Page 161 of Always: A Legacy Novel

Because dating.

And teens.

It didn’t help that Catherine played along with that story, too. She didn’t offer anything different, not to the principal, or her father.

All Dante saw was a spectacle being made of his daughter, by Cross.

Again.

She couldn’t tell her father the truth without explaining what had happened, and what she had let happen. She wasn’t ever going to do that.

In the vacant restaurant parking lot, Catherine found Cross waiting. She met him in the middle. Silently, he tugged off his jacket, then the hoodie underneath, and handed it over. She slipped it on, breathing in his familiar scent and warmth while he put his jacket back on.

Then, he handed over Derik’s phone.

“It’s all gone,” Cross said, “all of it. He didn’t have a backup on auto. Nothing was sent out.”

“Probably didn’t have the chance.”

“Good thing.”

“Yeah,” Catherine agreed.

“I got a friend to check it, just to make sure, after I wiped the device. It’s gone. Destroy it, or give back to him with a smile, whatever.”

“I’m not going near him again.”

Cross let out a dark sound. “He’s dead anyway.”

“What?”

“Derik,” Cross repeated, folding his arms over his chest and showing off shredded knuckles that looked damn sore, “is dead, or he’s going to be.”

Catherine could see it in Cross’s eyes in that moment—with her, he did not play. He had very little lines people shouldn’t toy with, but she was one of them. Maybe the biggest one, shit, maybe his only one in the grand scheme.

“You can’t just … kill him,” Catherine said, her gaze darting around as though she was scared someone might overhear their conversation. The parking lot was still empty. “You already kicked his ass, Cross. I’m sure if he just showed up dead somewhere, you would be the first person to get a knock on your door.”

“I’m a patient motherfucker.”

“Cross.”

“I said what I said, Catherine.”

He never said things he didn’t mean.

She didn’t know if that scared her, or not.

“And we’re not done,” he added quieter. “You and me, I mean, we’re not done at all. We’re so far from done, Catty.”

He was right. They were always leaving shit unfinished. Somehow, it would be them again. Just not right now.

“Yeah, we never really are, huh?”

Cross shrugged. “Nope.”

He reached out and grabbed her by the back of her neck, dragging her into his chest for a tight hug that felt oh, so good, before he kissed the spot right between her eyes.

“Love you, babe.”