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“When she became pregnant, he kept his mouth shut but started putting his own plan into motion.”
“What happened to the baby?” I ask softly.
“He had a rare condition that meant all his organs were growing on the outside of his body. There was zero percent chance of him surviving outside the womb.”
He pauses for a second. “His name was David. He lived for five minutes and seventeen seconds,” he whispers. “My father had a DNA test run, and it was confirmed that he was not the father, but there were enough genetic markers for him to be blood-related to him.”
“He knew then you were telling the truth.”
He nods. “He got me out of Briarwood, apologized with the intent to just brush it under the rug and forget it ever happened. He wanted forgiveness, but I was so angry. I had a dead son who I never got to hold. He changed tactics when his tears got himnowhere. He went from paying penance to piling on the pressure to straight up blackmail over his company. It always came back to that. And then it was too late to fix anything because my father died too.”
I lean my forehead against his, offering him comfort without words.
“All I know about Hailey is that my father emptied her bank accounts and ran her out of town.”
“She deserved far worse than that.”
“I know. Hell I got far worse than that, being sent to Briarwood and I was his child.”
He sighs. “It was the third victim, Bobby Jones, that gave the cops a trail to find, and it led all the way back to Briarwood.”
“The man from my vision,” I say softly.
He nods. “They might never have looked at me twice if that were my only link to the victims. But with my company making Sono-d, even I had to admit it looked suspicious.
“It was just a fucking coincidence. I’d inherited the pharmaceutical company from my father. They were trialing Sono-d before I was even born, but my having access to it put me as the number one suspect. I get it. I do. It’s why I cooperated with the police. I gave them access to my business, my finances, my home. I have alibis, but they still won’t stop pursuing me.”
I sigh and sit up. I’d be pissed as hell if I were in his situation, too. “How did we meet?”
“You were working with the local PD when you came across my name. You contacted me and asked if we could talk. I thought you were ballsy and a little reckless, but I was intrigued enough to say yes. Best decision I ever made.”
“Smooth talker.” I grin.
“How come nobody knew about us? I know there are no photos of us in the press because we hid who we were to eachother, but it couldn’t have been easy keeping this a secret. The police obviously didn’t know.”
“You needed it kept quiet. You didn’t want them to discredit you for sleeping with who they deemed the enemy, not when you were so close.”
“And was I? Close, that is.”
He shrugs. “You made it a point to keep work shit and us separate.”
“Plausible deniability,” I mutter. Even so, being with Valen was a hell of a risk to take. Not just for me, but for Valen. The police might have thought he was fucking information out of me.
“Whatever you’re thinking, don’t. You’ll tie yourself up in knots.”
I purse my lips but nod. He’s right. I can’t change anything now.
“I don’t know where that leaves us. I like you, Valen, even when you disappear on me. I feel safe when I’m with you. I don’t know if that makes me a fucking idiot or not.”
“You’re not an idiot. I can’t guarantee much in this life, but there is one thing you never have to worry about, and that’s me. I’ll never hurt you. I couldn’t even if my life depended on it.”
“Nathan said you only fucked supermodels and that you were dangerous, so I did a little digging of my own. I’ve seen the pictures with the models. And read the articles about your connections to MCs, street gangs, and even the Mafia.”
“I never claimed to be a good man, Rue, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be good to you. Nothing in this fucking world matters without you beside me. You’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted.”
“Valen,” I whisper, feeling a little choked up. This man throws me completely off my axis. I know I’m nowhere near as deep as he is in this. For me, it’s all brand new. For him, it’s something else entirely. Something I’m not ready to put a nameto. I should be terrified because when he looks at me like he is now, I know he’s holding so much back.
The question is, is he holding back to ease me into this, or is he holding back because he’s hiding something?
