But damn if we wouldn’t have a whole lot of fun together.
CHAPTER FOUR
CORA
Istood outside Corinne Weather’s house, and knocked on her door for the ninth time. I had a limit; I just hadn’t reached it yet. Because she was home, and I flat out refused to give up. My assistant, Liz, who rarely saw work because the control freak in me required—well, control, stood behind me, tapping out notes on her tablet.
“Do you want me to try around the back?”
I shook my head. “Miss Weathers?” I tipped my head to one side when a shadow passed across the frosted glass pane. “Please open the door. I’m not the press.”
The shadow paused.Okay. So she’s as over the media storm as we are.Not that I blamed her, but if she’d just speak to me, maybe we could help each other.
I inhaled, counted to ten of Liz’s taps, and tried again. “I’m a friend of Val— Heath’s,” I caught the slip at the last minute.
“You know Heath?” The door opened a crack, and a mousy looking woman bearing a patchwork of semi-faded discolored bruises and scratches. The bite marks were still visible.
I attempted a smile that didn’t match any other part of me right then and stepped sideways in a shitty attempt to shield Liz—fuck knew, why, she’d seen the tabloids when Corinne’s injuries were fresh.
“Yes. I hoped you might help me help him. Please?”
Corinne Weathers frowned. “Is he in trouble? For–for helping me?” The door started to close.
“No–yes,” I adjusted my line of thought to see if it would get me where I needed to be. She seemed protective of him. I knew Stockholm syndrome wasn't real but…maybe in this case..? “I don't want him to lose his job—”True.“—but right now, it’s in real jeopardy if he doesn’t start sharing what happened that night."
Also true.I just didn’t share the fact that the person he and the team were in jeopardy was from wasme.
“He didn’t hurt me.” The rise in her tone and volume left me wishing I could take a step back, and I was pretty sure Liz actually did, though she rallied rather fast from the flurry of footsteps that backed me up again. “Heath was— he?—”
I leaned forward, intent on getting this one more self out of her. Nine sets of raps on the weatherboard, peeling house, a whole lot of calling, and worrying the media would set up a fresh picket line the entire time set a fresh fire under my butt.
“I’d love to know more, Corinne," I said softly, attempting to remain impartial despite my growing desperation to find out what the hell had actually happened that night and somehow, impossibly,make it right. “But unless someone speaks to me about that night—” A pen poked my ribs. I twitched and sent an irritable look over my shoulder, turning my attention back to the door. “Like I said, I need to know—” The poke came again, this time twice as hard. I bit my lip but when a hand gripped my shoulder, pulling me backward, I snapped. “What the hell?”
A shadow stalked into the space where I stood a moment before. Liz pressed to my back.
“That’s Valentine, right?” she breathed in my ear.
I could only nod as Heath sent me an indecipherable look. Our gazes clashed for a long moment that halted time, and in his coal eyes I read both concern and disappointment. Then he turned away, and pressed a hand to the door.
Corrine let Heath Valentine into her house without a word. The door shut after him, the locks snicking with a sense of finality as we were left outside.
I wasn’t sure what hurt more—the fact that the man who was accused of hurting her just walked into her house with no resistance whatsoever, or the fact that his disappointment in me mattered more than a door shut in my face in the middle of an investigation.
I stared at the peeling pale blue door for a few seconds longer like it might open once more and admit the Chimera who had disappeared into the depths of the house.
Spoilers: he didn’t.
“Let’s go,” I said brusquely, fighting the tears that prickled the corners of my eyes.
Fuck it, I wouldnotcry over some puck boy who barely knew my name.
Liar, liar, lox bagel on fire.
The fact that he had gone out of his way to find out what I liked and watched me last night rankled. On top of today, of all things.
Plus, he was going to lose his job, his place on the team, if I didn’t get the answers I sought. I’d be the one to do that to him, alongside Coach.Me.And that would hurt because…
I cared.
