Page 28 of Ghost Among Lies

"Maybe but I don't think that's it. Your appearance might've changed, but who you are deep down should still be the same. So I'll ask again. Who hurt you?"

"Drop it, okay. Nothing good can come from this conversation, and honestly, I would rather talk about anything else."

Hayes looked for the truth in my eyes. I easily gave it to him.

"Fine." He huffed. "Let's talk about your style. When did you get this?" He tapped the stud in my nose.

Well, shit. Of course he would ask the one thing that would give away the extent of my pain.

"About a year after I left. I was going through a rough patch, and Anita said pain always helped her cope. I didn't want to get a tattoo, so I opted to pierce my nose instead."

"Did it help?"

I touched the stud. It was a habit I formed any time the guilt tried to drag me under. It grounded me and was a good reminder I was a survivor.

"It did."

"Then I'm glad. Plus it looks good on you. This style suits you a lot better than the stuffy clothes your parents used to make you wear."

"My mother would have a coronary if she saw me now."

The day I left my parents’ house, I shed that identity like a bad wardrobe. It had taken me some time to figure out who I was, but now I was proud of the woman I became.

Well, mostly.

There were a few things I would've changed along the way. But there was no use living with regrets.

Hayes smirked. "Is it wrong of me to say I'm glad I never met your parents?"

I guffawed in return. "Not at all. I wish I could say the same. I know they loved me in their own warped way, but I could've done without the pressure they put on me."

"I mean I don't know." Hayes’ lips tipped up into a lopsided smile. "Pretty sure that pressure is what pushed you straight into my arms."

Nostalgia kicked in.

He was right. I was a typical good girl who went looking for a bad boy. Instead, I found the most caring person. Despite the circumstances of his life, he never used it as an excuse to act poorly.

"It did." I cleared my throat. "I'll let you get dressed. Feel free to raid the kitchen for whatever you like. I'll be in my office working if you need anything."

I turned to walk away but stopped mid step when Hayes called my name.

"One of these days, you're going to trust me enough to share all your secrets, Sunshine. I look forward to that day coming."

I didn't respond.

There was nothing to say. I doubted Hayes would feel the same way if he knew what I knew.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

HAYES

I watched Sloane walk away. I was never more grateful for the time I spent in the gym as I was when she checked me out. There was no mistaking the appreciation in her eyes. She might flinch when I touched her––something I was going to get to the bottom of––but she was also still attracted to me. I was taking that as a win.

Sauntering into the spare room with a big smile on my face, I found the clothes I forgot to bring into the bathroom sitting on the bed.

They weren't my clothes. Beckett was gracious enough to lend me a couple of things while he ran to my place to get me a bag. Being kidnapped had its disadvantages. One of them being I didn't get the chance to grab anything for myself. I didn't need much, but my phone was essential. I had to put word out that I wouldn't be able to take jobs for a while. I wanted to help Sloane, and that meant staying here for the foreseeable future.

I didn't mind though. I would get the opportunity to see her every day and possibly build us back to who we used to be.