Page 30 of Unfulfilled Promises
“She’s telling herself she’s okay,” James remarked through the earpiece as I tried to understand what she was muttering. “She’s been doing that for a year or two now. I think it’s her way of reassuring herself.”
“This is fucked-up,” I simply said before taking the earpiece out and dropping it onto my lap.
Lucian was riding with me, and I looked over at him behind the wheel as he maneuvered through traffic. We knew where she was going, but we took an alternate route so she wouldn’t see us and think we were following her. Which we were, but she didn’t need to know that.
“How did you put it all together?” Lucian asked as we got stuck behind traffic on the surface roads. “I mean, we’ve looked at this from every angle, and while I agree you’re probably on the right track, I don’t understand how you connected all the pieces.”
I shook my head and looked out the window, wishing I hadn’t put this fucked-up plan into play. “It was the dream she had before I woke her that tipped me off.”
“You didn’t start the recording until after you woke her up, so what was the dream?”
He glanced into the rear-view mirror before using his turn signal and shifting lanes as the traffic began moving again. He glanced over at me, and I tried to explain. “At the carnival, she seemed spooked, and when she fell asleep, I heard her saying something that seemed . . . off.” He gave me a puzzled look, soI pushed on. “She kept muttering, ‘I’m not going to tell you, no matter what you do to me’. And things like ‘I don’t know why he protected me’.” Swallowing the thickness in my throat, I tacked on the final little gem. “But when she talked about her first time, with four men at once, I remembered the message scribbled in the margin of the journal.”
“I can see why you think what you do now.” He paused then asked, “Why didn’t you tell Rhys or James about the dream?”
“Those two sheltered her from the pains of the world, but it was their presence in her life that seemed to put her on Sergey’s radar. They . . . they don’t need to blame themselves for what happened to her any more than they already do.”
“You’re a good man, Seth. And I really hope Regan can forgive when this is all said and done.”
“She won’t, and I won’t blame her, but if she’s healed and happy, I can live with that.”
He went to say something, but I turned my attention to the monitor and I slipped my earpiece back into my ear as the group discussed her location, timing, etcetera. I didn’t want to think about how much she was going to hate me once it was over. The one thing on our side was the early sunset. It would be dark by the time she walked out, realizing she’s been stood-up, and that should give us the cover we needed to pull this off.
And if everything went to plan, within a few hours, Regan would be safely back at Rhys’s house, ready to tell the truth and set herself free.
But we all knew life liked to throw us curveballs, but the one we got hit with, no one saw coming.
Chapter 15
Regan
Igot to the restaurant and the only parking space I could find was at the side of the building at the very end. It was darker than I would’ve liked, but I stiffened my spine and slipped my purse over my shoulder before locking the door and walking to the restaurant. John and I decided some place neither of us had been to would be fun, and he suggested this place.
My phone chimed as I stepped onto the sidewalk and I pulled it out of my purse to see a text from Rhys.
Rhys:I hope you have a nice time tonight. You deserve it.
I sent back a reply of an emoji sticking its tongue out and quickly slipped my phone back into my purse. A man opened the door for me as I approached, and he smiled as I moved past him. Walking up to the hostess stand, I waited for someone to return to seat me.
A young woman walked up and smiled. “How many in your party tonight?”
“Two. I’m meeting someone and I don’t know if they’ve arrived yet.”
“We don’t have anyone waiting for their party, so I can get you seated and bring your guest when they arrive,” the woman announced, and I gave her a nod. Grabbing two menus, she said, “Follow me, please.”
Diligently, I walked behind her through the dimly lit restaurant, glancing at the families enjoying their meals and the couples on dates, gazing into each other’s eyes. I wasn’t expecting that tonight, but stranger things had happened.Thoughts of Seth pushed to the front of my mind, and as I took my seat in the booth, I did everything I could to push him back into the little box I’d shoved him in.
A server appeared and quickly disappeared after I asked for a sweet tea. Nervously, I kept looking at the front door, waiting for John to appear. The server brought my drink back, and I took a sip before glancing at the menu. A fresh basket of bread was placed onto the table, and I pulled my phone out to see if I had any missed calls from John.
Seeing it was just a few minutes after the time we’d agreed to meet, I placed my phone away and grabbed a piece of bread from the basket. I felt out of place being alone in such a nice restaurant, but I refused to bail. I needed to prove to myself that I could be brave, and if it meant waiting alone for my date to arrive, then that’s what I was going to do.
The minutes ticked away, and when I checked my phone again, I saw he was almost twenty minutes late. Deciding to call him, I dialed his number, only for it to ring without an answer. There wasn’t a voicemail, so I sent him a text asking whether he was still coming. I knew no one was watching me, but I still felt like eyes were on me as I waited for him to respond.
Another ten minutes went by and there still wasn’t a response, so when the waiter came back by, I asked, “Can you see if a John Parker left a message?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be right back,” the server said, and I could see the pity in his eyes.
Pity was the last thing I needed, and when he returned, stating there wasn’t a message, I asked, “Can I give him a few more minutes? He was coming from the south part of the city and maybe traffic is bad.”
