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“Will do. Love you too.” I hang up and head down the steps, humming to myself. Dad’s sitting in front of the TV drinking a beer and squinting at a baseball game. “How many of those do they play?” I ask him.
“A lot,” he grunts though his bushy gray beard. “Who’s that, anyway?”
“Don’t know,” I say, tugging open the door. “Let’s find—” I turn and my jaw drops open. I try to make a noise, but I’m too stunned to form words.
“Hey, Dar,” Lucas says, scratching at the back of his head sheepishly. “I guess I’m the last person you wanted to see, huh?”
Chapter41
Dara
“Lucas?” I say through my teeth. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
He grimaces. “I know it’s weird, but can we talk for a minute? I have a lot of explaining to do.”
“No fucking—” I glance back at my dad. He’s frowning at me, concerned, but too lazy to get up and come over. I lower my voice. “Come on.” I shove Lucas back, step out onto the front porch, and slam the door. “Sit down.” I point at a pair of chairs tucked to the side.
Right now, I’m channeling my inner Finn, pretending like I’m big and bad and bossy. It helps that I’m feeling very murder-y at the moment.
Lucas slumps into a chair with a groan.
I remain glaring down at him, arms crossed over my chest.
He looks terrible. His hair’s buzzed short and he’s got huge bags under his eyes. His clothes are dirty and sweaty, like he’s been wearing them for days straight. I glance past him toward the driveway, but there’s no car, and I have no clue how he got here.
My mind’s racing. Why would Lucas show up at my parents’ house now of all times, and how the hell did he even know I was here? Worry races down my spine and mixes with suspicion as a strange sense of danger wells up from my stomach.
I jab an elbow at him. “This isn’t some kind of assassination or something insane like that, is it? Are you working for Finn’s dad now?”
Lucas’s eyes go wide. “Assassination? Finn? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Don’t lie to me. You ruined my life once already, I won’t hesitate to return the favor, you skinny asshole.”
He shakes his head rapidly. “Dar, I have no clue who you’re talking about.”
I let out a long breath, deflating somewhat. “Then how the hell did you know I was here?”
“I asked Kathryn,” he admits, glancing away. “Don’t be mad at her.”
I take a step back, feeling betrayed. I am going to have a big, long talk to her about boundaries and safety when this is over. “Why the hell would she tell you where I am, much less even bothertalkingto you?”
“Because I’m here to try to make things right.”
I let that sink in. It’s surprising. I expected him to disappear forever, too ashamed of his shitty behavior to ever come back.
Lucas can’t even glance in my direction, and he seems more defeated than I’ve ever seen before. He was never a tough guy, never the sort to slam on the horn when cut off in traffic or the type to call out a line cutter, but he did have at least some quiet dignity. He always said pride came from helping others. Although apparently, he decided that also meant helping himself to my fucking bank account.
But now he’s looking like he wants to wrap himself up in a cocoon and disappear from the world.
“What happened to you?” I ask finally, curiosity overwhelming my anger. “Where’s Christine? I thought the two of you were running away to engage in marital bliss.”
“She left me,” he says, somehow managing to fold into himself even more. “Took everything and left me alone in Mexico. I don’t even speak Spanish. It took me a week just to get back over the freaking border. Got robbed twice on the way.”
“Huh,” I say, arching an eyebrow. I try to muster some empathy, but nope, totally fresh out. “Fucking sucks, right?”
“Yeah.” He leans his head back and sighs. “I really fucked up, Dar.”
“I know you did.” I tap my foot on the porch. “Why’d you do it?”
