Page 35 of Absolution
“What…” She trails off, then tries again. “What did you do to him?”
I keep the savage satisfaction from my expression, remaining carefully blank and unfeeling. “You don’t want to know.”
“That day when…” She takes a deep, shuddering breath. “You were covered in mud and blood.”
I flinch before I can stop the involuntary movement. She’s talking about the day she found out I’m her stalker, the masked man who attacked her. We’ve never discussed that dark altercation in detail, when I choked her out and then drugged her.
Thinking about it makes my stomach twist with a surge of nausea, and I swear I can feel her fingernails desperately raking my forearm as she struggles to breathe, to escape from me.
She shivers and then straightens her spine. Mercifully, she moves past the difficult subject.
“I need to know what happened. If you left any evidence, you’ll go to jail. Billy might be able to prove that you killed his brother.”
“I didn’t leave any evidence,” I reassure her.
The alligator took care of Ron’s body, and my ruined clothes are an ocean away, rotting in a landfill; I disposed of them in England.
“Dane.” She says my name like an admonishment. “I need you to talk to me.”
I narrow my eyes at her in warning. “I’m not going to tell you the details of what I did to Ron. What we’re going to discuss is the fact that you went off on your own and put yourself in danger.”
She bristles. “I didn’t know there would be danger, or I wouldn’t have gone to the beach alone. I’m not an idiot.”
I gnash my teeth, frustrated. “I didn’t say you’re an idiot. But your recklessness made you vulnerable. What if I hadn’t made it to you in time?”
My blood goes cold at the thought of what could’ve happened to my little dove.
She cocks her head at me, considering me for a long moment. I don’t like the incisive light in her eyes.
“How did you find me?” she asks.
My heart skips a beat.
“You called me,” I explain, keeping my voice cool and controlled. “I heard you shout. I heard a man threatening you.”
She shakes her head. “You found me in the middle of the woods. I didn’t tell you where I was.”
I stiffen. “I will always find you. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
She skewers me with her glowing blue stare. “Dane. How did you find me? I want an answer.”
“No.”
Her brows lift. “No?No, what?”
“You don’t want the answer. Just trust that I will do anything to protect you. I’ll always take care of you.”
“What did you do?” she demands, voice at a higher pitch than usual.
My heart pounds against my ribcage, as though I’m still running through the woods, searching for her.
But she’s right here, and she’s looking at me with distrustful, guarded eyes.
“Tell me,” she insists. “If you respect me, you’ll be honest with me. We’re supposed to be equals in this marriage. Partners.”
The last word catches in her throat, as though she’s afraid it isn’t true.
By some miracle, she’s come to love me again. She’s been willing to move past my stalking and kidnapping, and she’s offered me a life with her despite my crimes against her.
