Page 48 of A Deceitful Pact

“Just talk to me,” I beg, glancing around to check if anyone's watching us.

“I have nothing to say to you,” she tells me firmly, looking down at my hand as if she wants it removed.

“I noticed there's been an extra muffin available when I go to Jean’s in the mornings. Figured it means you're feelin’ better.” I wanna touch her tummy and claim what's mine.

“It’s getting better,” she answers with a shrug.

“And everything’s good in there?” My hand reaches out when it becomes impossible to resist touching where my baby’s growing. The stern look of warning she gives me just before I do has me quickly diverting it to scratch behind my head instead.

“Everything's fine, Sawyer.” She swallows thickly, making it clear that I'm bothering her, but I ain’t giving up. I’ve got far too much that I need to say to her.

“I was wondering if, maybe, one night next week we could–”

“Did you break into Billy McGee’s apartment?” she cuts me off and narrows her eyes at me.

“Did I…? Wha–? No!” Her question is unexpected and throws me completely off track. “Why ya askin’?”

“Because someone did, and it looked to me as if they were really trying to find something.” She raises her posture a little higher and makes me feel as if she has something over me.

“Sorry, darlin’, you got the wrong guy,” I promise her, wondering myself who it could have been. This is definitely something worth mentioning to Jamie and Jace.

“You never did explain to me how you ended up burying him.” Riley continues to watch the girl play her violin while she waits for me to respond.

“You never asked,” I answer her back with a clever smirk that I know will irritate her.

“Well, I’m asking you now.” She turns her head to give me all of her attention.

Fuck,she’s beautiful. So beautiful that I want to kiss her right here and announce to everyone in the room that she’s having my baby.

“Riley, this ain’t the conversation to be having here.” I remind her of the fact we’re not in an interview room. The whole town has shown up here to see Jace Sullivan become an honest man and have some fun. She should give herself a day off.

“Well, it’s the only conversation you're getting out of me.” She crosses her arms defiantly and makes me growl in irritation.

“All I know is that one night, a few months ago, Billy called Eli and said he wanted to talk. When Eli got to his apartment, he was already dead.” I keep my voice real low in case anyone hears.

“So why didn’t Eli go through the right channels and report it?” she questions me further.

“Because that's not how we deal with shit,” I explain, though I don’t know why I have to, she came to this town knowing everything about who we are and what we do.

“You said it wasn’t any of you that killed him, so why would you cover for someone else?” Her curiosity is endless, and I’m starting to feel a little pressured by it.

“Maybe that's a question you need to ask Jamie Sullivan, he was the one who asked me to do the job.” I shrug, hoping we can move the conversation on to something more important, likeus.

“Does it bother you?” She stares at me as if she’s trying to read the thoughts in my head.

“Does what bother me?” I frown, needing her to be a little more specific. The fact that she doesn’t want me to touch her bothers me, and that she won’t let me take care of her. Right now, everything about the situation we’re in fuckin’ bothers me.

“The things you do for Jamie, the hurting people, and burying men who will never be grieved.” She makes me sound like a monster, and it only proves that she doesn’t understand.

“Not at all.” I shake my head and give her an honest answer. I’m done deceiving this woman, from now on she’ll only ever get the truth outta me.

“So you really are dead inside?” she whispers as if she was hoping for a different answer.

“I thought I was.” I smile at her, and when her lips threaten to crack into a smile too, she forces it away.

“Look, I need you to stay out of the McGee shit, whatever it is, it has danger written all over it,” I warn her sternly. None of us knows what happened to Billy, and the unknown is always a threat. I won’t have her putting herself at risk. “Let me cook ya dinner tomorrow night.”

“I’m busy tomorrow night,” she answers bluntly.

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