“I know, but I like your head in one piece, so we are both going to have to live with it. Now come on, I have episodes of Dateline to catch up on and need your expertise to get me through it.”
“You think I’m letting you spend any time in here?”
“I think you now need a guard before you try to escape and I am volunteering, so yes, I will be staying in here.”
She dropped back in her chair and clicked on the TV, not saying a word as I laid back on the bed and started watching.
Even mad at me, I still enjoyed the company and knowing she couldn’t run away now. All I could think about was how much better our lives were about to be.
Thirty-Nine
Regan
Imade up my mind the next night when I heard a bike pulling back up to the house and saw Rook stalking up to the front door.
I couldn’t be mad at Rook without knowing if he was being honest or not, and sitting in my room pissed wasn’t going to help anything. If he really did love me, he would answer more of my questions.
Rook glanced up, seeing me in the window, but he didn’t wave or acknowledge me further, and that only fueled my determination more.
I threw my door open, stomping to the railing that looked over the entry just as Rook made it inside.
“So you’re allowed to keep leaving, but I’m not?” I yelled, making him look up at me. I could see the dark circles around his eyes again, and noticed the way his shoulders slumped. I wondered if he had slept at all the past two nights or just watched over me. “I thought someone was trying to kill you, too.”
Yeah, I can because, first, you don’t care if I’m dead. It might actually make you happier. And second, I’m trying like hell tofigure out what I can do to make you less pissed off at me, and the only thing I can think of is these damn cookies.”
“I literally killed someone because they were going to kill you,” I said, the words leaving a bad taste in my mouth. “How could you say I want you dead now?”
Evie stepped out of the dining room, Mason right behind her.
“Are you serious? And you left that out of conversation, Rook? What the hell?” she asked, looking up at me. “There’s absolutely no way you’re not my best friend now.” She glared back at Rook. “If you can get over him being an ass for a while.”
“I’m trying to not be an ass,” he said. “Hence, the cookies.”
I didn’t know if it was the way I had already cried all my tears or that part of me was understanding everything going on around me. I knew my dad did apparently know the type of people that would kill people for money, which that alone felt shocking. I knew Rook thought he was behind killing his parents, and I knew my dad had been keeping secrets from me.
I just hadn’t realized what type of secrets. Or how many of them.
I also knew that someone could do those types of terrible things and still be a good person.
“Are you bringing those cookies up to me or do they have to be slid under my door so it really feels like a prison here?”
He grinned as he started up the stairs two at a time, the devastating smile on his face there because I was giving him a sliver of a chance. I wanted to give him a chance. I wanted to go back to how everything was going before he told me every terrible thing he had hidden.
The smile fell a little when he made it up the steps, his eyes going heavy with exhaustion as he handed me the box.
“When did you sleep last?” I asked, realizing just how much I cared about him. It didn’t matter what had been going on around us, I still cared.
“What day is it?”
I rolled my eyes, already walking back towards the room. “Will you sleep if I let you in the room?”
“Depends,” he said. “Do I have to worry about you sneaking out? Or will you be there the entire time?”
“If you sleep, I’ll stay,” I said, already grabbing my tablet and heading to my chair in the corner of the room.
“Regan, wait,” he said, reaching out and pulling me back. His hands cupped my jaw, the soft touch a harsh contrast to the angry furrow of his brow. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for telling me all these terrible things, or sorry for your kidnapping attempts?”
