Nick shrugged. “And if it does? Is that all right with you?”
Jake nodded. “I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
Then he extended his hand to his brother. “It’s good to have you back, Nick.”
Nick smiled, then they shook on it.
Leaving Amelia again was the hardest thing Sadie had to do. But her sister was making progress, and Sadie had hired a specialist in Nashville to treat her.
Dr. Tynsdale had been cleared of involvement, but Amelia needed a fresh start. And Tynsdale was taking time off to recover after the ordeal with Ms. Lettie.
Amelia’s alters were still surfacing, but with the correct medication and a new therapist, her prognosis for a full recovery and unification was actually good. Amelia was stronger now that the truth had been revealed; she was fighting through the memories and fending off the alters, determined to become whole again.
Sadie hugged Amelia. “I promise I’ll be back, Sis,” she said. “I just need to tie up some things in San Francisco.” Then she planned to move closer to her sister. This time she would monitor Amelia’s progress herself.
Amelia wiped tears from her eyes. “You saved me, Sadie. Just like you did back then.”
Sadie tucked a strand of hair behind Amelia’s ear. “You saved me too.” She cradled Amelia’s hands in hers.
This hospital was nothing like the depressing sanitarium where Amelia’d been tortured.
It was designed like an assisted living facility, with apartment-style housing, social activities, and group and individual therapy sessions. The room was cozy, decorated in blues and greens that Sadie and Amelia had picked out. Amelia had her own studio, just like at home. Family and friends were not only welcomed, but encouraged to visit.
As a bonus, they had a gourmet coffee shop.
“I’m so proud of you,” Sadie said. “You’re a fighter, Amelia, so don’t give up. You are stronger than the others. Remember that.”
Amelia hugged her. “Will you be okay, Sadie?”
Sadie’s heart melted. “Yes, I have you back now. That’s all I need.”
“What about Jake?” Amelia asked.
Sadie sighed. The pain was so deep and raw, she could barely breathe. But she didn’t want to worry her sister. Amelia had enough to deal with. “Jake and I...just weren’t meant to be.”
“I don’t believe that,” Amelia said. “You always loved him, but you gave him up for me.”
“No,” Sadie said. “I gave him up because I was too afraid to tell him the truth.”
One month later
Jake studied the paperwork on his desk, his mind straying, as it had constantly for the last few weeks. Sadie’s image haunted him. He’d done everything he could to forget her. But how could he, when his heart was full of her?
Dammit, what was he going to do about it?
The door opened, and his brother walked in. They were both getting used to the fact that their father had been a monster.
Maybe there had been signs there all along that he’d missed. His father had been really hard on Nick...
Was there something Nick hadn’t told him?
“We found out the name of the experiment. It was called the CHIMES.”
“Chimes?” Jake asked.
“Yeah, it was an acronym for Children in Mind Experiments.”
“Jesus,” Jake muttered.
“There’s more. The CIA tried to get Dad out of jail,” Nick said.
“Were they successful?”
Nick shook his head. “No. thanks to the forensics work you did and the fact that you caught him trying to kill Sadie, we have him on murder and attempted murder charges.”
Jake raked a hand through his hair. “Good. I hope he never sees the light of day.”
A second passed, Nick’s agreement palpable. “Anyway, I’m going to make it my mission to end what our father started.”
“I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
“How’s Sadie?” Nick asked.
“Sadie’s gone,” Jake said. “It...she has her own life. I have my daughter.”
“You can’t have both?”
“Our father ruined the lives of Sadie and her sister,” Jake said vehemently. “He was responsible for their parents’ deaths, then he killed their grandfather and tried to kill Sadie. Why in hell would she want anything to do with me?”
Nick arched a brow. “But you still love her?”
Jake glanced away. He couldn’t lie to his brother. “It doesn’t matter.”
“The hell it doesn’t,” Nick said. “What happened ten years ago was messed up, but it wasn’t your fault. And it wasn’t Sadie’s.”
That was true.