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“Whew!” Skylar huffed in her ear. “Anything’s better than Dad’s old boss. You sure you don’t need any money?”
“I’m fine for now.” Malcolm had already turned down all her offers of cash, and wouldn’t even let her work off all the food he’d been plying her with. “Why would Andrew have called you about this?”
“Who knows what that prick is thinking? Goddamn fucker always wanted in your pants, even before the accident.”
Jami’s brows drew together as she tried to remember anything like that. “I’m surprised you picked up for him.”
“I didn’t. He left a voicemail.” Skylar sighed. “I’m glad you’d never give in to a prick like him.”
Jami’s throat tightened.
“Damn it, Jame, you didn’t let him fuck you, did you?”
“I—” The sound of the heavy back door shutting broke off her words.
“My sweet Jami,” a voice said from behind her.
“Wait.” Her sister’s voice buzzed in her ear. “Is that—”
“Andrew,” Jami said, turning to face him.
Her father’s former boss, the man she’d been with for so many years, stared at her. There was no smile on his lips.
The memory of Malcolm’s accusation rang in her ears. He’d said Andrew had raped her with such conviction. She’d denied it. That hadn’t been what had happened. Had it?
Jami swallowed. “I have to go,” she said to Skylar before hanging up. She pressed her phone against her stomach. “What are you doing here, Andrew?”
“So your phone works after all,” Andrew said, moving toward her. “I was beginning to worry since none of my calls were answered.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” She tried not to think about her confused father screaming in pain as he burned. “Don’t worry, I haven’t said anything to the police yet.” Her head pounded with the admission. Not that the police had asked.
“And what would you say to them?” Andrew asked.
Jami backed up a step, but she refused to trap herself against the dumpster. She shifted into the open sunlight, blinded by the brightness.
Andrew grabbed her arms, shaking them. “What would you say, Jami? Would you tell them how you killed your father? First with the accident, and then begging me to free you?”
“I never—”
“Your eyes did. Always begging. Wanting to be loved and cherished.” His hand went to her hair, but he frowned when it wasn’t long enough to twist around his hand. He’d always liked to twist it around both hands to hold her still.
Jami reached up to knock his touch away, but he wouldn’t budge, tilting her head back with the fistful of hair he could grab. “Let go!” she cried.
“Don’t say that!” Andrew pressed his lips against hers, and bile rose in her throat. What she used to tell herself was fine wasn’t—not at all.
His grip on her hair wouldn’t let her turn her head. She tried to shove him away.
He lifted his face. The gentleness she used to read in his eyes wasn’t there. Instead, there was a manic light that made her stomach lurch. “My sweet Jami. I love you so much. And I know you love me too.”
Tears rose to Jami’s eyes at the pain in her scalp. “Please, Andrew. Let me go.”
Andrew shook his head. “I don’t want to.”
A hand clamped down on his arm. “And I don’t give a shit. You heard her. Let her go, or I break your arm.”
Jami’s panic began to recede as her gaze latched onto Malcolm. Only his eyes didn’t look back at her. In the sunlight, it was as if the black of his pupils had bled into the gentle brown. His grip changed on Andrew’s arm when he didn’t pull free from her hair. Jami didn’t see exactly what Malcolm did, but Andrew screamed.
Malcolmtriednottofeel antsy when Jami fled into the kitchen. She’d said her sister’s name and wanted some privacy, that was all.
