Page 75 of Finish Line

Shelby and I walk down. I take a seat, and she sits on my lap.

“Hey, how was dinner?” Cam asks.

“He took me to this beautiful restaurant on the beach, overlooking the water. We had delicious seafood. Then, we walked on the beach. It was a wonderful night.” She clears her throat, catching everyone’s attention. “I’m ready to talk about what happened in that basement. Not tonight, but tomorrow. That is, if you don’t have any dinner plans tomorrow, Dom?”

He shakes his head. “I was planning an early dinner, but I can change it if needed.”

She shakes her head. “No, that’ll work.”

We stay for a short time before she says she’s ready to head up.

We both say goodnight to everyone, Dom telling her to be ready by noon.

I try not to act nervous, but I’m doing a shit job. When we reach her room, she turns to face me, and I think she’ll tell me she’s changed her mind.

She reaches out and lays her hand on my chest over my heart. “Relax. I’m going to be blunt, for both of our sakes.”

I nod.

“I sometimes still have nightmares, so I want to warn you about that. As for touching me, I’m not sure, but I would like to try.” She bites her lip, opens her door, and tows me inside before shutting the door behind us.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

SHELBY

The next night, after my date with Dom, we gather in the living room.

It takes a few shows before I’m able to gather the courage to stand and turn off the TV. “I want this done, so you might want to grab a drink. God knows I need one.”

I grab the bottle of Jack and pour myself a shot before I shoot it back. I then pour myself another one and toss it back, as well.

Sam and Paige stand. “We’ll let you guys have your talk.”

They move to go upstairs.

I hold my hand out to stop them. “You can stay if you want to. I think of you as family, but I need to warn you. What I’m about to tell everyone isn’t pretty, and it might change your mind about how you think about me.”

“Shelby, nothing you can say would ever make me do that.” Paige sits down on the sectional.

Sam sits down beside Paige. “I’m with Paige. You’re pretty awesome in my book. I’ll stay as long as you’re okay with it.”

I pace back and forth, trying to work out where to start. I stop pace and fiddle with my hands.

“Did you hear about the houses that were broken into around town?” I ask.

Everyone nods.

I run my hands down my legs. “Well, that was me. Roger used my iPod to hypnotize me. He made me break into peoples’ houses and steal jewelry, money, important documents, and whatever he told me to grab. But the memories from that time are hazy, so I forgot anything happened until he boasted about it after Hannah escaped. I have no idea if I left any evidence behind or not.”

“I wouldn’t think Roger would want any evidence because that might lead the police back to him,” Nick says.

I glance down at my knotted hands. “When I was at Dom and Mav’s house, he wore gloves, but didn’t give me any.”

Paige leans forward on the couch. “We would have heard if the police suspected anyone.”

“If any evidence is uncovered, we’ll deal with it, but we didn’t report the break-in to the police,” Dom says.

I pace. “You should all know how Cam and Hannah got out of the basement, but I’ll start at the beginning, so we’re on the same page.”

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