Page 30 of A Deceitful Pact

“I’m fuckin’ you all over again,” I explain, gathering up her hair and fisting it at the nape. “That’s what you came here for, ain’t it?” I push inside her from behind and grip hold of her ass, fuckin’ her hard and unforgivably while I curse myself for falling in love with someone who will never love me back.

RILEY

“Well, that was the most horrendous two hours of my life.” Isabel flops on my couch and hands me the bottle of wine she insisted we stop to get on our way back here.

“I’ll get you a glass.” I hurry to the kitchen and grab her one, pouring her a decent measure before returning it to her.

“Not having one yourself?” She looks surprised.

“Technically, I’m on duty.” I smile back.

“I feel so drained.” Isabel stares into open space like she’s wiped.

“You look tired. You should have let me take you straight home.” I take a seat beside her, feeling nothing but pity for the poor girl. Neither of us was aware that Jean's luncheon would become a Q&A for her. I guess we should have known better.

“No, I don’t want to go home. Eli will want to know how it went and…”

“It went well. You did great, considering what you were dealt.” I try to show her some encouragement.

“Come on, Riley, let’s be brutally honest. I’m not cut out for this. I’m not a mayor's wife.” She laughs bitterly.

“That ring you have on your finger says differently,” I remind her.

“You think I don’t know what I am?” Tears slip over her cheeks as she gulps back her wine. “I’m a trophy wife, and I’m not clever enough to outsmart the vultures in this town,” she snuffles.

“That’s not what you are. I’m sure Eli loves you, and this town just wants to embrace that–”

“Eli doesn’t love me, all he cares about is how I look when I leave the house, and knocking me up. It appears the whole town is fascinated with that too.” She shakes her head and drinks more wine.

“Eleanor was out of order asking those kinds of questions. They were very personal.”

“Eli wants me to see a doctor,” she blurts out. “He’s insistent that I’m the one with the problem.” Isabel usually seems so put together, I’ve never seen her like this before. I guess it means we really are friends.

“If it’s what you both want and you’ve been trying for some time, then maybe you should…I know it’s scary but?—”

We get interrupted when her phone starts to ring and Eli’s name flashes up on her screen.

“Everything about my life is scary, Riley. I have no control over it. I belonged to my parents, and now I belong to Eli.” She slams her glass down and heads for the door.

“Wait, Isabel, if you want to go home, let me drive you.”

“I don’twantto go home. Ihaveto. I should walk. The fresh air will do me good, and I need the exercise.” She smiles at me sadly before answering the phone and seeing herself out.

I sit back down on the couch and stare at her empty glass, feeling sorry for the poor girl. She’s young and shouldn’t have to be dealing with these kinds of worries.

What happened at the luncheon today must have been overwhelming for her, and although Sawyer tells me the town trio mean no harm, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be told when they cross the line.

I pick up the empty glass and put it in the basin before heading to my room to get changed, and that’s where I see something that makes me go cold all over.

Lying in the center of my bed is the framed photo of me and Jack the night we got engaged. It’s been in a box in the spare room wardrobe ever since I moved in. I don’t believe in ghosts but it’s hard not to believe that this isn’t him haunting me.

I quickly pick up the picture and take it back to the spare room, where everything is exactly in its place, undisturbed. Someone must have been here, someone who knows the reason why I came to this town. Just the thought of that freaks me out enough to shove a clean uniform in a bag, grab my keys, and get the hell out of here.

* * *

“Sheriff Hale.” Sawyer nods politely when he sees me step into the bar, but I can see the hint of confusion.

“Can I…um…can I speak to you? In private.” It’s a Friday afternoon and the bar’s busy. I should have used the back door, but I wasn’t thinking straight. I don’t know what I was thinking, even coming here. It’s not Sawyer’s job to protect me.

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