Chapter 48

"Nelson? Why would he…?" The words had barely left Claire's mouth when she frowned, instantly regretting it. She couldn't believe she was instinctively defending him just because of what he said earlier that night. "If it's not him, who else could it be?" Adrian looked annoyed as he packed up the first-aid kit after cleaning up Ethan's wounds. His expression was downright grim. Claire bit her lower lip, realizing she'd misspoken. "Sorry, Ethan... Adrian, I didn't mean to stick up for Nelson. It's just that…" She struggled to find the right words. Maybe it was the years of growing up together. She knew him, or at least thought she did. He never struck her as the type to duck responsibility. If he said he hadn't sent anyone after her, she found herself wanting to believe that. Still, even if he wasn't directly involved, he couldn't just walk away from this. What happened today wasn't something she could forgive. And his grudge against her brothers? That was real. He never even tried to h