Page 41 of Laid Bare

After inputting the code and the gates roll open, I drive through, breaking halfway down the driveway to watch them close. Bailey’s safety is of the utmost importance right now, so my vigilance is key in protecting her. Anyone could easily slip through as the gates close, but over my dead body will I allow that to happen.

There’s a slight clang as the two metal barriers come together, blocking the outside world from this little slice of peace Bailey has. My car purrs as I hit the gas again, traveling the short distance to the inviting red door.

Just beyond that entrance lies my future, my forever.

Only a little longer do I have to endure the sleepless nights without her by my side. It’s something I keep telling myself every day until I get to see her again. These periods in between, when she’s in class and stuck at the academy, are unbearable. But it’s the only way to ensure her survival, or I’d have taken her away from here the second I walked into her house in the human sectors.

Not wanting to waste any more time and get my girl into my arms, I exit my vehicle and head for the door, unlocking it with an efficiency that says I’ve done it numerous times before. Eerie silence greets me the second I step inside. It’s quiet. Too quiet for my liking when I know mycor meumis somewhere in here.

Closing my eyes, I focus on my hearing, listening for where she might be. In the direction of the living room, there’s a slight snoring sound, but I already know it’s not my girl. She isn’t a snorer, and she’s already recounted me on the sleeping habits of Aero and how he snores when he sleeps. So if she’s not there, then where is she?

All it takes is a quick moment to ponder, and I figure it out. The library.

It’s one of the only other places she’s actually been inside the house that didn’t seem to invoke painful emotions for her.

My shiny black loafers echo with every step across the marble floor as I head in the direction of the library. I know this place like the back of the hand. There are many summers I remember spending here with my father, making sure the place was taken care of. Twenty years was a long time for a house to stand dormant, especially against the elements, and my dad wanted to honor the sacrifice Mr. and Mrs. Foss made.

The door to the library stands ajar, proving my theory right. My beautiful mate is inside. Straining my ears, I listen for a direction to go in once I pass over the threshold, but everything is silent. Much like it was when I first stepped into the house.

“Cor meum?” I call, raising my voice.

Nothing. Not even a peep.

A sense of foreboding washes over me, hastening my step as I make my way through the stacks in search of my mate.

Not finding her, I start to wonder if maybe I was wrong. Did she explore one of the upper levels and I just don’t know it? It doesn’t seem like something she would do, though. The first time we were here, they were off-limits in her mind since that’s where her mom and dad’s bedroom was.

Fuck. I rip the tie from my hair, shake it out, and redo the bun on top of my head. Maybe coming here wasn’t the smartest idea.Cor meumneeds a break from the bullshit; she doesn’t need to pile more emotional crap on top of it all.

Screw it. We’ll go to my place instead. She didn’t seem to mind the last time she was there.

With that plan in mind, I pull out my phone to text Luka the new plan, but then a sniffle catches my attention. Lifting my gaze, my blood red orbs connect with watery pink ones, noting the tear tracks running down her flushed cheeks.

My phone clatters to the floor, long forgotten, and in less than a millisecond, I’m dragging my upset mate into my arms, sinking down onto the ground, and holding her like my life depends on it.

It’s then that whatever she was holding back comes flooding out, her sobs echoing the vast library. I have never felt so damn helpless before than right now. No words can fix whatever has her upset.

After what feels like forever, her sobs quiet to sniffles, and she pulls back, her red-rimmed pink eyes glassy with more tears she’s doing her hardest not to let fall.

I brush her hair off her forehead and cup her cheeks, drawing her attention to me. “What’s wrong,cor meum? This isn’t like you.”

She fidgets in my lap before she opens her hand, revealing a crinkled piece of paper. Whatever is written there is the cause. I’m torn between burning it for hurting her or reading it to find out what it says. Bailey takes the decision from me before I can decide.

“It’s from my dad.”

Reese.

It’s the last thing I expected her to say, but then again, knowing Reese, this is totally like him to leave something for her. Something in his own words. But whatever is there has hurt her deeply.

She holds it out expectantly, her trust in revealing her dad’s words more telling than anything else.

“Are you sure?” It feels like a massive invasion of privacy to even set eyes on this letter, but reading it feels like a betrayal. Why? I’m not totally sure. Maybe it’s because I met the man a time or two, and he treated me like family. But Bailey is his daughter. His pride and joy. The one thing he and Alyssa wanted more than anything else in this world.

“Please,” she murmurs, her words ending with another sniffle, breaking my heart.

With careful fingers, I pluck the letter from her hand, my blood red eyes scanning over every word, everything Reese never got to say to her directly. By the time I get to the end, I’m having trouble keeping back my own tears. Every word is infused with love, with a longing only a heartbroken father can achieve.

Nothing I say after reading that can mend the hurt coursing through mycor meum. But I can be here for her. Be a sounding board for any thoughts she may have. Carefully clutching mycor meumlike the precious treasure she is, I get to my feet and make my way through the stacks, until I get to the couches surrounding a cozy fireplace.

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