Page 59 of Release You

I stuffed a hand in my hair. The onset of a headache tapped on a nerve behind my eyes. “Like I got run over by a train. What time is it?”

“Midnight.” The mattress dipped when he sat next to me. “You’re starting to remember. Aren’t you? You were talking in your sleep.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know, Henry. Lately, everywhere we turn, your uncle is there. Maybe I just want him to be guilty.”

“It can’t be a coincidence that we both see him in our dreams.”

“We both hate him.”

“True.” He braced his arms on his thighs and buried his head in his hands. “I don’t even know where to start.” He turned to face me. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the will.”

All we had was each other. Why couldn’t he trust me a little more? I wasn’t mad at him for not telling me about the will, though I wanted to know why he’d done it. Why did he tell Dom first? What was he afraid of?

“Why didn’t you tell me?”I asked.

“I don’t know. You seemed so preoccupied with money. I didn’t want things to change between us.” He cradled my face.

I met his gaze. “Are you afraid to go from boyfriend to mark?”

He glanced at the wall behind me for a second. “No.”

“You want to know why I was mad at you earlier today?” I scooted away from him, so I could think clearly. I could still feel his body pressed against me, and his cock inside me. It was easier to think when he wasn’t so close. “You used sex to get something from me. You got me to agree to something I didn’t want. You gave me a taste of my own medicine, I suppose.” Something bubbled in my chest, filling the hole that my parents and Lisa had left behind. “No one has ever done that to me. No one has ever seen me for who I am, loved me for me. Even if I wanted to, there’s no conning you.”

He released a breath and let his head fall back. After a long while, he leaned over me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “I do love you, Nikki. But if you break my heart twice, I know I won’t survive it. Not this time.”

“I would never do that. You have to believe me. Trust in me.”

He kissed me, a slow and tender gesture that said, I trust you. He pulled away first, and caressed my cheek. “I’m sorry. I’m an asshole for even thinking you might be tempted to run away. You can take all the money. Just don’t leave me again.”

“Henry, I never left you.” I threw my arms around his neck and held him tight.

And then it hit me like a bucket of ice water. The implication of Henry playing this last card—the original will—was useless. I tensed in his arms.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Your uncle hired someone to roughyou up when you asked about your mom. What do you think he’s going to do toyou, or your mom, when he finds out you have the original will?”

He slid a finger across his jaw. “I thought about that. If something happens to Mom, Lisa will stay in jail for another fifteen years for a murder she didn’t commit.”

“I don’t care about your stupid money. As far as I know, the Cavalier fortune is the reason we’re all in this mess. All I care about is my family. Lisa and your mom’s lives are linked, just like ours were since the beginning.” I took his hand. “We need to find Tessa.”

“I know, but where do we start?”

This idea was crazy, but it was all we had. “Yesterday, when we robbed the bank…”

“There’s a sentence I never thought I’d hear you say.” Henry chuckled, shaking his head.

“I know. But listen, when we left the bank yesterday, I noticed a security camera over the entrance to the vault.”

“Fuck, Nikki. Why didn’t you tell me?” A red blotch appeared on his cheek.

I pointed at him. “This is why. I needed you to stay calm so we could get out of there.”

“How do we fix it?” He rubbed the creases on his forehead. Thieving was really not his thing.

“We don’t. I thought about calling Dom or doing the hack myself, but now I’m thinking this is our next play. If your uncle gets wind that we took what was in Tessa’s box, he might come after it. I mean, you and I thought Tessa might’ve hidden evidence in there. Maybe your uncle does too.” I shifted my body to sit next to him. “We left a long trail of clues at the bank. All we need to do is drop a hint and let your uncle follow the crumbs back to us.”

“You’re using yourself as bait again?” A deep scowl covered his forehead.

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