‘Are you sure you don’t want to wait until the tomorrow?’ he asks. ‘Get some rest before you go?’
‘I just want to get this over with.’ I select a red shirt, a pair of jeans, and a matching bra and panties. I think about asking him to step out so I can change, but worry that’ll just make this situation even more awkward. It’s not like I normally ask him to step out. In fact, I sometimes strip in front of him to tease him. So I remove my shirt off and toss it on the floor, the bracelet getting caught in the fabric in the process. ‘Hey, you didn’t by chance find a silver bracelet, did you? And put it on me? ‘I ask as casually as I can as I work to untangle the bracelet form my dress.
‘No … Why … And what bracelet?’
‘Just a bracelet …’ I clear my throat, knowing he’s going to be upset that I didn’t tell him about the box a while ago, but figuring I’m going to have to if I want to get to the bottom of why the bracelet was on my arm. So I tell him, not just about the box but how I swear it wasn’t on my wrist when I left the house yesterday evening.
He scratches his head as I finally take off the bracelet and tug it from the dress, ripping the fabric a little. ‘Are you sure you didn’t have it on and maybe just thought you took it off.’
Once I get the bracelet out of the fabric, I set it on the dresser. ‘Maybe … but I don’t even like it on me at all so it’d be weird if I did leave it there.’
His frown deepens while studying me as I struggle to get my bra on through the pain radiating through my back. ‘Well, it could just be that you accidentally forgot to take it off, but I still think you should say something to the Detective, considering the box that showed up the other night … Preston’s getting more.’ He grinds his teeth. ‘More daring.’
‘God, what if he was in the house … but how could he even get it on me without me knowing …’ I trail off as images of me in the river and a figure in the distance appear in my head. The crowd standing around me as I lay on the ground, choking up water. Was he there? In the middle of them? No, there’s no way Preston could have been there, yet I swear I see his haunting face in the memory. I think about telling Luke my conclusion, but I’ve already stressed him out enough for the day, so I decide to just tell the detective. ‘Okay, I’ll bring it up.’
Luke relaxes then stands up from the bed. ‘Here let me help you get that on.’
I tense as he crosses the room, stopping so close, and heat pours over my skin like warm honey. Within seconds he has the bra done up, then without saying anything, he takes the clean shirt from my hand and helps me pull it over my head. He lets me use his shoulder to support my weight while I put my panties and jeans on.
‘You want me to go with you?’ he asks as I fasten the button on my jeans.
‘To the police station?’ I flip my hair out of the collar of my shirt, getting a whiff of the damp stench flowing off the locks. Jesus, I need a shower.
Luke nods with uneasiness. ‘Yeah, I can give you a ride and then wait for you in the parking lot.’
‘What if it takes a while?’ I slip my foot into one of my boots, then lean over to tie it, moving slowly because of the pain.
After watching me struggle for a few seconds, he crouches down and ties my boot for me. ‘I’m sure it will, but I don’t want you going there alone, especially after everything that’s been going on.’
‘I could ask Greyson to come with me maybe.’ I’m trying to give him an out because there’s no way he could want to go with me, not with what I’m about to do. ‘That might be easier.’
Looking up from me, he arches a brow with accusation. ‘For who exactly? You? Or me?’
‘You … I mean, it’s your mom … in jail … and I’m going there to try and help keep her there … won’t it be weird?’
Shaking his head and not say anything, he helps me put my other boot on. Then he stands back up and looks me directly in the eye with passion pouring off him as he places his hands on my shoulders. ‘Violet let me get something straight. Right here. Right now. My mother physically, mentally, and emotionally beat me and tormented me.’ His voice cracks, but he quickly clears it and keeps going. ‘She broke my sister Amy, let someone rape her … is part of the reason why Amy decided to take her own life. Every single day living with her was like spending a year in hell. I fucking hate her, wish I was the one putting her in jail, so believe me when I tell you that I want this to happen too – I want her to be locked up forever.’
I know a lot about Luke through tidbits of stories we’ve shared with each other whenever we’re in our room in the dark, but never so bluntly, so openly like this. I have to catch my breath before I speak. What I really want to do is kiss him, but I’m too afraid after what he just said … with the whole I love you thing. Afraid of what it’ll mean … to him … to me. ‘Alright, come with me.’ Then I take his hand and we walk side by side and, for the briefest second, I feel like I’m stepping into the future for once instead of drowning in the past. Maybe this is why I chose not to drown. But then I remember where I’m going and the past catches up with me again.
Chapter 9
Luke
I can tell she doesn’t want me to go inside the station with her but it worries me, her going in to face the woman who was part of one of the worst days of her life. To see her again … I can’t even imagine how that’s going to make her feel. Violet’s pretending like it’s not a big deal but I know it is. No wonder she had a break down yesterday.
I don’t think that Detective Stephner would appreciate me being in there, though, so I make it easy for Violet and tell her I’ll wait for her in the truck. Instantly my mind starts to race with thoughts of what’s going on inside, what I said to Violet today, with what’s going to happen with us. Not just with my mother being caught finally, but after what I said to her. I love her. I’ve known that for weeks now, but I’ve been waiting until we were both ready before I said it aloud, wanted to be on better terms in both our lives and our relationship. But it sort of slipped out. I’m not even sure how, other than I was thinking about my shitty life with my mother and how glad I was that she was finally going to be behind bars. I started thinking of my life now and how much better it is, how much happier I am, even with all the complications. And how glad I am that I have Violet. Then Violet said something about how she was worried she’d be alone and suddenly, the words sort of slipped out because I wanted her to understand that I would never leave her. That she means way too much for that to ever happened, but instead of bringing her comfort it frightened her and, honestly, it kind of stung.