“I ate in the cafeteria, so I’m good.” She tilts her head to the side, eyeballing Mom. “You think they’ve covered their tracks too well to be caught?”
Mom nods. “We’re not dealing with amateurs. Our best bet is finding those girls, but I’m guessing they have made them disappear and made it worth their while to keep quiet. We’ve hired a PI to try to locate them, and that’s our best chance at finding justice for Viv.”
* * *
Two weeks later—eight days before Christmas—Audrey shows up, clutching a crumpled letter in her hand. “It’s from Danny,” she excitedly says, thrusting it into my chest. “The student who took over his dorm found it under the bed when he moved in.”
I trace my finger over my name, scrawled in Danny’s messy handwriting, before ripping open the envelope and reading his words.
“What does it say?” Audrey asks, impatience peppering her tone.
“That he’s sorry. He didn’t want to betray me, but his dad is ill with cancer, they don’t have medical insurance, and when someone showed up on campus offering him two hundred K to spy on me, he couldn’t turn them down.”
“That rat bastard.”
“Did you know his dad was sick?” I lift my head briefly from the letter.
She shakes her head. “He never said a word to me.”
“Nor me.” A veil of sadness washes over me. “If he had just told me, I could’ve given him the money. One of the charities my parents spearhead is for this very thing. They distribute millions every year to people with illnesses who have no insurance.”
“Does he say who paid him?”
I shake my head as I finish reading the rest of the letter. “He signed an NDA, and he can’t disclose any of the details because he doesn’t have the money to give back anymore.”
“I can’t believe he was such an idiot! You were a really good friend to him, and he must’ve known if he’d told you the truth you would have done everything in your power to help his dad.”
I carefully fold the letter, placing it back in the envelope. I’ll get Dad to deliver it to the cops. “All of it is connected to those damn movies. I wish Reeve had never gotten the part.”
“I can’t believe the lengths they have gone to. All to try and split you two up? It’s disgusting. They can’t get away with it.” She paces the room, clenching and unclenching her fists at her sides.
“Well, unless we can find Danny or any of those girls, they will.”
“At least you can show Reeve that letter. Maybe then he’ll start coming around to your way of thinking.”
* * *
Reeve returns home three days before Christmas, but I’m busy completing my exams online, so we don’t get to spend time together until Christmas Eve, when he surprises me with a romantic candlelit meal at his house. After a gorgeous lobster and steak dinner and some expensive champagne, we retreat to my bedroom. Mom refuses to let me out of her sight at night, even though I’m feeling a lot better in the weeks since the attack. My concussion is more like a niggly occasional headache now, and the scratches and bruising have completely healed. My ribs still ache like a bitch, and I have another two weeks in my cast before it’s removed, but the doctors are pleased with my progress, and I should be fully recovered by the time I return to UCLA. I’ll need physical therapy for my wrist and fingers, but other than that, I should be fine.
Reeve makes love to me for the first time in months, and the careful way he cherishes and worships me, ensuring I’m not in any pain, brings tears to my eyes. I’ve missed this closeness between us. The way he clings to me like I’m his entire world has been missing from our intimate moments this past year. Although we still have a lot to discuss and things to work through, I feel like we might have turned a corner, and we might be through the worst of it.
How very wrong I end up being.
“You look beautiful,” Reeve says, appearing in my doorway the following morning. He returned home earlier to shower and change before coming back with his dad for Christmas lunch. Spending Christmas Day with the Lancasters has been our tradition for as long as I can remember. Yet, this was the first year Mom asked if I wanted to rescind Reeve’s and Simon’s invitation. Although my parents are pleased Reeve is trying to make amends, they are still in overprotective mode, and any potential risk to my recovery is approached with caution.
Unfortunately, Reeve falls into that category.
Now I’m feeling better physically, I am better prepared to tackle my emotional needs, and I’m determined to enjoy the holidays and get things back on track with my boyfriend. The new year is a fresh start. A clean slate. And an opportunity to reset things with Reeve.
“Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.” My gaze appreciatively roams his delectable form, approving of his ripped dark jeans and blue button-down shirt. His smooth jawline is devoid of the stylish stubble he wears to play his role, and he looks more like my Reeve. That helps to reassure me.
Striding across my bedroom, he quickly closes the gap between us. Careful not to hurt my injured hand, he reels me into his arms. My black, gold, and red dress swirls around my thighs as he holds me close, leaning in to kiss me. The urgency of his kiss surprises me, because he’s been extra gentle with me since the attack, and there’s an undercurrent of desperation that concerns me. I ease back a little, frowning. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong.” He smiles, but it seems off.
The edge slides off my euphoria. “Just tell me.”
“It’s nothing.”