Page 164 of Kiss of Deceit

“You’re one of us now,” Adella said with a laugh, her eyes twinkling as she pulled back to look at Dani. “Welcome to the club.”

Dani raised an eyebrow. “One of what?”

“A criminal.” She leaned closer. “There are so many stories going on about what happened in the woods. Are you going to share what really happened?”

“Adella, not now,” I cut in, giving her a hard look. “Let her enjoy the first night out.”

She pouted. “I wanted to know before I leave.”

“Leave?” Dani questioned.

“Everything is going back to normal.” Nerves swam in her voice. “Susan decided I can leave.”

“That’s great, Adella,” Dani replied with an excited smile. “You deserve it.”

She shrugged. “I was here longer because I couldn’t let my old life go. But I think I’m ready to start fresh. And I’m moving far away from where I grew up. It’ll help me stay away from trouble.” She paused, shaking her head. “It’s odd talking to you about it. I still see you as an intern. The number one rule was that they could never know.”

Dani was never just an intern. Only me and Susan knew of her past. The locals learned Dani was the one who killed Leo and Miles, because I spread that truth. Which was why they thought she was here as an inmate, just like all of them. Guilt stabbed me when I looked at Adella. She still had no idea I wasn’t here like everyone else—and neither was Dani. But we were helping, making sure the people who deserved it got a chance at going back into society.

“Did Kole tell you what I was sent to prison for?” Adella asked, breaking through my thoughts.

“No,” Dani answered, and it technically wasn’t a lie. I didn’t tell her, but she’d read Adella’s file along with everyone else’s.

“Manslaughter,” Adella stated with no remorse. “I ran over my ex-boyfriend with his truck.”

Dani chuckled. “Did he deserve it?”

“He deserved worse.”

“A crime of passion,” Dani recited from her experience. “It means your chance of reoffending is lower. I think you’ll be fine in the real world. I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll stay in touch with both of you,” she promised, her eyes darting to the growing line at the bar. “I still have a week, so we can talk all about what happened.”

I frowned, not having a chance to respond before she walked away. Adella had no idea who Leo was to Dani, and I doubted she would want to share what happened. It was hard enough when she had to tell the detectives all the details.

“I need to sit down,” Dani muttered, heading for her usual barstool, which everyone had left empty for her.

I went around the bar, standing in front of her. I wasn’t working tonight, but it felt weird if I wasn’t behind my bar. Harry was sitting a few seats away from Dani, and from how he was swaying, he was already a few drinks deep. Someone pushed through the crowd, stopping next to Dani.

“Hey, man,” Riggs greeted me with a small grin. “I didn’t get to say thanks for saving my life.”

“Good to see you still alive,” I replied, noticing how slowly he was moving. It was the first time I’d seen him since I left him at the clinic that night. It had been while I was rushing back to Dani that Miles fucking attacked me. “Happy to be back?”

“Three weeks in the hospital was fucking hell,” he said with a laugh. His eyes traveled to Dani. “I heard what you did that night. You doing okay?”

“I’m fine,” she assured him, stirring her straw in the drink Adella handed her. “It’s only my ribs and ankle?—”

“I meantwhatyou did,” he interrupted. “Killing someone…it can’t be easy living with that.”

“You’re here for stealing cars,” I gritted out. “You have no idea what she’s feeling.”

“I’m not trying to make her feel guilty,” Riggs snapped, running a hand over his hair. “I just wanted to say thank you. If they hadn’t been caught, all of us would be back behind bars. But now she’s stuck in this town because of what she did. She came here as an intern and is one of us now. Her entire life changed.”

“It’s where I want to be,” she said firmly, giving him a warm smile. “Believe me, Riggs, what I did that night…if I had to redoit, I’d choose the same path every single time.” She met my eyes, a grin playing on her lips. “It brought me to Kole. And now I get to stay with him.”

I kept her stare, my heart skipping. I was in love with this woman. She was it for me. I felt for her in a way I’d never fucking felt for anyone.

Riggs took his drink, nodding before disappearing into the crowd when someone called his name. I leaned over the counter, already missing the alone time we’d had for the last few weeks.