Page 55 of Sachie's Hero

“Ms. Moore, Luke was a good guy. He had a big heart and only wanted to be loved. Promise you’ll let me know if you find out who was tearing him apart,” Kylie said. “I’d really like to see them rot in hell.”

When Sachie ended the call, she stared at their joined hands for a long moment, her face pale, her mouth set in a grim line. When she looked up, Teller saw fierce determination burning in her eyes. “They’re having an open house at the Boys’ Club. I think we need to check it out.”

Teller briefly squeezed her hand again and then drove out of the parking lot.

Paying a visit to the Boys’ Club might not get them any closer to the person stalking her, but Teller wouldn’t hold Sachie back from learning the truth about the young man who’d taken his own life in front of her.

CHAPTER 14

After her conversation with Kylie,Sachie sat silently, unmoving and emotionally drained. Hearing the heartache in the teen’s tone and her anguished feeling that she hadn’t done enough to save Luke, mirrored everything Sachie felt.

Whether she was on a quest to seek justice for Luke or to redeem herself for failing him, she had to know what had driven him to take his own life. The Boys’ Club, or someone near it, had held a threat over Luke’s head, one he ultimately couldn’t live with.

Sachie was fired up and ready to go into battle for her dead patient. Not that it would bring him back, but maybe by finding the assholes who’d pushed him to the edge, she could stop them from doing the same to another susceptible teen.

And while she was at the club, she’d look for Luke’s friend Mark and make sure he wasn’t in the same predicament Luke had found himself in.

As Teller pulled into the parking lot, Sachie glanced his way, her heart swelling. She couldn’t have come this far without the support of the former Delta Force protector. Her hand remained warm from when he’d held it throughout her conversation with Kylie. He was there to protect her, not to hold her hand or hold her through the night when she had nightmares.

She wouldn’t be as confident going into the Boys’ Club by herself. She’d do it to find out what had spooked Luke into ending his life. Having Teller with her made her more confident.

“The building looks to be in good repair,” Teller noted. “I’m not excited about the buildings surrounding it. The neighborhood seems a little sketchy to me.”

Sachie agreed with his initial assessment. “I noticed some graffiti on some of the buildings. There are probably some gangs in the area.”

“Hopefully, the club keeps some kids off the streets and out of gangs.” He turned to Sachie. “So what’s it going to be? Are we going in guns blazing, demanding answers?”

Sachie shook her head. “We don’t know if it waspeople inside the facility putting the pressure on Luke or someone in the area around it.”

“Then we should probably go in, look around and ask what the Boys’ Club is doing for the at-risk kids in this area,” Teller offered. “It’s a legitimate concern for a counselor working with troubled teens.”

“Right. That covers me. I am a counselor.” She raised an eyebrow. “What about you?”

“I’m your fiancé, along for the ride. We’re going to dinner after we tour the facility.”

Sachie’s pulse quickened at Teller’s words. Her fiancé? She’d never considered marriage. Never really thought she could trust a man with her physical well-being, much less her heart.

Having spent less than two days with Teller, she truly believed he would never willingly hurt her and that she could trust him with her life.

As for her heart...

It wasn’t a matter of trusting him not to break it. It was more a question of whether he would even want her heart. She preached the importance of believing in yourself and marched to that chorus. She believed in herself as an individual, strong enough to survive on her own. She didn’t need anyone to make her happy. That was all on her. But did she really believe a good man could love her after all she’d endured? That he could get past the incest inflicted on her body andsoul to love the woman who’d come out of that chapter of her life heavily scarred, but stronger?

“Does that work for you?” Teller asked as he killed the engine and released his seatbelt buckle.

Sachie blinked to pull herself back to reality. “Yes. That works.” She pushed open her door and started to get out but couldn’t. She must have been more flustered by the idea of being Teller’s fiancée than she’d thought. She’d forgotten to unbuckle her own seatbelt.

Heat rising up her neck into her cheeks, she released the buckle and jumped out, hoping Teller hadn’t seen her struggle or guessed that she was affected by his announcement.

They entered the large building that housed a gymnasium down the middle and a number of smaller rooms lining either side. A man in a royal blue T-shirt stood with his back to the entrance, watching young boys playing basketball in the gymnasium. When he turned and realized Teller and Sachie had entered, a smile stretched across his face. “Welcome to the Honolulu Boys’ Club. Have you come for the open house?” he asked.

Sachie nodded. “We have.”

“Great.” The man held out his hand to Sachie. “I’m Grant Simmons, the director.”

“Sachie Moore.” Sachie shook the man’s hand andturned to the man beside her. “This is my...fiancé, Teller Osgood.” A little thrill shivered through her. Calling Teller her fiancé felt weird and strangely right at the same time. Maybe she was finally getting past her marriage phobia. Whatever it was, she didn’t need to be thinking about marriage, especially with a man who’d been hired to protect her.

“Well, tell me, Ms. Moore, are you and your fiancé looking to the future at what options are available in this area for after-school programs? Or would you like us to add you to the waitlist for immediate placement if an opening becomes available?”

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