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On the drive home, her mind flashed from one image to the next a kaleidoscope of sight and sound and smell. She tried to convince herself that Keith was lying, grasping for a way to rationalize his news. It was possible, especially considering the way he'd lied in the past, and yet… Keith had been serious. More professional than personal, and J told her something she could easily check. He knew she u d ask Logan about it… he wanted her to ask Logan… which meant…

She squeezed the wheel, possessed by a feverish need to talk to Logan. He would clear this up. He had to be able to clear this up.

Water from the river now stretched across the road, but in her preoccupied state, she didn't realize it until she plowed into the water. She jerked forward as the car almost came to a stop. The river flowed around her, and she thought the water would stall the engine, but the car continued to roll forward into ever deeper water, before finally emerging in a shallower patch.

By the time Beth reached the house, she wasn't even sure what to feel, other than confused. One instant she felt angry and betrayed and manipulated; in the next, she was able to convince herself that it couldn't be true, that Keith had lied to her again.

As she came up the drive, she found herself scanning the rain swept grounds for Logan.

Up ahead, through low-hanging mist, she could see lights on in the house. She considered going in to talk to Nana, longing for Nana's clarity and common sense to straighten everything out. But when she saw the lights on in the office and noted the propped-open door, she felt something catch in her throat. She turned the wheel in the direction of the office, telling herself that Logan didn't have the picture, that the whole thing had been a mistake. She bounced through muddy puddles, the rain coming so hard now that the wipers couldn't keep up. On the office porch, she saw Zeus lying near the door, his head raised.

She pulled to a stop out front and ran for the porch, rain stinging her face. Zeus approached her, nosing at her hand. She ignored him as she walked inside, expecting to find Logan at the desk.

He wasn't there. The door that led from the office to the kennel stood open. She steeled herself, pausing in the middle of the office, as shadows moved in the darkened corridor. She waited as Logan emerged into the light.

"Hey, Elizabeth," he said. "I didn't expect to see you…" He trailed off. "What happened?"

Staring at him, she felt her emotions threaten to boil over. Her mouth suddenly felt papery dry, and she didn't know how to start or what to say. Logan said nothing, sensing her volatile state.

She closed her eyes, feeling on the verge of tears, then drew a careful breath. "Why did you come to Hampton?" she finally asked. "I want the truth this time."

He didn't move. "I told you the truth," he said.

"Did you tell me everything?"

He hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering. "I've never lied to you," he said, his voice quiet.

"That's not what I asked!" she snapped. "I asked if you've been hiding anything!"

He appraised her carefully. "Where's this coming from?"

"That doesn't matter!" This time, she heard the anger in her tone. "I just want to know why you came to Hampton!"

"I told you-"

"Do you have a picture of me?" Logan said nothing.

"Answer the question!" She took a step toward him, biting out the words. "Do you have a picture of me?"

She wasn't sure how she expected him to react, but other than a soft exhale, he didn't flinch.

"Yes," he said.

"The one I gave Drake?"

"Yes," he said again.

With his answer, she felt her whole world begin to topple like a row of dominoes. All at once, everything made sense-the way he'd stared at her when they first met, the reason he was willing to work for such a low wage, why he'd befriended Nana and Ben, and all his talk about destiny…

He had the photo. He'd come to Hampton to find her. He'd tracked her down like prey.

All at once, it was difficult to breathe.

"Oh, my God."

"It's not what you think-"

He stretched his hand toward her, and she absently watched it draw closer before she finally realized what was happening. With a start, she reeled back, desperate to put more space between them. All of it had been a lie…

"Don't touch me!"

"Elizabeth…"

"My name is Beth!"

She stared at him as if he were a stranger until he lowered his arm.

His voice was a whisper when he tried again. "I can explain-"

"Explain what?" she demanded. "That you stole the picture from my brother? That you walked across the country to find me? That you fell in love with an image…"

"It wasn't like that," he said, shaking his head.

She didn't hear him. All she could do was stare at him, wondering if anything he'd said was true.

"You stalked me…" she said, almost as if talking to herself. "You lied to me. You used me."

"You don't understand…"

"Understand? You want me to understand"

"I didn't steal the photo," he said. His voice remained steady and even. "I found the photo in Kuwait, and I posted it on a bulletin board where I thought it would be claimed. But no one ever claimed it."

"And so… you took it back?" She shook her head in disbelief. "Why? Because you had some sick and twisted idea about me?"

"No," he said, his voice rising for the first time. The sound startled her, slowing her thoughts, if only for an instant. "I came here because I owed you."

"You owed me?" She blinked. "What does that even mean?"

"The photo… it saved me."

Though she heard him plainly, she couldn't comprehend the words. She waited for more, and in the steady silence that followed, she realized she found them… chilling somehow. The hairs on her arms prickled, and she took another step back. "Who are you?" she hissed. "What do you want from me?"

"I don't want anything. And you know who I am."

"No, I don't! I don't know anything about you!"

"Let me explain…"

"Then explain why if this was all so pure and true that you didn't tell me about the photograph when you first came here!" she shouted, her voice echoing in the room. In her mind's eye, she saw Drake and all the details of the night the photo was taken. She pointed a finger at him. "Why didn't you say, 'I found this in Iraq and I figured you might want it back'? Why didn't you tell me when we were talking about Drake?"

"I don't know…"

"It wasn't your photo to keep! Don't you get that? It wasn't meant for you! It was for my brother, not for you! It was his and you had no right to keep it from me!"

Logan's voice was almost a whisper. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Her eyes bored into him, piercing him with the force of her rage.

"This whole thing is a sham, isn't it? You found this photo and came up with some… twisted fantasy in which you could play the starring role. You played me from the moment we met! You took your time to find out what you could do to make it seem like you were the perfect guy for me. And you thought that because you were obsessed with me, you could trick me into falling in love with you."

She saw Logan flinch at her words, and she went on.

"You planned all this from the very beginning! It's sick and it's wrong and I can't believe I fell for it."

He rocked back slightly on his heels, stunned by her words.

"I admit that I wanted to meet you," he said, "but you're wrong about the reason. I didn't come here to trick you into falling in love with me. I know it sounds crazy, but I came to believe that the photograph kept me safe from harm and that… I owed you somehow, even if I didn't know what that meant or what would come of it. But I didn't plan anything after I got here. I took the job, and then I fell in love with you."

Her expression didn't soften as he spoke. Instead, she slowly began to shake her head.

"Can you even hear what you're saying?"

"I knew you wouldn't believe it. That's why I didn't tell you-"