Page 65 of Watercolor Skulls

“No.” I slide my glass back to him again.

He smirks but fills it up. “Then what’s your fucking plan? Bill barely snagged her from nose diving right into the fucking lake.”

That image will never leave my mind. When Katie came to me frantic I ran down the hill only to find Bill holding Lily around the waist, fighting to keep her on the dock. She would have plunged herself in if he wouldn’t have been there.

She was so lost, her eyes unfocused as I turned her to face me. When they eventually snagged on mine, clarity slowly returned to her.

“I don’t know if she’s mentioned her Aunt Jenny, but I guess she isn’t really her aunt.” I tap the bottom of the glass on the counter, waiting for the liquor to dull my senses.

“Yeah, she’s mentioned her. She gave her the necklace Lily loves so much. It’s why she got the tattoo,” Jesses says, leaning forward to study my face.

“Well, like I said she’s not her aunt. I guess it was an inside joke between the two of them. They were friends.”

Dirk stands up slowly. “You’ve got to be fucking me. Is this Raffe’s Jenny?”

I nod, not taking my eyes from the bar. “You ready for the drop kick?” I glance at Dirk and then Jesse. They both nod, stunned.

“I think they met through Lily’s dad. She’s scared of him. If you get what I’m trying to lay down here.” I swallow hard, struggling to keep the bile from rising in my throat.

“I’m going in,” Dirk says, leaving Jesse and I alone.

Dirk saved Raffe’s life. He pulled him out of the trafficking world and gave him a new life, here with us. It was pretty rough for a while. Once Raffe pulled his shit together we helped him look for his friend, Jenny, but we never found her.

Until now. And fuck…it’s too late.

“How?” Jesse mumbles next to me. She grabs the glass out of my hand, filling it for herself.

“I don’t know. Coincidence.” I shrug my shoulders.

“That’s one hell of a coincidence,” she says, coughing. Jesse rarely drinks but I think we can all agree the occasion calls for it.

“Maybe I should go up there. I don’t want Dirk scaring her.” I look towards the stairs.

Jesse lays her head on my shoulder. “Give them some time. He isn’t going to scare her. He’s going to reassure her she’s right where she belongs.”

I turn and kiss the top of her head.

She raises her face to me and smiles. “You can tell her till you’re blue in the face and she won’t believe you. She knows she’s stolen your heart. If Dirk tells her it will sink in. Trust me.”

I chuckle lightly, feeling a little better. Jesse’s right, my family won’t let me down. They know how much she means to me.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Lily

???

Inever knew his name. Jenny was scared someone would overhear us. The people who had her before she came to live with us threatened her family and her friend. He’s just as she described except he isn’t a boy, he’s a man.

Raffe pinches the bridge of his nose as we both pick ourselves up off the floor. He sits down on Dan’s bed, so I take a seat beside him. “Okay, so I’m going to assume by your reaction this is as much a revelation to you as it is to me,” he says, leaning over to rest his forearms on his knees.”

“I’m sorry I lost my shit. There’s just so much…”

Someone knocks on the door and opens it without waiting for a response. Dirk stands in the doorway his gaze roaming over Raffe, assessing him before turning to me. He takes a deep breath and steps into the room.

“I’m here to mediate,” he says, pulling up a chair directly in front of us.

My eyes slide to Raffe. The corner of his eyes soften as he watches Dirk. I hadn’t noticed before but now I clearly see how close they are. I hug myself, feeling a bit odd man out.

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