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Luke sensed her apology was more of a brush off but he hated the tinge of sadness in her tone. He decided to change the subject, hoping in time, she would come to trust him. How did you get me out of there like that? He had to know, if only so he could follow up on the lead himself.
I called the hotline and pretended to be one of the gang member’s girlfriends.
Luke’s muscles tightened. He hadn’t considered that she could be in on it. Are you?
No.
Luke knew plenty of offenders who could lie their teeth off and still be guilty as sin. Why should I believe you?
You shouldn’t. Her thought rushed in on a sigh and he immediately regretted accusing her of being associated with the very people who had spent the last three days torturing him.
I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. You saved my life. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do. I owe you. Not the other way around.
No, you don’t. It’s what I do. When I can.
Being in law enforcement, Luke lived with the reality of not being able to help everyone he wanted to every day, but he had no idea how someone like her endured that and still put herself out there.
You understand. The vulnerability in her words melted something inside him that had long since hardened.
He had the intense urge to wrap her up in his arms and never let her go. Where are you right now? What are you doing? If she wasn’t going to tell him her name, he’d find other ways to get to know her. They could talk about the weather for all he cared. He just didn’t want her to leave him.
Baking cookies.
Luke smiled. What kind?
Chocolate chip.
Does anyone else know what you can do? Talk to people like this I mean?
Yes. One person knows but he won’t tell anyone.
A pang of jealousy hit Luke out of nowhere. He wanted to know who this person was that she trusted. Unless…Do you trust him?
A momentary surge of fear and panic went through her and he felt it all the way down to his toes. That would be a no. Then why did you tell him who you were?
It’s complicated. I trusted him when I told him but then things changed.
Luke really didn’t like where this was going. Are you afraid of him?
Her lack of an answer told him more than a simple yes or no ever could. I’m a detective. I can help you if you’re in some kind of trouble. He couldn’t get over the fact that she’d been crying when she first answered him.
I’m fine.
She pulled back then, leaving his mind in a cold familiar silence. His first instinct was to call out to her again, but he stopped himself, and lay there quietly. Luke hadn’t even met this woman but he sensed he was already in too deep to simply walk away. She had saved him when no one else could. That wasn’t something he would ever forget. He wanted to keep talking to her, getting to know more about her, if only to satisfy the nagging feeling in his gut that she wasn’t fine at all. And because of the kind of man he was, he had to do something about it.
Chapter 4
Orly had just put the cookies in the oven, and was washing her hands as she stared at her massive engagement ring laying in the little white dish next to the sink. Russell hadn’t made a big deal of proposing. She hadn’t even seen it coming. They were at the mall when he unexpectedly led her into a jewelry store. The ring was in the center display case. When he asked her if she liked it, she smiled. What could she say? The thing was massive. Never in a million years did she think he would buy it on the spot and slip it onto her finger.
“Now you’re officially mine,” he whispered in her ear, making her break out in a fine sheen of cold sweat. It wasn’t what he said, but the way he’d said it. Looking back, Orly should’ve seen it for the red flag it was. But she was so busy convincing herself that it was all in her head that she’d practically allowed Russell to back her into the corner she was in now. She knew Russell came from a wealthy family, mostly from his father’s money, and that he could be somewhat controlling, but she figured that was all just part of what made him so successful. Whether it was closing a case, winning over a prosecutor, or convincing a landlord to let Orly out of her lease early, it was no secret Russell Graham always got what he wanted…and apparently, he’d set his sights on her - a foster kid from Oklahoma who’d moved out to Los Angeles when she aged out of the system.
Orly knew her long, curly blonde hair, big brown eyes, and high cheekbones drew a lot of attention, but she usually downplayed those things about herself, because she had no interest in being seen only for her looks. A few foster parents even told her how she was going to snag a real prince with those looks of hers, and she’d just rolled her eyes at them. But when Orly met Russell, their words came back to her, and she thought maybe they’d been right, and this was her real chance at happiness. She and Russell used to talk for hours on the phone, spend his days off together laughing, watching movies, and going out to eat. Being with Russell was fun and exciting. Then he proposed and she told him about her ability. That was when everything changed.
Drying her hands on a kitchen towel, she stared at the engagement ring and daydreamed about dropping the three carat diamond down the drain, making it as if it never existed. As if Russell never existed. But the reality was that Russell was due home any minute, and he’d throw a fit if she wasn’t wearing it. He never talked about the wedding anymore. They’d never even set a date. But she didn’t miss how his gaze often fell on her left hand, checking to make sure she was still his.
He’d called earlier demanding she make his favorite dessert - chocolate chip cookies. She used to like them, but ever since he started demanding things from her, she’d developed a resentment for anything he liked. The cookies. Peanut butter. Kale salads. The list went on. She’d made one of his favorites for dinner tonight. Meatloaf. Even though she was vegetarian, Russell insisted on her making meat for him. She also made baked potatoes and some green beans as sides. That way she had plenty to eat and Russell couldn’t complain.
As soon as the locks turned in the door, she slipped on her ring and turned to greet him with a huge smile the way she always did to avert any backlash from him. He barely registered her presence, grumbling something under his breath as he went into the bedroom to change. When he returned to the kitchen a few minutes later, she handed him a plate of food. He took it to the table without so much as a smile or word of thanks. She served herself and joined him.
