Jack's face grew grim and regret haunted his eyes. Then he stared directly into Jace's eyes.
"Take care of her for me."
"I will," Jace said shortly.
"And tell her I'm sorry," he added quietly. "Tell her I love her. I'll always love her."
"If you love her, you'll take this opportunity to straighten your life out," Jace said. "If you'll stick it out, I'll hire a lawyer for you. Try to work out a deal where you go to rehab and get probation as opposed to a jail sentence. Can't guarantee anything. I don't want you anywhere near Bethany. She's been hurt enough. If things work out, I wouldn't be opposed to you keeping in touch with her."
Jack stared at Jace for a long moment. "You'd do that for me?"
"I'm doing it for Bethany," Jace said stiffly. "Only for her."
Jack nodded. "Thanks, then. I'll do it. It's time to do something . . . different. Better. I almost killed the person who means the most to me. Can't even say what that does to a man. I won't touch that shit again. Ever."
