Page 17 of Her Keeper
It wasn’t a question.
Right. Whole truth it was. Hadn’t I already decided that was the best way to handle this, anyhow?
“That’s the other part of why I did it,” I told her, my voice as steady as I could make it. “I didn’t want to. I barely even knew Michael when she approached me. But I figured if I didn’t do it, she’d just find someone else. And at least if it was me, I could restrict what she got. Make sure she only got stuff that wouldn’t really hurt him or the family. If she sent someone else...”
“They might dig deeper,” she continued. “They might turn over things that could send Michael and his whole family to prison.” She stopped talking and her eyes went suddenly wide. “You were... trying to protect him?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “I thought I could stand between her and Michael. Make sure she didn’t get anything all that bad.”
Before I knew what was happening, Brooks was on my side of the couch and wrapping her arms around me, pulling me to her in yet another bone-crushing hug that forced the breath out of me. “You were trying to protect him,” she whispered. “Oh my God, you stupid, stupid girl.”
I sobbed out a laugh with what little breath I had left. “That about covers it.”
Because now that I was looking at it with fresh eyes, now that everything had gone as wrong as it could, I could see exactly how stupid I’d been to think any of this would have worked. The truth was, I couldn’t even remember whether I’d seriously thought about the possibility of things going wrong.
If I had, it hadn’t scared me off the path I’d already chosen. I’d been far too committed to shielding Michael at that point.
When Brooks leaned back to look at me again, though, her face had lost all the affection I’d heard moments earlier. Now she was all business. “That’s sweet, Penny. Really, it is. But if Jimmy finds out what you’ve done, he’s going to have you killed. No excuses. You slept with the enemy and then sold information, and with all the Caruso shit going on right now, it looks bad.”
“I don’t think Jimmy will have to do anything,” I admitted. “I’m guessing Michael’s going to take care of that himself. And I... And I...”
Okay, this was the worst part. I’d promised Brooks the truth, but when it came right down to it, could I tell her that the most heartbreaking part of everything was that Michael was trying to kill me? Could I tell her that I’d not only slept with him but also fallen for him—or at least I’d thought I was falling—and that the thought of him going from welcoming me into his bed and sharing his secrets with me to trying to kill me made me feel like everything I’d ever done was a lie?
That I’d finally found something that made me feel whole, and I’d lost it the moment I’d found it and felt like nothing in my life would ever compare?
“You’re in love with him,” Brooks said gently.
I looked up at her, surprised. “Is it that obvious?”
She put a gentle hand to my cheek, brushing away some of the tears. “Penny, you’d make a terrible spy. You can’t hide your emotions to save your life.”
I tipped my chin up at that, offended. “Hey, I’ve kept plenty of secrets! No one even knew I slept with Tony Caruso!”
“That’s because you didn’t care about him. I’m not saying you can’t keep secrets. I’m saying you can’t keep your emotions hidden. And right now, you’re dying inside because it looks like you betrayed the man you love, when you were just trying to protect him.”
“That...”
Brooks cocked an eyebrow. “You’re going to try to argue with me about that? You know I’m right.”
She was.
But I hated to admit it.
“If it’s any consolation,” Brooks said casually, “I don’t think he’s going to try to kill you.”
The sudden change of topics made my head spin. “What? But he is! You didn’t see how mad he was!”
Brooks just shrugged. “I’ve known him longer than you have, Pen. He’s more loyal than you’re giving him credit for. Especially to people he likes enough to protect. And I’m betting he’s not going to let anything happen to you. He cares too much about you to let you go.”
I shook my head again. “But he... He’s so mad at me, Brooks. Why would you even think that?”
Brook leaned in, the corner of her mouth turning up into a very sly smile. “Because he’s not that good at hiding his emotions, either. Oh sure, he thinks he’s great at it, but he’s almost as easy to read as you are. And I’m guessing you’re not the only one in love.”
She didn’t give me a chance to respond to that, but got up and went to the kitchen. When she returned, she had her phone in her hand.
“Sit tight. Drink your tea. I’m calling Sloane. We need to get you to a safe spot, and that’ll happen quicker if we’re all working on it together.”
Before she could make the call, though, Sloane burst through the door, her eyes wild and her hair even wilder. She glanced at Brooks, opened her mouth, and then turned and saw me there as well. Her eyes grew even bigger at the sight, and she rushed forward and grabbed me into a hug.
