Page 40 of Release You

I nodded, and he returned the gesture before walking over to Scott, towering over him. “A beautiful woman like that.” He pointed at me. “And you actually thought she was into you? I guess things get fuzzy when your cock is doing all the thinking.” He barked out a laugh and turned to Henry. “Your show.”

Henry helped Scott up to a sitting position and sat on his heels next to him. “Why all the charade? Why bring us here and then tell us you’re not Scott?”

“I wasn’t expecting two big dudes to show up.” He slumped his shoulders.

“Well. Now that you’ve seen that our intentions are honest, why don’t you tell us what you know?” Henry said.

“I like this guy.” Dom chuckled.

Henry glanced up at Dom before he turned his attention back to Scott. “Right now all I want is to punch your face in for what you tried to do to my girlfriend. Start talking.”

I stepped back. After everything I told him this morning, he considered me his girlfriend? I placed my hands on my hips, only to keep from running to Henry and telling him I didn’t want to leave.

Scott tugged at his pocket and pulled out his phone. He entered the code and showed him the screen. It was a picture of Henry. “I was supposed to bring you out here and give you a scare, get you to stop asking questions. But when I saw him”—he pointed at Dom— “I freaked out. Me and my buddy couldn’t take you both. Then she came in. I thought she could get me out of the bar without you two getting suspicious. Anything else would’ve been a bonus. Ahh.” He yelped.

Henry had Scott’s arm twisted behind his back. He shoved it up higher. “Who sent you?”

“A man. Very fancy dude. He was with the lady.”

Henry closed his eyes and stood. “The woman from your text?”

“Yeah, that one.”

He picked up Scott by the collar. “You ever come near me or her again, I swear I will kill you.” He shoved him into the trunk of the SUV and shut the door. Scott didn’t make a sound. He knew he was better off playing along. Henry rounded on Dom. “And you. The next time you decide to use Nikki as bait, I swear?—”

“Yeah, you’ll kill me. I got that.” He scoffed. “You obviously don’t know Nikki. This was her idea. If I had said no, she would’ve done it anyway. Except without our help. So instead of pitching a fit, why don’t you thank her? Because now you owe Nikki a favor. See how that works?” He turned to me. “I’llstay in touch, doll. I’m gonna go take out the trash.” He climbed in the back seat of his SUV, and the car drove off.

Henry took two strides toward me and cradled my face with trembling fingers. His eyes inspected every inch of me. “Are you okay? Goddammit, Nikki. How could you do that? If I would’ve known this was your plan when you went into the bar, I never would’ve let you go.”

I slapped his hands off me. “Let me go? I never asked for your permission. You know why?” Heat flushed my cheeks. “Because I don’t fucking need it. So how about that thank-you you still owe me?” I stomped to my car.

Two beats later, he climbed in the passenger seat, leaned back, and closed his eyes. “Thank you for coming to help. And I’m sorry. I…I was so scared for you.”

“I can take care of myself. I’ve been just fine without your protection all these years.” I put the car in drive and careened out of the lot.

My hands shook as I gripped the steering wheel. I wanted to punch Henry for being so shortsighted, but at the same time, I wanted to hug him. I got on I-10 and hit the gas pedal. “And by the way, I’m not your girlfriend, and I would really appreciate it if you didn’t go around killing people on my behalf. Especially not Dom. He’s a friend. A real friend.”

“I know you’re not my girlfriend.” He shook his head, brows furrowed. “I said that in the heat of the moment. Your message was loud and clear this morning, Nikki Swift. When this gig is up, you’re on to the next.”

CHAPTER 14

Founders’ Day Gala

Henry

I punched the pillow and threw it across the dimly lit room. Sleeping down the hall from Nikki was impossible, pure torture. Worst part was, every time I closed my eyes, I saw that asshole with his hands all over her. Days had passed since the incident at the bar, and I still couldn’t get that picture out of my mind. I blocked out the image and focused on Mom instead, scanning my brain for what little memories I had of her.

Those years when we’d been a happy family, completely unaware of the horror looming. Her smile when she saw Dad or watched me play in her garden. Those thoughts used to make me sad, but now they were the last good thing I had of her.

My breath slowed to a rhythmic pattern, and the room fell away. The bad dreams were no longer nightmares but a chaotic web of memories. Like many other times, I ended up back in the dark tunnels.

The musk in the air made my nose tingle. The cool breeze scraped across my bare arms, and I shivered. Those small details,I remembered well. Those were my constants, the totems that separated dream from memory.

The door opened, and the light at the end of the tunnel appeared, followed by a figure. It was male. No, female, hair up in a twisted updo I recognized. She wore a cocktail dress and kept her hands tucked between the folds of her skirt. What was she doing? Hiding something? I stepped toward her. My feet slapped on the cement as cold seeped through my bedroom slippers and the rest of my body. I ran after her, but she vanished like smoke.

I woke with a jolt, heart pounding. Was that dream a memory? I wiped a hand across my forehead. What had Mom been doing in the tunnels? I threw my feet over the side of the bed and got up. If she’d hid something in the walls, there was only one way to find out. I had to get back to Cavalier Manor.

Downstairs, I used Nikki’s espresso machine to make a mocha. Did I hope she’d come out and demand I stop touching her things? Sure. But she didn’t. Disappointed, I sat on the sofa and took a long sip of the coffee. Getting back to the manor might not be as easy as it had been the first time. Not that the first time had been all that easy, but by now Jonathan knew I had access to the grounds. Why else would he hire someone to give me a scare? I gripped a handful of my hair. I hoped the asshole he’d sent to rough me up was telling the truth. Would Jonathan try to kill his own nephew? If so, why now?

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