Page 12 of Crossroads of Innocence
The same boy she’d always loved.
The sound of footsteps pounded up the stairs, and she hurried to sit on the couch. The last thing she needed was for Wade to catch her pining for him.
Macey ran to the door, jumping on Wade’s legs when he entered the room.
Jude hooked her elbow on the back of the couch and turned toward him. The scowl taking over his face tightened the muscles in her neck. “What’s wrong?”
He slipped out of his shoes then slumped onto the couch beside her. “Your motorcycle is wrecked.”
The news was like a physical blow. She had so little in this world—even less after leaving her apartment and everything she owned behind. Now, all she had was the backpack jammed with a few articles of clothing, her camera, and the bike Wade had helped her fix up right after she turned sixteen. “How bad is it?”
“He smashed it up pretty bad,” he said, wincing.
She let her head fall back against the sofa. “I don’t have the money to buy something else. Hell, I can’t even afford to buy the parts to fix it—if that’s even possible.”
“We’ll figure it out, but we have a bigger issue to address first.”
Closing her eyes, she braced herself for what was to come. Last night had been torture. Tiptoeing around the giant elephant in the room had been exhausting and awkward. Both of them bumbling about the apartment until she’d finally escaped into Wade’s bed…where a different type of torture had waited. She’d laid awake forever, replaying memories until the early morning.
Memories that warmed her from the inside out. Memories that crushed her soul and caused tears to prick the corners of her eyes.
As much as she didn’t want to rehash the past, to rip open a wound that refused to heal, maybe it was for the best. To get everything out in the open so maybe they could move forward—or at least be more comfortable around each other while she was in town.
With a renewed sense of conviction, she faced him and swallowed hard. “You’re right. We do have something else we need to discuss first. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry I’ve put it off for so long.”
His eyes flew wide for a moment, mouth partially opened, before rubbing the back of his neck. His discomfort as clear as the glass candy dish on the coffee table. “I mean, yeah, sure if you want to talk about what made you leave, I’m game.”
Confusion dipped her brows. “You said we had another issue to discuss first. Isn’t that what you meant?”
“I meant the fact that it’s not safe for you to stay here anymore.”
Embarrassment singed her cheeks. She cleared her throat and smoothed a palm over her still-damp hair. “Oh. Of course. That makes sense. I’m sure I can figure something out. Especially now that Officer Sawyer agreed to look into things. Hopefully this will all be over soon. I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’ll just grab my things and leave. Even if I have to walk.”
Needing to stop rambling, she jumped to her feet.
A soft yank on her hand stopped her progress and sent waves of heat and excitement shooting up her arm.
“Jude. Wait. You can’t just leave. Not this time.”
She sucked in a sharp breath, the hurt in his tone like a fist to the gut. She wanted to pull away, to run out the door and never look back. But she’d done that once and although it may have solved one problem, it had brought a whole host of others. “But you said I can’t stay here.”
“That doesn’t mean I don’t want to keep helping you.” His hand still wrapped around her forearm, his touch threatened to melt her insides.
She forced herself to meet his eyes. “What do you have in mind?”
As if realizing he was still holding on to her, he dropped his hand and shoved it in his pocket. “There’s a place right up the mountain—Crossroads Mountain Retreat.”
“Up the mountain? Near the old camp?”
He smiled, his dimples flashing. “Actually, it is the old children’s camp. The guy who owned it gave the land to his granddaughter when he died. She moved to town and turned the place into a rehabilitation center for injured law enforcement and veterans. She renovated the cabins and built a fancy new lodge. The place is full of people—staff and guests—who’ll know how to protect you.”
A sense of panic squeezed her chest. She shook her head, backing away from Wade. “No. I can’t go someplace I’ve never been with a bunch of people I don’t know. It was hard enough to trust the officer you’re friends with.”
“I don’t know what else to do. I’d suggest your parents, but…”
Her jaw tightened, anger and resentment pushed out the panic. “No. I won’t go back to that house. Not now. Not ever.”
He lifted his palms. “I was going to say it wasn’t a good idea to go there in case you brought danger to their house, but I guess that’s not an issue.”
