Page 112

And damn me, but having Gilli around helps also.

It might be as simple as the secrets she’s keeping and my desire to draw them out, or it might simply be her presence. She’s the first ray of light after a rainstorm and she doesn’t even know how special she is.

At her age, I was nothing more than a giant douchebag. And Soren was just as bad as I was.

He might have wanted to push her away, but things changed. Now I’m willing to bet no matter what he says, he wants to draw her close the same way I do.

I move through the rest of the day like a ghost. A few emails, a few calls, and by the time the sun claws to the horizon, with Soren still gone, I’m back in my chair.

“Speak of the devil,” I say out loud when the sliding glass door opens behind me.

I turn and catch a glimpse of Gilli, but the way she almost staggers toward me makes my heart clench. Fear flashes across her face and the expression has the hair on my arms lifting in alarm.

I’m on my feet. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

And she bursts into tears.

Chapter 26

Aiden

She’s visibly shaken with tears making a desperate escape down her cheeks.

I hurry to her, unable to pull my eyes away. I check her over from top to bottom until she lets out a breathy, forced laugh.

“I’m being ridiculous.” She pushes her glasses up and swipes the tears. “That’s what’s wrong. I freaked myself out.”

“With what?” I ask.

“I thought…I thought someone was following me.”

She glances over her shoulder.

“What? Are you sure?” I lead her over to the chair and make her sit. “Talk to me, Gilli.”

“It’s all in my head,” she says. I’m not convinced. “I never caught anyone staring or watching. It was just a feeling, but a strong one.” She tries to shrug it off. “I just freaked. I’m okay now.”

“Does this have something to do with your cam girl work?” I blurt out.

She flinches and glances up sharply. Startled.I’m right. Why didn’t I put it together sooner? Anyone with an onlinepresence like hers opens themselves up to a world of dangers whether they mean well or not.

Or whether they take precautions or not.

My mind flashes back to the other day when she asked to use the laptop and I give myself a mental kick. Of course. It’s adding up now, and I’ve been too distracted by my little head to understand properly in my big one.

“It’s nothing against you, Aiden, but this is something I have to deal with on my own. Besides, you see too much already. I don’t want to get you in trouble. You know about my side gig. That’s all. It’s not your problem.”

“Bullshit.” I take her hand in mine, trying to impart calm but she’s still trembling. Despite how she’s attempting to brush this off, it’s bothering her. A lot. “What if I want to make it my problem? Have you ever thought about that?”

“I don’t see why you would.”

My eyes go wide. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

At least she’s not pushing me away.

A soft wind rushes along the lakeshore and pulls baby fine hair free. Gilli is achingly vulnerable.