“Who’s your employer?” I asked, suspicious. “Who’s paying you? Who’d pay the city off to look the other way about this?”
He just stared at me, unblinking and then answered, sounding almost serene. “Someone who wants you to have a chance, Mr. Torrance.”
And I sat back in my chair, my eyes finally open and knowing the answer without him telling me.
Christiane Fane.
I unlocked the front door, Winter and I stepping inside her house an hour later.
I couldn’t believe I was out of there.
I knew the talk in town was probably bad, and I had no idea what the repercussions would be from Evans Crist as he undoubtedly knew that we knew how Rika’s father died. How she almost died.
But right now, I couldn’t bring myself to care. My father had been the bigger threat, and although we weren’t all safe yet, I had every confidence people would have a nice, long, fucking pause now before coming at us.
And if they did, we’d be ready.
I ran my fingers through my hair, just wanting a shower and a bed right now, but there was one thing more I had on my mind to deal with before that.
I closed the door and locked it.
“I kind of just want to go sit in the fountain,” Winter said lazily, resting her head on my arm as I held her hand and we walked.
“Plenty of time for that,” I told her. “I have another idea, though.”
“Oh?” She sounded amused like she could only imagine what I wanted to do right now.
But instead of heading up the stairs, I continued down the hall and through the kitchen.
She popped her head up. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
I led her outside, across the patio, down beyond the pool and pool house, and past the hedge line, into the trees. We went slow as she navigated her way over the land and fallen branches, but when we got to the large, white oak tree, I picked her up, carrying her over the debris of leaves and wood I hadn’t cleaned up yet.
Setting her down, I took her hand and put it on the tree.
She ran her hands over the bark, feeling up and down until she landed on a board nailed into the tree trunk.
She pulled away, straightening her back and her face falling as she understood why I’d brought her out here.
Her chest moved with her shallow breaths, and I could see the fear on her face.
Moving around her, I wrapped my arm around her waist and kissed the back of her hair.
“I’m stronger now,” I whispered. “I won’t let you fall.”
I felt her body shake, but she didn’t say anything. Just stood there, going through the shit in her head.
After another moment, she reached out, breathing hard but determined, and felt for the first step with her foot while grabbing hold of the board in front of her.
I watched as she started to climb, taking her time, one step after the other, and I followed, not taking my eyes off her for a moment.
She paused about halfway up, feeling the wind whip across her hair, but she kept going.
Just one more step.
And another.