Page 119 of The Locksmith's Promise

I left both of them, vulnerable and helpless, with that monster.

She could have nailed his ass to the wall, but she didn’t.

My blurry eyes raised to meet hers as I forced the words past the knife in my throat. “Why, Jenny?”

A fat, lonely tear rolled down her face as she choked out, “You were my friends.”

Gutted, I buried my face in my hands. “My God, Jenny,” I groaned, stricken by the burden of her pain and loneliness.

The burden of secrecy she’d carried for so long.

The sacrifice she made for Baxter.

For me.

For Cor.

“My God,” I breathed.

Lifting my head, I found her staring into space.

“Jenny,” I whispered. “Can I hug you?”

She turned toward me, her eyes slowly focussing on mine as her face crumpled.

She nodded, and I shot out of my chair. Sitting down half on top of her, I wrapped my arms around her tight and held her to me as she cried.

I closed my eyes and absorbed her pain.

Accepting the shame of my part in her tragedy.

We’d lost so much.

I tightened my hold on her.

But no more.

She cried the way I’d cried the night before.

I only prayed she’d purge herself of the past and move on just like she did before.

Only this time, if she let me in, she wouldn’t do it alone.

28

House Of Cards

Baxter

Knuckles white, I held my cell phone tight to my ear at Maggie’s words.

“I’m at Jenny’s right now but heading home soon to make Corwin lunch.” She huffed out a watery laugh. “Can you believe it’s not even lunch time?”

“She told you,” I stated flatly.

“She did,” I replied quietly.

While I was relieved I hadn’t cheated on Maggie, the truth was ugly. The shame of my father’s despisal and my weakness in the face of it compelled me to hide.

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