me finish. I don’t think any of this negates the way he felt about you. I’ve come to know you fairly well. If you say the two of you were deeply in love, I believe that. One thing I’ve learned in police work is that people aren’t black or white, good or evil. Masonne could have loved you with all his heart and still been involved with Marcelle. Smart people are always the most complex, and one thing we both agree on is that Duke Masonne was one highly intelligent man.”
Liza knew it was futile to argue. Trent was a man trained to draw conclusions from facts. That was one of the things about him that attracted her. He looked at real evidence and followed it in a straight line. He lived in a world of solid fact, unlike her own, which was founded on emotion, intuition and a strong belief in what she felt to be true.
Right now what she felt was at total odds with the facts Trent had laid out before her. The best policy, though, was to remain silent. If there was a grain of truth in Trent’s allegations, she would think it through and decide for herself.
Trent stopped at the front door of LaTique Gallery and waited for her to unlock it. Liza knew he expected to follow her inside. Part of her wanted to have him with her, to hold the loneliness at bay. Even as she accepted her feelings, she was ashamed. Trent wasn’t her father or older brother or fond friend she could use to keep the bogeyman away. He had fallen in love with her. He’d told her so. And if she couldn’t reciprocate those feelings, it was time for her to stop leaning on him.
“I think I need some time to think about all of this,” she said, gently placing a hand on his chest as they stood outside the gallery.
Trent shook his head and half turned away. “I knew you’d blame me. It’s human nature to shoot the messenger.”
“Wait,” she said quickly. “I don’t blame you. I only wish I’d known about this five years ago. I have to be honest with you, Trent. I owe you that much. I find it hard to believe that Duke was involved in any way with Marcelle Ricco.” She saw he was about to speak and she put her fingertips on his mouth. “I don’t want to believe it. But I know the police must have good reason to suspect him. All I’m saying is that if Duke were here right now, he could explain everything. In the end, he’d prove himself innocent.”
Trent shook his head. “I only hope one day that you’ll have that much faith and confidence in me.”
His words were painful to Liza. She hadn’t intended to hurt him, and yet she had. Perhaps she had nothing left to give to any man. Duke had taken all of her love, her heart. Maybe it would be best if she simply allowed Trent to move on to find someone capable of returning his love.
“I’m sorry,” she said, tears welling in her eyes. “I know how hard this must be for you. Maybe you should give up on me, Trent. Maybe I am crazy or stuck in the past or…something.”
“Maybe,” he said, smiling a little. “But I’ll take my chances. I’ve got enough of an ego to believe I can win you over to my side.”
“Don’t let me hurt you any more.” Her emotions were mixed, her relief that he wasn’t quitting bittersweet. “Good night,” she whispered, standing on tiptoe to kiss Trent’s lips before she slipped inside the gallery and locked the door.
She watched as Trent walked back the way they’d come to retrieve his car. His back was straight, his powerful shoulders squared. He was a handsome man, and a good one. Why couldn’t she love him?
She turned away from the window, realizing that Trent had never answered her question about how he knew she was on the levee and in trouble. If he’d been checking up on Duke Masonne’s past, then it was highly probable that he’d also gone hunting for her. It was probably just lucky circumstance that he’d seen her in the French Market and then had followed her when she’d begun to run away from Duke.
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