Page 6

six

Penelope

“ T his place is so cute!” Ashton says as she looks around the house. “You did such a great job, Penny.”

It’s come together nicely. Much better than the last place we lived. “I really like it.”

“And Kai seems to be happy?”

I nod. “He likes the house, but meeting the other boys on the hockey team has made all the difference.”

Ashton plops on the couch, sighing heavily. “And you?”

I sit beside her. “I’m fine.”

“Do you like the town?”

“I do.”

“Good. I like that we’re only a few hours away too. It gives me more of a chance to see you guys. You know the offer still stands that you can stay with us.”

I smile softly. As much as I appreciate her saying that, I couldn’t do it. First of all, I’d kill my brother after the first time he told me what to do. Second, I need my space. Not to mention being a single mom is my responsibility. More than anything, I wouldn’t want to do that to Quinn and Ashton.

The two of them have dealt with some pretty horrible situations, and while I get that it’s what my brother is trained for, it doesn’t mean I want to be the one to walk it back into his life.

“I love you for saying it, but this works for now. ”

She takes my hand in hers. “I get it. I just miss you and wish we had more time together.”

“Me too.”

“So tell me about the town. Have you made any friends? Kai couldn’t stop telling Gabriel about his coach ...”

Of course he’d tell my nephew, but I have a feeling my brother was there as well, which could be a really bad thing.

“Oh?” I try to sound nonchalant.

Her eyes narrow slightly. “He said he was a big hockey player, was going pro but didn’t? Said he’s super nice, a marine, and you guys see him a lot?”

I’m going to have to put a stop to this. “That’s the rumor I heard about hockey. And, yes, he is very nice, was in the marines out of college, and, no, I don’t have a thing for him, which is what I think you’re insinuating.”

She leans forward. “Is he hot?”

“Are you hearing yourself? I am not dating anyone or allowing any attraction to form. I’m a damn mess and no one needs to walk into this shitstorm.”

Ashton doesn’t give up. “Penny, you’re young, beautiful, smart, and have a nice rack. What more do you think a guy wants?”

“Financial and emotional stability?”

“Ha!” she shouts. “It’s the rack they want. Anyway, Kai mentioned that he lives close ...”

“You’re like a dog with a bone.”

“No, I just want you to get boned ... get it?”

I roll my eyes. “You need help.”

“Probably, but after all this time with your brother, it’s only natural that I’ve got a few screws loose.”

“That is true. He has that effect on people.”

We both laugh and Ashton squeezes my hand. “In all seriousness, is he ... attractive at least?”

I could lie, maybe that would get her off my back, but then I think about the fact that I miss having a friend or girl talk. I miss having someone to even just giggle with, and Ashton is the least judgmental person ever. If there’s anyone I can tell—it’s her.

“He is. ”

Her smile is so wide it could split her face. “I knew it! Tell me everything.”

I don’t have much to say about it, since I really don’t know Miles. However, I give her the very brief rundown. Touching on how sweet he was when he brought the boys to me and didn’t make me feel like an idiot for being such a wreck after. She laughs about the coffee story and him asking me to think about going on a date and the fact he’s come in to get more almost every day. I haven’t seen him in a few days, but he’s keeping Ethan busy since Eloise had the baby.

“So you’re not even thinking about it?” she probes.

It’s all I think about, but I’m never going to admit that.

“No, I’m not thinking about it. How the hell do you even approach the story of my life? Hi, super-hot guy who seems to like me, I’m currently in hiding from my horrific ex’s business partner, who sort of tried to kill me. Oh, and they’re hunting me now, because that’s what one does when they have unlimited resources. Yeah, I’m a total catch. Every man’s dream of a drama-free girl.”

Ashton scrunches her face. “Well, I wouldn’t lead with all that, but maybe the super-hot part would be a keeper.”

I lean back, pulling my legs under me. “Honestly, I started my rules years ago, and they’re for the best. No dating. No sleeping with random people. No friendships because the only people that get hurt in the end are them when they realize I lied about everything. It’s just ... for the best.”

“For you or for them?”

“Both.”

“I don’t know about that part. I think we make rules like that to protect ourselves more than others,” she says, giving me a soft smile.

“And what if that’s true? Is it so bad to want to protect myself a little?”

“No, it’s not.”

I wish this wasn’t my life. I wish I could just see a cute guy, go on a date, do the whole getting-to-know-you thing, but that’s not my reality. I can’t tell him about my past, where I’m from, what I did, a last name—nothing. I have to do whatever is necessary for Kai’s safety and my own.

“Then it’s what I have to do. ”

Ashton takes a sip of her wine and shrugs. “If you say so, but I vote for the dirty sex with the hot ex-hockey player turned marine.”

“You would.”

“Hey, what can I say? I have a thing for a man in uniform.”

I snort. “I know.”

“You know, if you really want to piss your brother off, tell him how much better the marines are than the SEALs.”

I laugh and drain the rest of my glass. “I think I’ll keep Quinn on my good side for now.”

“You do that, I’ll keep pushing for you to live a little while you’re here.”

“I am living.”

“Okay, live like a twenty-seven-year-old woman and get some then,” Ashton says as she refills my glass.

“And where does that get me?”

“Orgasmville if there’s such a place.”

I laugh, loving my sister-in-law for giving me some girl time, which is clearly something I needed. “If there is, it’s been a while since I’ve visited.”

“I’m going to hold back my commentary since I’m married to your brother.”

“I appreciate that.”

“Just know it’s a lovely village and worth the trip. If this hockey coach wants to take you for a quick trip, I wouldn’t say no,” she suggests.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You do that. So what’s his name?”

I drop my head back. “Ugh, you’re killing me.”

“You know, if you weren’t being so weird about it, I wouldn’t keep hounding you.”

I’m not being weird about it. I’m being pragmatic. There can be nothing between Miles and myself. We’re not even really friends. He’s just a nice guy who lives in town.

“You know you’re making this up in your head,” I tell her.

“I see it on your face, Penny, you like him and I would bet my paycheck that the next time we talk, you’re going to admit it.”

I shake my head, refusing to even consider it, because all that will happen in the end is that I leave this town, and I can’t afford another broken heart.

No, this is for the best. Keep to the rules and stay away from the sexy former marine and all his charm.

“Do you want an update?” Quinn asks from the kitchen table. We finished dinner and the boys are out back playing.

“I don’t know, do I?”

My brother shrugs. “I’m not sure if it’s much of an update, really.”

Ashton sighs. “You’re really bad at this, babe.”

“What? Last time you told me I updated her too much and gave her anxiety, like she didn’t already have that. Now I’m asking, like you instructed in the car?—”

“Instructed?” Ashton’s voice turns lethal. Oh, he’s in for it now. “I do not instruct you, Quinn. I merely educate you on how dumb you are.”

“Tell him, Ash,” I encourage. “I’m sure it’s an ongoing education process.”

She turns to me. “It is. It’s also exhausting , and the pay isn’t that great.”

“I bet, you should demand a raise and compensation for mental health.”

Her smile triggers my own. “I will.” She faces him again. “I think you need to tell her what she needs to know, but not make it like this doom-and-gloom thing. Here, I’ll show you.” Her eyes meet mine. “Someone filed a missing person report on you and Kai. Stated they were family, and we’re pretty sure it’s going to be listed in the national database. Now, the last photo they have is the one you sent your friend, and Kai has changed a bit since then. Which is good, but ... you know, you’re the same. Do you remember my best friend, Gretchen?”

“Not really,” I admit, trying to control my rising anxiety.

Ashton gives me a soft smile. “Okay, well, she’s a lawyer and an amazing one. I talked to her, and she thinks she can get it removed from the database since it was a false claim. There’s no reason to be nervous at this point, okay? Gretchen is doing what she can on our end.”

I nod. “Does she know where I am?”

“No. No one other than the people who have to know are aware of where you live. You have nothing to worry about.”

What an easy thing to say. Nothing to worry about. I have everything to worry about. My life will never be normal.

“I don’t know about that, Ash.”

“No, I guess it’s a pretty flippant thing to say, and I’m sorry. Of course you’ll worry, just the same as Quinn and I do about you.”

I look to my brother. “Do I have anything to be worried about?”

As much as Ashton is a no-nonsense person and doesn’t hold back, I know my brother will never lie to me. He won’t sugarcoat it or give me false hope.

“No, I worry for you so you can just focus on Kai. We’re still going through the book, trying to find the connections, because Edward talked in riddles. There are names, dates, but nothing aligns. Each time we look into something, we have no evidence that those people were there at that time.” Ashton runs her hand down his arm and takes his hand. Quinn’s eyes meet hers and he smiles.

God, I want that.

I want to be loved so much that someone else just knows what I need and gives it. In all my life, I’ve never gotten to know what that feels like. Edward played the part for a little while in the beginning. He would buy me flowers, show up at my work with my favorite lunch. There were lavish gifts and fancy dinners, but the minute I moved in, it all ended. It was as though a switch was flipped and there was nothing I could do to get back the man I thought I had.

Whatever he got mixed up in killed him and destroyed me.

“There has to be something. Some tie to make them all a part of whatever he was in. I think it was drugs, but I can’t be sure. Look, I like it here, Quinn,” I tell him. “Kai likes it here. He’s making friends, and I really don’t want to move again.”

“I know.”

I push my fingers through my hair. “Then please, we need to find something that we can use to stop them from hunting me. I don’t want to do this anymore.”

“There is nothing leading to Ember Falls. Every trace, every lead, everything has been wiped clean. I’ve gone over everything I possibly could. Just stay off the internet, which I know you do, but the less of a digital footprint you leave, the better.”

I was taught that the day he showed up to help me disappear. I have no social media under my name. It’s all fictitious, and the only thing I do is scroll. Penelope Miller doesn’t exist anywhere, or at least those accounts have gone dead.

Now I get to watch my old friends have families, lives, and do all the amazing things through social media. At least, the ones who have their accounts public. Quinn does reach out to two of them to let them know we’re safe, but that’s it.

Sometimes, if I’m feeling maudlin, I think about how this is what it must be like to be dead. People move on with their lives, forget about you, maybe randomly will see or hear something, and you pop into their brain for a minute before they go back to life.

“I’m careful. I don’t like or comment or do anything. Everything on the new account is literally just scrolling. I don’t even follow anyone just in case they’re watching that.”

“Good. One more update. About three hours after we moved you from Tennessee, a private investigator and someone else did show up at your last house. It was good we moved you when we did.”

I lean against the counter, looking out the back window, where Kai and my nephew are playing. I used to wonder when this would ever stop, but I quickly realized that it never will.

That’s the sad part. I saw the only proof of why Edward was killed.

All they want is for me to be silent forever, and the only way they can accomplish that is to kill me.

“Penny?” Ashton calls my name.

“Yeah?”

“You should visit that town I was talking about.”

I burst out laughing, ever grateful my brother married this woman.