AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She might push the boundaries. She might even bend the rules, but she always pulled back before going too far—or covered her trackswhen that didn’t work out. As much for her boss’s sake as her own. She owed it to Jack never to push too far. His reputation would be the one on the line if she screwed up. He’d done enough damage himself in the past. He didn’t need any help in that regard from her.
“Fin, it’s ...,” he started once more.
Then she got it. “It’s the Judge, isn’t it?” A different kind of irritation sparked. The two of them had pretty much stayed out of each other’s way since Derrick’s death. Finley would be immensely happy if they stayed that way. Her father was the only one who wanted the whole picture-perfect-family package to include dinners and holidays. Finley tried. She really did, but she and her mother just weren’t ever going to get along, much less agree.
Matt put up his hands in surrender. “Hold on, it’s not the Judge or any one of the three. It’sme.”
Oh crap. Maybe he was sick. “Just tell me it’s not terminal.” Her chest tightened. She did not want to lose Matt to some dreaded disease.
Pain speared through her. She didn’t want to lose him at all.
He laughed, a quick, short burst. “I’m not dying, and no one is currently upset with anything you’ve done.” He frowned, searched her face. “Have you done something I should know about?”
“Absolutely not.” Maybe. Hopefully.
He nodded, his expression suggesting he was not thoroughly convinced. “Anyway, I’ve been poking around a little in Derrick’s background.”
If he’d said he had quit his job and was moving to South America, she wouldn’t have been more startled. Or worried. “What exactly does that mean?”
She watched his face grow more serious as he explained that he thought he might be able to find something she had overlooked, et cetera. Part of her wanted all the help she could get since she still had nothing on Derrick’s history. What she had learned so far was that the vast majority of what she’d thought she had known about her husbandwas lies. She had no idea about his reasons for seemingly having lured her into a relationship. Or for not telling her the whole truth about himself. She was, however, reasonably confident he had loved her. He’d fought to the death to protect herthatnight.
Would a man who hadn’t loved her have done that?
“No,” she said flatly, the taste of beer going sour in her mouth.
“What?” Matt made a face. “Why?”
The question forced her to lie. She hated deceiving Matt. It wasn’t like she hadn’t done it before, but she didn’t like lying to him. He and her father—and Jack—mattered most to her. Honesty counted when it came to the people who mattered. At least most of the time anyway. But there was no way out of this situation. A lie was necessary. Poking around in Derrick’s past could put Matt in danger. She refused to allow that to happen.
She couldn’t lose him too.
“I’ve decided to put the past behind me.” She moistened her lips, swallowed the bitter taste of deceit. “Continuing to dig around in that part of my life isn’t going to change anything. I need to move on.”
Matt blinked, but not before she saw the surprise in his eyes. “That’s a good step, Fin. A really good move.”
It would be if it were true.Liar.She hated herself right now, particularly considering the hope in his voice.
“It’s time,” she said, turned her attention to the Guinness to wash it all down.
Keeping this secret ... telling the lies necessary to keep it ... would come back to haunt her one day. Sooner rather than later, most likely. She knew this better than anyone.
Changing the subject, she said, “Jack has a new, very high-profile client.”
“Sounds intriguing,” Matt offered, seemingly forgetting the idea of looking into Derrick’s past.
Work was the best distraction.
Work kept her mind off the lies she told and the secrets she kept.
4
11:50 p.m.
The Murder House
Shelby Avenue, Nashville
Finley shifted into park and sat for a long moment.
