Page 25

Jules

“ H e’s gearing up to announce his candidacy for governor. People who do that don’t want their secrets coming to light.”

Governor.

What makes me absolutely sick is that I don’t doubt he could get elected.

He’s charming on the surface. A friendly smile and a reputation for doing great things.

It’s highly unlikely that anyone knows about the serpent slithering beneath.

The monster he keeps caged within, only letting it free when behind closed doors.

I finish applying my lotion for the night then stare at myself in the mirror over my bathroom vanity. I can still remember staring at myself that first night I got home and thinking about how I couldn’t even recognize myself.

Who even was I anymore?

I wasn’t a kid.

Not quite an adult either, even if the law considered me one.

All of the clothes I had were still those of a happy teenager.

Bright, funny T-shirts, jeans with tears in the fabric, graphic tees from some of my favorite bands.

I remember showering for over an hour when I got home, then putting on a pair of pajamas with smiling pineapples all over them, then lying in bed and crying the rest of the night.

The very next day, I’d asked my grandfather for a new wardrobe then ripped everything out of drawers and off of hangers. Nothing stayed. Not even a single sock. I was changed when I got home, so I needed that to change too.

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath.

I’m no longer a teenager.

And I’m certainly not helpless.

Riley’s face swims into my memory. I know he’ll protect me. But what happens if Glen isn’t behind it? What happens when Riley goes home and I’m here all alone? You are no longer helpless, I remind myself.

And if Glen Dodger’s seriously going for a political position, the chances of him showing up here and trying to repeat what he did all those years ago is low. Because I’ve learned from my past mistakes—I’ll report him the moment I get a chance.

A soft knock on the door pulls me from my thoughts, so I set my lotion bottle down then head out into the bedroom to pull the door open.

Riley is standing on the other side, wearing gray sweatpants and a black T-shirt stretched across his muscled chest. He’s freshly showered, his hair still wet, and both feet are bare. Romeo isn’t with him—my guess is the pup’s sleeping soundly back in the room Riley is staying in.

He runs a hand through his hair. “Hey, I—sorry to bug you. Were you asleep?”

“No. I wasn’t.” I’m not angry at him anymore, not really, anyway. Because I know he meant well, and hurting me was not what he was aiming to do. Truth be told, it hadn’t hurt to hear the name; it was the idea that the men at the table would all start looking at me and only see a victim.

But I am a different person now than when I came home that night.

And it’s that strength I will stand on going forward.

“Is everything all right?” I ask when he doesn’t immediately respond.

“Yeah, I just wanted to show you something. If you have a few?”

“What is it?”

“It’s more of a show than a tell,” he replies with a slightly uncomfortable smile.

“Okay.” I step out into the hallway and crack my door. “Where are your brothers?”

“All sleeping. Except for Tucker, he’s like a dog with a bone right now.”

“Oh? And what’s the bone?” He eyes me, and I know without asking that it’s none other than Glen Dodger. “Gotcha. Well, hopefully, he’ll find something.”

“If there’s something to be found, Tucker will find it.”

“Would it help if they did know the truth?” I ask, stopping in the hall. “I don’t want to hinder the investigation. If telling them the entire truth about what happened will help, then do it.”

“It would help,” he admits. “Especially if we have dates of when it happened. Because then I can point Tucker to surveillance footage that might still exist somewhere. Private plane acquisitions and stuff like that. But I don’t have to tell them, Jules.

I want to make that very clear. He can work with what he has. ”

Dates. Except then he’ll know it’s almost my birthday and the anniversary of the day everything went wrong. “Just tell them.” I take a deep breath. “I just don’t want anyone looking at me and only seeing my past.”

“My brothers will never look at you like that,” he replies. “Ever.”

He reaches up and brushes a strand of hair behind my ear. I stiffen, but not out of fear. The feel of his calloused finger brushing gently against my cheek ignites a fire in my heart that I thought was long dead.

He’s the only person who has touched me in the last twelve years that hasn’t made me physically ill. In fact, I’ve grown to crave it. The touch of his hand, the feel of his knee brushing against mine when we’re sitting side by side.

I shouldn’t feel this way. But I do.

And that makes Riley Hunt dangerous on so many levels. Right now, he’s the only person with the power to break me—does he know that? Can he see how I feel when I look at him?

“What did you want to show me?’

“Oh, right.” Riley tears his gaze from mine and starts walking down toward my grandfather’s study.

I stop again, grief burning a new hole in my chest. “I really don’t feel like going in there,” I tell Riley. The last thing I want to do is see more blood. I’ve seen enough for the day, thanks to the bullet hole left in Odie.

“Just trust me, okay?” he asks.

If only he knew that he’s the only person I trust. But instead of saying the words, I step forward and push open the door to my grandfather’s study.

I’m expecting the mess that’s been in here since the night he died.

Papers strewn all over the place.

Blood on the floor.

But I’m greeted with a spotless space, all of his papers organized neatly on the desk. And above all—no blood.

Rushing forward into the room, I can hardly believe what I’m seeing right now. The blood is gone. How is the blood gone? “How did you do this?”

“I called someone in,” he replies, crossing his arms in the doorway.

“After you fell asleep last night, I tried my hand at getting the blood up, but it had been there too long. That part of the carpet had to be replaced, but everything else is just the same. She even had a match in the back of her van and was able to put it in so you can’t tell the difference. ”

Tears fill my eyes as I picture him in here last night, this strong man on his hands and knees, trying to get my grandfather’s blood out of the carpet because it served as a horrific reminder to me. “You scrubbed it?”

“I tried.” He shrugs. “I don’t want you to hurt any more than you already do, Jules.”

“When did she come here to do this? I didn’t see anyone.”

“While you were napping. She was only here about an hour.”

I turn back to the now unblemished carpet.

It all looks so surreal, as though any moment now, my grandfather is going to walk right through that door.

“Riley.” I can’t even begin to understand the onslaught of emotions running through me at his kind gesture.

This man, who only signed on to find me, has remained by my side when anyone else would’ve run the moment they knew they weren’t getting paid.

He’s protected me.

Fought for me.

And now he’s worked to try to fix what little parts of my life he can.

“This is—thank you.”

He smiles softly, and my heart flutters at the sight of it. “You’re welcome, Jules.”

Given how late it is, I really should go to bed. But the idea of going back to my room, where I'll be alone and staring up at the ceiling, just isn't appealing. So, I decide to take a leap, even if it makes my stomach churn.

"Do you like movies?" As soon as the words leave my lips, I feel ridiculous. Of course he likes movies . Who doesn't like movies?

"I do," he replies, eyebrow raised. Butterflies dance in my stomach, an innocent attraction I haven't felt since before Glen got his hands on me. Any part of me that wanted kids and a future died after that night—or so I thought.

“We have a great collection of movies. If you’re interested. I understand if you’re tired.”

“Actually, I would love to watch something.”

“Really?”

“Really. It’s been a while since I had a good movie night.”

“Well, then you’re in luck. Come on.” I leave the study, closing the door behind me, then head down the stairs.

We pass by the kitchen where Tucker has set up shop, and Riley wasn’t kidding—he really is a dog with a bone.

The man doesn’t even notice us as we pass through the kitchen and head down the steps into the basement my grandfather converted to a theater nine years ago.

Red carpet adorns the stairs, and all of the walls have been painted a dark midnight blue. I flip on the light at the bottom of the steps, illuminating the basement in a soft, pale light.

“This is amazing,” Riley breathes as he moves further into the theater room.

“Thanks. My grandfather had it remodeled nearly nine years ago. It was our escape when we didn’t want to leave the house.”

On the far wall, a counter is adorned with baskets of various chocolate bars and a popcorn machine. There’s a refrigerator on the back wall that’s stocked with bottles of water and Poppi sodas.

It hurts to be standing here, in this room, without the man who built it. But with Riley here, it is a bit easier.

“The movies are over there on the laptop,” I tell him, gesturing to the computer set up on its own table on the left side of the room. “It’s a digital collection, and they all route to the projector screen. Do you want something to drink?”

“Sure. Whatever you’re having.” He heads toward the computer and fires it up. “What do you want to watch?”

“Anything. You pick. I’ve likely already seen it.”

He chuckles. “Are you a movie rewatcher?”

“Chronically,” I reply. “You?”

“Depends on the movie.” He continues scrolling through the movies. “Okay. I picked one.” He turns toward me. “But no judgment from you, and you can never tell my brothers I chose it.”