Page 42 of Never Gonna Lie (Forbidden #2)

Chapter Forty-Two

JAMES

R aven fell asleep a while ago, and I’m feeling the cold sweat of dread sinking its way in.

This woman is too perfect for me. The ways this could all go wrong, not to mention the threat on her life, fills me with an emotion I’ve never felt before—fear.

Existing in a world without Raven doesn’t feel like any place I want to be.

I need to hold myself back, to erect my carefully curated walls again.

Not only to protect me, but to protect her as well.

Knowing I won’t get any sleep, I sigh and gently remove myself from her arms. Grabbing my discarded clothes, I quickly get dressed.

I glance back and see her cuddled up with my pillow, still blissfully asleep and unaware of my internal freakout.

The thought of leaving her doesn’t sit right, but staying doesn’t either.

I cover her back over before heading downstairs. I get to the foyer, heading to the office to catch up with work, but a knock at the door stops me.

Crossing the room, I open the door to see a face I’d rather not .

“What are you doing here?” I whisper-yell, stepping out onto the porch and gently shutting the door behind me.

“Can I come in?”

I cross my arms over my chest. “I have nothing to say to you,” I grind out.

“Please, James. Just… let me explain.”

I sigh heavily before turning on my heel and walking through the house to the living room—the furthest away from Raven. I grab two glasses from the shelf, pouring us both a generous amount of whiskey before handing him the glass and taking a seat on the opposite sofa.

“Good stuff,” Drew says after taking a sip, tilting the glass in salute.

“Get to the point as to why you’re here, Drew,” I demand.

He sighs and leans back against the sofa. “I made mistakes. I got in with some bad people.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.” I roll my eyes. “I already know all of this.”

“I have a gambling addiction,” he blurts.

I suck in a breath, my attention firmly on him as he continues.

“It started just after Raven’s mom passed away.

And in typical fashion, I thought I had control over it.

” He takes another sip of his drink. “I’ve been clean for a while, but when Raven went off to college, I slipped. Went back into old habits.”

“Why didn’t you come to me for help?”

“I’m an addict, James. We don’t know we need help until we realize it for ourselves. I thought I had it under control,” he reiterates.

“So what pulled you out of it?”

“The night you called to tell me Raven had been attacked,” he says somberly. “I swear I didn’t know. I had nothing to do with it. Yes, I owed a large amount of money, but it was between me and the casino.”

My eyebrow raises. “Are you sure about that, Drew? ”

“They promised me. Said that no harm would come to anyone as long as I paid the money.”

“And you believed them? Just like that?” I ask incredulously, snapping my fingers.

Drew sits forward, his head between his hands. “I had no reason not to trust them.”

“Your trust is misplaced with the wrong people, Drew. You should be trusting me , not them.” I’m about to smack this son of a bitch upside his head.

“I’ll talk to them, make sure we’re square and that it wasn’t them who attacked Raven.”

“You better, that’s your fucking daughter,” I snap.

His head whips up, tears in his eyes. “I know, James. I know . I’m sorry, I’ll fix it, I swear.”

I mull over his words. We all fuck up, I know this better than anyone.

He needs my support, not my anger. Sighing, I say, “I’m really fucking disappointed in you, Drew.

You could’ve come to me at any point, and I would’ve helped you, but you stole instead.

Yes, technically it’s half your money, but it also belongs to the company. ”

“I’ll replace the money,” he says quickly. “I’m going to meetings again. Emma’s moved into the guest room until I sort myself out.” He scoffs. “It’s more than I deserve; she should’ve left my ass.”

“She loves you, it’ll take more than that for Em to leave you,” I point out and take a sip of my drink.

“Where does that leave us?” he asks, a sheepish look on his face.

“You broke my trust, Drew. It’s gonna take some time to earn that back.

” I feel sick. Drew’s suffering. Addiction isn’t something to be mocked, and yet here I am, fucking his daughter and being disappointed in him.

I run a hand through my hair at the irony.

“For now, I’m removing all your access to the company accounts.

Once I know you’re clean, we’ll discuss the next steps going forward. ”

Drew nods his head. “Thank you. I won’t let you down again.”

“Just…” I sigh. “Come to me next time. We’ve been friends for too long for you to hide shit like this.”

He nods again before asking, “Where’s Raven? Is she still here?”

Guilt churns the bile in my stomach. “She’s upstairs sleeping. She had a long day.”

“Is she okay?”

“As well as she can be. Where are you staying?” I ask, trying to move the subject away from his daughter.

“I hadn’t thought that far.” He shrugs, taking a small sip of his drink.

“Take one of the guest rooms.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose, but I’d love to spend some time with Raven. Earn her trust back as well.”

“I’m sure. At least this way I can keep an eye on you both.” I give him a small chuckle.

“Has Theo said anything more about the night Raven was attacked?”

I shake my head. “No. His team’s still looking into it. He says you didn’t do it, though.”

“I owe him a lot, then.”

“Knowing Theo, get clean and that’ll be all the thanks he needs.” Drew nods and throws back the rest of his whiskey. I nod to his glass. “Another?”

“I shouldn’t, but sure, might help me sleep.”

I stand up and make him a fresh drink, my own glass still barely touched .

“I cannot begin to express my gratitude for everything you’re doing for Raven.” My hand stills as I’m pouring. “I’m grateful I have someone like you in my corner, fighting for me and protecting my daughter. You’re a real friend.”

His words hit me like a punch to the face.

I’m fucked. Totally and royally fucked.