“What do you want from me, John?”
“I want you to heal. I want you to talk to someone about what happened to you, and I want you to be happy,” he says softly.
“That’s it?”
His jaw tightens. “Yeah, that’s it. If down the road you decide that you want me, great. If not, then I’ll be happy that you’re healing.”
My heart constricts at his words. He’s being sweet and I’ve not had sweet in a long time. I’m not sure what to do with it.
“Okay?” he asks, and for the first time I see uncertainty in his eyes.
I nod. “Okay, and thank you.”
He shakes his head. “Don’t thank me. I should have checked in on you a fucking long time ago.”
“You didn’t know. It’s okay.” I try to placate him; I don’t want him to feel guilty about what’s happened. There wouldn’t have been anything he could have done to stop it. Talia does what Talia has always wanted to do.
“Fuck that. I wanted to find you so many fucking times but I held back. That’s on me.”
“You did?” I breathe.
“Yes. Fuck,” he grounds out. “I wasn’t going to go here with you. You’re too young, you’ve got enough to deal with, but you need to know. The moment I saw you at your father’s funeral, I felt something deep in my soul. You mean something to me, Reli, and it’s not because our families have been friends for a long time. To my family, you’re family, but to me, you’re a fuck of a lot more than that.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat. My mouth is dry as I take in this gorgeous man that stands in front of me. “I felt it too.”
His eyes flash with something that I can’t read, but he makes no sound as he stares at me.
“I don’t know how to explain it.” I bite my lip, wondering if I should continue. “It hurt me when you were so angry at me because of my age. Then you turned around and left. I don’t know why, but that stung and I was so confused.”
He sits down on the bed beside me and holds my hand, bringing it to his lips and placing a soft kiss on my skin.
“Then I saw you in the store and I just didn’t want you to recognize me. I’m tainted, John. I’m dirty, and I’m so fucking tired. But you came to the house and for a moment I felt safe, your voice washed over me, and I can’t make sense of why I feel this way. But you left and here I am.” I shrug, hoping to sound nonchalant, but failing miserably. My body seeps into the bed as sleep calls me closer.
“Right now, we’re going to take it slow.” My eyes widen at his words but he shakes his head. “Not with us. With you getting the help you need. When you talk to your counselor, you can tell her everything, Reli. I mean everything. I see in your eyes that you don’t want to. But you need too. I’m not going to push you; you need to do it at your own pace.”
I close my eyes. The thought of spilling my guts to someone is too much. I can’t do it. What if they don’t understand? What if they’re like Talia and think that what happened wasn’t that bad? I can't focus; my brain is whirling with so many different scenarios. My body is tired; I’m barely able to open my eyes anymore. They’re too heavy.
“Please?” he says softly, cutting through my thoughts.
It’s that one word, that one plea, that breaks through my barriers.
“Okay, I’ll talk to someone,” I promise him just as sleep takes me.
Ten
John
“Boss,” Lance says and I turn to the door and find him standing there. He gives Reli a reassuring smile, one that she returns and he nods for me to come to him.
“Talk to me,” I demand. It’s been three days since I brought Reli to the hospital. Three fucking long days, and no one has uncovered anything that will let me bring that fucking bitch Talia down.
Lance may be my driver, but he knows how to extract information from people. He was a SEAL; he got injured severely on a tour so he got discharged. A bomb went off and the shrapnel embedded in his back. Thankfully it didn’t sever his spinal column, which was feared. When he came to me for a job, I only had a position as a driver. He jumped at the chance, but he also helps us on cases.
“Talia is no longer in Key West. She’s on her way home.”
Shit, she must know that Reli’s no longer there. “When is she due to arrive home?”
“Within the hour.”