Page 102 of Chasing After You

“We drive back out tonight and stay in a hotel two hours away—show up on security cameras, have receipts, everything. We’ll check in, make it look like we’re tucked in safe for the night. Then we circle back after dark, on a side route that avoids toll booths and cameras. We wear gloves. We’ll get a burner phone for the night, leave our actual phones at the hotel, and then destroy the burner in the fire. We’ll wear disposable clothes. No traceable fuel.”

He didn’t say anything, so I kept going.

“It’ll go up fast. Accelerant in the basement, maybe a broken heater rigged to spark once the fire’s taken hold. By the time anyone realizes something’s wrong, we’ll already be on our way back to the hotel. And from there, we fly out the next morning like nothing happened.”

Josh frowned. “But what about the car? Don’t rental cars keep track of mileage?”

A slow smile spread across my face. I was proud of him for thinking this through with me. “We won’t return the same car.”

“What? How?”

“Before we fly out, I’ll swap it at a rental kiosk for the same make and model. Or close enough so that no one checks. The rental companies don’t always check odometers on drop-offs unless there’s an issue. Especially if we prepay for unlimited mileage.”

Josh stared. “You candothat?”

I nodded. “I talked it through with Firebug. Paper trail shows us with a car we only drove to the hotel and airport.”

Josh still looked hesitant. “I’m not sure I trust some random dude namedFirebug.”

“All I can say is that you were wrong about Paul’s MC being completely clean. Firebug is called Firebug because that’s his job in the club. He’s a pro.”

Josh exhaled, running a hand down his face. “I don’t know, Dori… What if someone dies? A squatter, an animal—”

“The estate’s completely empty, I’ve checked. The neighbors are close but not too close. They’ll call it in and it’ll be put out way before anyone’s in any danger.”

Josh swallowed. “You’ve really thought this through.”

“Of course I have,” I said quietly. “You think I’d risk you getting hurt? I’ll take the blame if we get caught, but we won’t.”

His jaw clenched. “Why now?”

“Because I want to build a life together with you,” I moved closer, brushing my fingers along his wrist, “…away from all of this. I feel like as long as this place exists, a part of you is stuck here. I can’t have that. I need all of you.”

Josh exhaled slowly, his face the picture of vulnerability. He said quietly, “If we do this… it’s both of us. Together.”

My gaze met his. “Together,” I affirmed, kissing his forehead and taking his hand. “But… before all that, there’s something else I want to do here. Follow me?”

“Okay,” he replied.

Holding his hand, I led him out of his old bedroom, out of the guest wing, and down the staircase to the first floor.

I felt as his walk faltered when he realized where I was taking him.

Daniel’s office.

The mahogany door hadn’t changed. Neither had the gold placard engraved with my dear old dad’s name.

Josh’s hand trembled in mine. “I haven’t been in there since…” He swallowed hard. “Since I killed him.”

“Since you saved my life,” I emphasized, squeezing his hand. “You were seventeen. You did what you had to do.”

“I still see it in my head sometimes at night,” he whispered. “His face. What he looked like when he fell. The… the stillness of him.”

“So do I,” I murmured. “But we’re not those boys anymore. And this room doesn’t have power over you or me anymore.”

“I’m not sure,” he hesitated, brows furrowed.

“You will be.”