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Chapter 18
Friends don’t keep secrets from friends. ~ Suzie’s rule for Phoebe becoming a better person
Iwake when Lenny squeezes my shoulder. “We’re home, Phoebe.”
I panic. Home? I don’t want to be home. I thrash and kick out. Sid holds my feet down. “It’s us, Phoebe. Your uncles. Hailey and Suzie are waiting with Pops at McGraw’s.”
Oh. We’re not California then. I deflate. “Sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about, darling.” Sid squeezes my legs before lifting them to open the door and exit the vehicle.
I sit up and take a deep breath. Hailey and Suzie are going to insist I tell them every itsy bitsy teenie weenie thing about me now. I am not looking forward to this conversation.
“Come on.” Lenny grabs my hand and pulls me out of the SUV.
Barney, Wally, and Sid are waiting at the door to McGraw’s Pub. “You ready?” Wally asks. I shrug. How in the world could I ever be ready to share my deepest, darkest secrets with my newfound family? I may know every rule of society in existence, but none of them prepared me for this moment.
He looks me up and down. “You’re stronger than you think,” he declares and pushes the door open.
The uncles surround me as I walk into the pub. The place is deserted. I look at the clock. It’s not yet nine a.m. No wonder the place is deserted. I feel like it’s been weeks since I left the city, except it’s been less than a day. Was it only yesterday evening that I was on my way here for a celebration?
Hailey and Suzie shout when they see me. They push the uncles out of their way to jump me and envelope me in a hug.
“Thank god you’re okay. We were worried,” Hailey says as she squeezes me.
Suzie agrees. “Good thing the uncles knew what to do.”
Speaking of which. I extract myself from Hailey and Suzie. “Um. I don’t think I thanked you guys.” I place a hand on my heart. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I can’t think about what would have happened had you not found me.” A shudder runs through my body. I don’t want to go back to my old life.
“You’re welcome,” Wally says while the rest of them grunt.
Pops approaches me and pulls me into a hug. “Welcome home, darling. Sorry I couldn’t join the rescue operation.”
“I understand.”
He releases me but tags my hand and leads me to the table where the uncles and Hailey and Suzie are gathered. He forces me into a chair and takes a seat next to him.
“I hate to say it, but I think it’s time for you to tell us all your secrets.”
The door opens and I jump to my feet. Oh no, Ryker’s back already. Pops grabs my hand and squeezes. “It’s okay. It’s Aiden.”
I look to the uncles. “I thought we weren’t involving the police.”
“Aiden’s not here as a police officer. He’s here because he’s your friend,” Hailey explains. Aiden grunts in agreement as he lifts Hailey off her chair. He sits in the chair and pulls her into his lap.
“Where are we?” Aiden asks.
“Phoebe is about to tell us her secrets,” Suzie says.
My eyes widen. “I never said I’d tell you my secrets.” I’m sure Wally knows all he needs to know. No one else needs to hear my poor little rich girl story.
“Phoebe?” Aiden calls. He waits until I look at him before speaking, “Sorry to tell you this, sweetheart, but you have to tell everyone. I’m not being nosy. But the time to keep secrets has passed. Your husband not only knows where you are, he sent someone after you who used force to take you. If you think he won’t use the people around you as pawns in his game, you’re wrong.”
My eyes widen as he speaks. Oh no, I hadn’t considered how my situation could affect others. I stand. “Maybe I should leave.” I’ve done it before. I can do it again. But instead of getting complacent, I’ll keep moving. Every year – no, every six months – I’ll move.
Aiden blocks my escape. “I’m not saying you should flee. I’m saying you should look to your friends. Let us help carry the load. Let us keep our eyes peeled for possible danger. But we can’t help keep you safe if we don’t know what danger we’re facing.”
Darn it. He’s not wrong. I collapse in the chair. He makes a damn good point. Although I’m sure he knows all my secrets already. There’s no way Aiden the Detective didn’t sus out my past by now.
