Page 125 of Hale Yes
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
I need a plan
Helix
I have a million cuts all over my body. Not literal cuts but they hurt all the same. Each one of Nicolette’s tears sliced ribbons from my soul.
The number of times I’ve driven by her home the past couple days would probably get me put in jail or a mental health facility.
You are hurting me by being here right now, Helix.
Those words she spoke to me are the only thing holding me back from marching up to her door, kidnapping her, and running away to some remote island where no one knows us.
I’m more convinced than ever that Nicolette had nothing to do with the theft and betrayal. Even with all the signs pointing her way, I know in my bones that she’s innocent. The utter shock and devastation on her face made that perfectly clear.
I also know I screwed up by doubting her for even a second, and that all comes down to my trust issues stemming from my fucked up past. Not that I’m using that as an excuse becausethere is no excuse for doubting her and making her feel the way I did.
And now I’ve lost her.
When I pull into the garage of my house and see Phoenix’s car in the bay next to where I park my SUV, I’m not sure if I’m glad or annoyed that he’s here. Walking inside, I see him on the couch with his feet on the coffee table, and something relaxes inside me, though I gripe at him anyway.
“Do you have to put your stinky feet on my furniture?”
“I washed them this morning,” he replies, wiggling his toes before jerking his head toward the seat next to him. “Sit.”
“You’re awfully bossy for someone who doesn’t live here,” I grump, though I fall onto the couch beside him and take off my shoes.
When I prop my feet up beside his, he bumps me with his pinky toe. “My feet are prettier than yours.”
“We’re identical twins. Our feet are literally the same.” This inane banter distracts me a little bit. Phoenix is good at that.
We sit for a long while looking at our feet like a couple idiots before my brother speaks. “You drove by her place again?”
“Yeah.”
“Anything new?”
“Nope. The light in her dining room is still on.”
“She probably just forgot to turn it off.”
“Nicolette always turns off lights when she leaves the room. She must be in there.”
I feel Phoenix’s eyes on the side of my face. “Does it make you feel better knowing where she is in the house?”
With a shrug, I say, “Maybe a little.” We’re quiet for another moment before I add, “Thanks for not judging me.”
“You’re going through enough without my judgment. You’re being pretty hard on yourself.”
“Rightly so. I was a dick. The police detective said they took her down to the station yesterday.” My eyeballs throb, and my voice goes thick. “They had her in the fucking police station like a criminal. She must have been scared.”
“I’m sure she handled herself well. Nicolette is a smart lady. She’s probably more scared of losing her job and being blacklisted from the industry.”
“Thanks,” I say with flat sarcasm. “I hadn’t even thought of that.”Not more than fifty times anyway.
“Did the detective say anything?”
“Just that she refused to answer anything without an attorney present.”
