Page 71 of Wicked Scandal

“Go,” Rome instructs me as he comes to the door with his phone pressed to his ear. “Get her out of here. Elodie’s on her way. She’s gonna park next door and I’ll ride home with her. She thinks she knows a way to cover this up and erase evidence of us being here. You need to get your car out of the driveway right fucking now.”

“You sure?” I ask him, unsure if I feel safe leaving him here alone.

“Yes!” he says urgently. “Go!”

I give Rome one last look and say, “Thank you.”

He nods, then closes the door with us outside. Hopefully Cat can wait a few minutes before she has a solid freak out.

What if someone comes and Rome gets blamed while I’m looking out for her? So many people witnessed my family's argument with Troy tonight. We’ll probably be prime suspects.

My thoughts immediately go to my dad. What if it wasn’t Cat? What if it was him?

There are so many people who would probably love to put a bullet in that guy. It could be anyone.

Doesn’t matter. Cat is safe now and until this is all settled, we’re going somewhere I can ensure she remains safe.

I get her in my car, then I drive away, and I don’t stop.

CHAPTER 22

CATHERINE

We’ve been on the road for hours. Wilder stopped at a rest area at some point in the night and we were able to get a couple hours of broken sleep, but as soon as the sun rose, we started down the road again.

I haven’t talked much, and neither has Wilder. I think we’re both still in a state of shock after everything we’ve been through in the last twenty-four hours.

I’m not even sure I’ve grasped the reality of what's happened. I’m not even sure it did happen. Maybe this is all a dream. That has to be it.

When I left the graduation ceremony yesterday, Troy told me to go straight home, but I did the complete opposite. I was livid with that man, much like I always am. Part of me was ready to never return. Then the sun started to set and I realized I had no money and no place to go, so I went home.

He must have knocked me unconscious the second I walked through the door, making all this just a dream. In which case, I don't want to wake up. For once I’m not held down by someone else, my heart and my soul feel free.

I’m not sad that he’s dead. That bastard has been ruining me for years. I just wish I knew what happened. Yet, I’m not able to ask Wilder about it yet. I don’t know who killed Troy, but I do know it couldn’t have been Wilder. He’s too gentle, too loving, too…perfect.

“He’s really dead?” I ask again, still unable to wrap my head around all of this. “It doesn't feel real.”

Wilder reaches over from the driver’s seat and strokes the back of my head. I find reassurance in his touch. I can’t imagine doing this without him. “It’s over. You’re safe now.”

Once the gravity of the situation sets in, I might go through the different stages of grief, but it won’t be for the loss of my husband. It will be for the years I lost as his wife. All of the time spent under his thumb when I could have been finding my own version of happiness.

I look out at the open road, our path lit by the bright headlights. It’s been a while since I’ve seen another car and I can only assume we’re somewhere desolate.

“Where are we going?” I ask Wilder, hoping it’s somewhere we’ll be able to have a fresh start. There is nothing left for me in Willow Creek. Everything I want is here in this car with me.

Wilder shrugs. “No idea. Somewhere far away from here until I get word back home that it’s safe to return.”

My eyebrows shoot to my forehead as panic claws at my heart. “We’re going back?”

He looks at me, a glint of uncertainty in his eyes. “Eventually we have to, right?”

He’s right. We do have to go back at some point. Wilder has a life in Willow Creek. I can’t take him away from that, even if I know he’d give it all up for me. I won’t allow it, so I nod. “Yeah, we do.”

I can’t even think about what comes next right now. Troy is dead.

I’m not sure how, why, or who, but he’s dead.

“I’m free,” I blurt out, tone stoic. “I’m finally free.”

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