Standing up, I gesture for Talia and Blair to come back into the room and stop hiding behind the wall right outside the door. They walk in sheepishly. “You’ll help her?” Blair asks.
I nod, turning to my sister. “I’ll start making plans right away, but she’ll need to stay here, hidden for one night, two at the most.”
“I’ve already arranged a security guard to stand guard outside the property, incognito,” Talia says.
“Good. I’ll move as fast as I can.” Turning to Lindsey, I say, “I’m going to set you up far away from this city. Far away from where Jaco or anyone in the Marcas family can ever find you. I’ll have my guys create a new identity for you, passports, documents, and open a bank account. I’ll purchase a house for you so you can feel safe and make a new home for yourself. I’ll put enough money in your account that you can start again. It’ll be enough to get you back on your feet and living your new life.”
“You’ll do all of that for me?” she whispers.
“You understand you can never come back here, though?” I ask.
She scoffs, knotting her brows. “I want to leave this city and never look back. It’s something I’ve dreamed of the entire time I’ve been with Jaco—an escape. A way out. I assure you, the last thing I want is to come back here once I’m safe.”
Satisfied with her answer, I turn to Blair, holding my hand out to her. “Can I drive you home?” I ask.
She smiles warmly and nods at me. “Yes,” she says, wrapping her fingers tightly around mine.
After checking with Talia, we leave the two girls in the safe house. I have a lot to do to get Lindsey out of here as quickly as possible. But more importantly. I want to talk to Blair.
I wait until we are back at home and Blair is settled in the living room next to me on the sofa with a cold gin and tonic inher hands. I sip my vodka and let my eyes drift over her beautiful face.
So much has happened in such a short time.
I already have my men working on Lindsey’s escape and setting up her new life.
Blair feels my eyes on her and glances at me with her head tilted to the side. “What is it?” she asks nervously.
“Why did you meet her behind my back?” I say, looking directly at her to read her expression.
She stiffens and sits up straighter, immediately defensive.
“You think you have to carry all the burdens alone, but it isn’t how things work. And some of what happened was my fault, too. I came into your life, and I messed up some things. You were just trying to keep me safe, and then I distracted you, and now you’re in trouble. I had to help, Simon. Please understand I wasn’t trying to make more trouble, but I really wanted to help you because…”
I take her hand, a light chuckle spilling from my lips. “Wait, take a breath. You’re panicking, and I’m not angry at all.”
“You’re not?” she stammers, scrunching her nose up in that cute way she does.
“No. It means a lot to me that you would do that for me. I don’t want you in danger, Blair. But you went out there with the intention of helping me… and you actually ended up helping Lindsey. You let go of how she treated you in the past. You let go of the nasty things she said to you. You didn’t even care that she and I have a history. You still chose to help her.”
“Anyone would have made the same choice,” she says carefully.
I laugh, a little louder this time. “That is not true. Not at all. I owe you a thanks.” I say. “You made me see things differently.”
She shifts on the sofa, turning her body toward me. “How so?” she asks with curiosity.
“I’ve been so fixated on revenge. I let that anger rule every choice I made. It was quiet, controlled anger, but in reality, it was controlling me nonetheless. You do things so differently. You don’t want revenge on your stepbrother. You don’t want to get back at him. And when you were face-to-face with Lindsey, your choice of compassion over vengeance, and in the end, it saved her life.”
Blair smiles awkwardly, her cheeks flushing pink. “It…it wasn’t that big of a deal,” she mutters.
“It is to Lindsey. Her entire life is about to change, and it’s because of you.”
She bites the inside of her cheek, smiling a little wider.
“Blair,” I say her name gently.
“Mm?” she looks up at me.
“There’s something else,” I say.
