethany House Publishers a division of Baker Publishing. Copyright © 2013 by Dani Pettrey. Used by permission. All rights to this material are reserved. Material is not to be reproduced, scanned, copied, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without written permission from Baker Publishing Group. http://www.bakerpublishinggroup.com