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What had happened to Rock? Because of me?
Lacey touched his arm lightly, as if offering him comfort.
Rock cleared his throat. “We didn’t come here to rehash old news.”
“Maybe not,” Reid said, “but I think we need to. What happened to you and what happened to Riley is important. We can’t forget those things, because those things represent exactly who our father was.”
Roy, who was usually quiet during these family meetings, cleared his throat and regarded me. “You and Rock weren’t Dad’s only victims.”
“I know,” I said. “He was tough on you and Reid too.”
“No, that’s not what I mean.”
This time it was Charlie touching Roy’s arm.
“I have something to tell you,” Roy continued. “Something I learned through my work with Dr. Woolcott.” He cleared his throat again. “And it’s not pretty.”26MatteoTaking a redeye from Billings to New York hadn’t been in the plans. I’d decided to drive, but the transmission in my truck went kaput before dinner. I hightailed it over to Mary’s auto repair shop, but she was booked solid for the next week.
“Sorry, Mattie. I really need to get another mechanic in here. It never rains but it pours!”
“Can you move me to the front? I’ll pay extra.” I had a few dollars tucked away for a rainy day. This was well worth it.
“No can do,” she said. “I have to order your parts. That’ll take a few days in and of itself.”
“Shit.”
“Just leave her here.”
“Yeah. All right.” I raked my fingers through my hair and pulled out my phone to call Luke. “Hey, man,” I said when he answered. “I need you to meet me at Mary’s and drive me home. And then to the airport.”
A half hour later, Luke waited patiently at my cabin while I threw clothes into a duffel.
“I hear she’s a famous model,” he said.
“Yeah. Apparently.”
“You really think you have a shot?”
Did I? “We have something. I’m not sure what it is. If nothing else, I want to support her while she mourns the death of her father.”
“I get it, man,” he said, “but don’t you think if she wanted your support she’d have told you everything?”
Fuck. Anvil to gut. But Luke was never one to tread softly. He was just being a friend.
“Yeah, it’s occurred to me.”
“You’ve got it that bad, huh?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure what I’ve got. I only know she’s special. She lied for a good reason.”
“It’s easy to tell yourself that, Matt,” he said, “but when people lie, it’s usually not for a good reason. It’s usually to cover something up.”
“What would she have to cover up? She’s a famous supermodel who just lost her dad. She probably needed an escape from life.”
“Maybe. Just be careful.”
“I will.”
“You want me to come along?”
I thought about it. Having Luke along would make it easier, but I needed to do this on my own. Riley was important to me, and I wanted her to know that. Having a friend tag along with me wouldn’t show her that. No, I had to go out of my comfort zone and prove to her that I was there for her and would help her through the loss of her father.
“I need to do this by myself, but thanks.”
He nodded. “Got everything?”
“Yeah. Let’s bolt.”
We drove the hour to Billings without saying much. I was lost in thought, and Luke seemed to understand.
When he dropped me off, he said, “Go get her, man.”
I opened my mouth to protest that I was only going there to offer support, but then closed it and simply nodded as I grabbed my duffel and shut the door.
Go get her, man.
A man didn’t hop on a redeye to offer support to a woman he just met.
No.
A man jumped on a redeye because he was in love.
Fuck me.
I’d fallen in love with Riley Wolfe.
And Luke was right.
I was going to go get her.27RileyI sat, numb, as my brother described what he’d learned about his buried memory.
A woman with cuts above her breasts had escaped from a dark place where my father and our parish priest had been hunting her.
Hunting her.
She was the prey.
“Do you remember her name?” I asked.
“No. I don’t think I asked her. Somehow we got the elevator to go up, and as soon as it opened—I don’t even know which floor we were on—she ran out.”
“Naked?” I said.
“As far as I remember. I never…” Roy closed his eyes. “I never saw her again.”
“This was over a decade ago,” Reid said. “We’ll never find her.”
“Probably not,” Lacey agreed. “We’ll have to concentrate on Zinnia. The times don’t match up, so the woman Roy saw can’t be Zinnia.”
“Unless she came back and threatened to expose them,” I offered.
Lacey widened her eyes. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“I know my father,” I said. “I had no idea this shit was going on, but I can guarantee you that if one woman managed to escape, he never let another escape. He would have taken precautions.”
