Page 59 of After All The Wreckage

Her brows raised in shock and then a scowl returned to her beautiful face. I hated it. I doubly hated that it was sent in my direction.

But this was for the best. For all of us. I needed her far away from this mess. I needed the future Monte had seen ending with Demi’s life being taken to disappear. And if keeping Rory awaydid that, I had to try. Even if she ended up despising me for it. Even if it meant walking away from the strings binding us. Even if it meant each of us having to be a singular column holding the weights of our individual bridges alone.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Rory

RENEGADE

Performed by Big Red Machine and Taylor Swift

Gage’s wordsstung as much as his distrust had the day before. After a sleepless night, I’d driven here, determined to get him to come clean. But when he’d opened the door in nothing but a battered T-shirt and a pair of sweats, every thought went out of my head.

Instead, my body instantly flamed at the sight of his sleep-mussed self. The stubble coating his jaw had grown another layer, making him even sexier than he was on a normal day. I was overwhelmed with the desire to comfort him… and kiss him. To give us both some sort of relief from tortured days and nights through arms and lips joined.

I’d given him the invoice only as a ploy to get inside. I’d never intended to actually take his money. Now, staring at the check he’d written for twice the amount due, every investigativeinstinct in me flared. He was paying me off. He was trying to push me out of his life.

Fine. If he wasn’t going to say it, I would. “Monte saw me in the vision, didn’t he?”

Gage didn’t respond. He simply crossed his arms over his chest, fingers biting into his arms as if he was holding himself back.

“I’m the one who shoots Dunn.” The way Gage’s jaw tightened and his eyes darted to the hallway gave me the answer. “Holy shit. I’m right. I mean. I knew it, but wow. He really thinks I’m going to murder a U.S. congressman.”

While I had to believe I’d never shoot someone in cold blood, I would in self-defense, and I definitely would to save an innocent person. I would also use a gun as a tool—as a negotiating tactic or to get someone to comply.

But even if Dunn had been the one to send my mom into the Potomac, I’d get my revenge by delivering him to the authorities. I’d stand in a courtroom while he was declared guilty rather than pull the trigger.

“What else does he see? Why am I there? What’s happening at that moment?” I demanded.

“It doesn’t matter. What does matter is you staying away from us and Dunn.”

Instead of being rough and brutal as his words had been before, these were softer, accompanied by a plea in his stormy eyes. My heart sped up, pattering out a ridiculous beat.

This wasn’t just about Monte’s fear of what he saw in his head. This wasn’t about Gage not believing me or trusting me. This was him trying to protect me, and he thought by sending me off with a tidy little check he could.

“If his visions are never wrong, why go through all the trouble of warning people?” I asked. “If nothing can be done, then why tell them?” He didn’t respond, and I continued.“Because you hope that at least one time you can make a difference. Let me be the difference, Gage. I won’t let you down. I promise.”

He lifted an arm, rubbing the back of his head, and it raised his T-shirt, showing a tantalizing strip of skin and dark hair that had my body reacting all over again. But neither the instant flare of desire nor the bittersweet way he was trying to keep me safe would stop me from working on this case. Not with both our families involved somehow.

I stepped closer, and he didn’t move away. I pressed the check to his chest, resting my palm there and feeling the rapid rhythm of his heartbeat beneath it. Our gazes locked as I said, “You can’t buy me off, Gage.”

“It was just a job, Rory. Monte is safe. You don’t need to worry about us anymore.” His voice was deep, guttural, and I could feel the concern vibrating through it.

“This isn’t just about you and Monte anymore.”

“What?” His brows furrowed in confusion.

I shrugged and told him the truth. “My dad works for the congressman. My mom was working on something related to one of Dunn’s donors. Like it or not, I’m tied up in this.”

His eyes narrowed, a flicker of hurt crossing his face. “You said you didn’t know him.”

“I didn’t. Don’t. I found out last night while digging for more information. And what I found requires me to keep going.” I stopped to take a breath before continuing. “My mom’s wreck wasn’t an accident. Someone messed with her car’s computer.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “And you think it’s all related?”

I nodded.

His eyes closed and then opened again. “Demi… She’s in the vision with the congressman. She’s at his side. They fall to the ground together in a mess of blood.”