Page 6
My heart broke. I was a liar too. But I wasn’t going to harm the family.
“I had all three of her restaurants shut down.”
His mouth curved into a satisfied smile. He looked proud of himself while I sat there thinking about an innocent woman losing her family’s business over something Storie had done.
“I don’t know what to say,” I admitted.
“You don’t have to say anything. That’s how I am about those that I love. She couldn’t just accept our breakup and go on her way. Instead she got jealous and killed that damn horse.”
He needed to know the truth. Storie had killed Midnite, planted Kira’s earring, and was still a danger to the family. Kira may have been jealous of me but her family didn’t deserve to pay for a crime they did not commit.
“She won’t bother any of you again,” Justice said. “If you’re still worried, I’ll put more security at the house. I can have somebody outside twenty-four hours a day, and I’ll add more cameras around the property.”
“Security cannot stop everything.”
“I can stop Kira.” He reached over and took my glass before I squeezed hard enough to break it.
“Listen to me. What happened with Midnite was crazy, but this house isn’t surrounded by violence every day. My girls are safe here, and so are you. Kira won’t get close to this family again.”
My fear was upstairs in pink fuzzy socks, probably reading a Dahmer biography, while she decided who needed to disappear next. More cameras would not help because Storie already lived inside the gate.
I opened my mouth to tell him, but then I remembered Storie’s threats. And she could easily say that I did it while revealing my past.
“Look at me,” he said.
I lifted my eyes to his.
“Do you want this? I need to know whether I’m planning a weekend with a woman who has one foot out the door.”
His question deserved an honest answer. I wanted Justice and the life he was offering, but he thought he was offering all of it to Skye Mercer.
I nodded because I did not trust myself to speak.
“Then come here.”
He pulled me closer and kissed me. His hand slid around my waist, and for a few seconds I let myself go. I got lost in our embrace. I kissed him back because I loved him.
But my stomach was twisting and souring. I pulled away and covered my mouth.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I don’t feel well. I think dinner disagreed with me.” The truth was that the lies were disagreeing with me.
I made it through the back door and up the stairs before my stomach turned again. As soon as I reached my bathroom, I dropped to my knees in front of the toilet and vomited.
The shrimp had smelled fine while I cooked it, and nobody else had gotten sick. My nerves were doing this to me. I had no idea when I would find the courage, but I had to tell Justice the truth.
My stomach lurched again before I could stand. I gripped the toilet, bent over the bowl, and vomited. It was making me sick to hold it all in.
I was telling him tomorrow.
3
Kira
If I could I would smack that pretty smug smile off of Monica’s face. That bitch was taunting me from the grave for finally getting a piece of her man. Shit, I waited until the bitch was in her grave for three years. She had no more use for him.
I was melted into my plush velvet sofa in the middle of my living room while staring at the silver framed photo which sat on the mantel. It was of me, her, and Storie when she was about five years old. We were at the first cookout I had when I first bought this house.
