Page 81 of Dirty Gambit

“Jessie’s money?” she asked.

Nicole wrinkled her nose, creating little creases across the smooth skin. “I wanted to burn it. Jaxon may have mentioned taking care of it. Something about a safety deposit box and giving Jessie the key on her eighteenth birthday. I have no memory of it. Richard and I weren’t listening. We had other things on our minds.”

Not sure if thanking her was the right course, Lena let it go.

“I really don’t know what to say,” she said instead.

“You can say that you will take this opportunity and start fresh,” Nicole murmured quietly. “Richard is going to look into who leaked your record to the media and make sure they’re charged. You were a child, Lena. Those records should have been sealed, but more importantly, the whole world shouldn’t have been brought into your past like that. Nevertheless, nothing is stopping you now from creating a better version of yourself. Maybe even using your past to help others. There are a lot of children out there who would love to hear your story. You could use your new fame to raise your voice. But that’s up to you.”

“My voice?”

Nicole nodded, unwavering gaze fixed on Lena’s. “People talk about foster care and the horrors that children face getting bumped from home to home, but no one really talks about it. Not all children are as lucky as Jessie to have so many people fight to protect them. You have the media’s attention right now. You have the world waiting to hear the story from your mouth. It’s a massive undertaking, but you could, with proper support, help save a lot of lives. If you want. Think about it.”

She pushed to her feet before Lena could think of a response. Her small hands tugged at the hem of her blazer, straightening the crisp lines. Her warm eyes search Lena’s face, matching the slight smile on her face.

“You’re welcome to stay here if you like. If not, we can find you a little place close by so you can visit Jessie as often as you like.”

Lena’s lips parted, releasing a soft gasp of surprise. “You … you’re going to let me see her?”

It might have been implied when the woman asked her to tell Jessie stories, but she’d expected armed guard and a requirement of thirty feet. She hadn’t expected a free pass.

“I told you, you’re family.” She paused with a little wince. “It might be supervised visits for the first little while, but hopefully, eventually, we can build trust and go from there.”

That was more than Lena had anticipated, more than she could have asked.

“Thank you.”

“There is one last thing.” Nicole drew in a breath and released it slowly. “What you said to Jaxon that day about us not welcoming you to the table because of your past, you were wrong. Even if you weren’t Jessie’s aunt, Jaxon cares about you. Whatever your past, we would have accepted you because we raised our son to be a great judge of character, to see the potential in others before their mistakes. We believe in giving people a fair chance.”

With that, she stalked around the foot of the bed and headed for the door. She paused on the threshold to blink at something just outside out of Lena’s view.

“Apparently, what we failed to teach you was not to eavesdrop on people. Weren’t you supposed to get Babette? I don’t see her with you.”

She heard a deep, masculine voice respond. Nicole rolled her eyes but was grinning when she moved past the figure and continued out of sight. A moment later, Jaxon stepped into view.

“How long were you standing there?” Lena demanded.

He rolled a shoulder upwards. “Can’t recall.”

Lena narrowed her eyes, feigning annoyance when, in reality, she could barely restrain the urge to leap up and tackle him in an embrace. Everything about him from his grin to the way the light played in his hair made her chest hurt, but it was more than that. It was the new lease on life. Her new future. There was an open door of possibilities that had never been there before, and she couldn’t wrap her buzzing brain around it.

“Did you hear what she said?” she blurted at last, no longer able to hold the façade. “I’m not going to jail.”

He took the spot he’d claimed before his mother’s arrival. The mattress dipped under his weight settling next to her. Their hips bumped, but neither noticed.

“I heard something about that,” he murmured, lifting his good hand to brush at the wet trail left behind by the fresh tears slipping past her lashes. “What are you going to do now that you’re a free woman?”

A choked laugh brimming with barely contained hysterics burst out of her. “I don’t know. I…” She gave her head a little shake. “I spent the first half of my life finding ways to keep me and Lissa alive. The second half was spent trying to survive long enough to find my sister. Then my niece. I have no idea what I want.”

Carefully, he took her hand, the one not attached to the arm with the sling and brought the fingertips to his warm lips. He was careful not to dislodge the IV taped to the back. “Can I help you find out?”

Lena blinked at him through the tears that refused to quit falling. “What?”

“Did you think what I felt for you would mysteriously just go away?” He ignored her shrug by sweeping a lock of hair behind her ear. “We may have met under the most unusual circumstances, but I want you just as much now as I did that first night I saw you in the library. Maybe more. I don’t know what it all means, but I’m willing to find out if you are.”

“I don’t even have a place to live,” she pointed out. “All my clothes are still at Frankie’s. I’m not even wearing my own underwear right now. I have nothing to offer.”

“You’re wrong.” He leaned in and kissed her lightly, but with a restraint she felt pulsing all the way through him. “All I want is you. Only you. Naked would be an added bonus.” Her snort vibrated between their skimming lips. He pushed on. “And you can stay here or at my apartment. It’s not far from here if you want to visit Jessie. If you think that’s moving too fast and you want your own place,” he pulled back an inch to peer into her eyes, “I’ll help you find something. We’ll work it out. You’re not alone anymore.”

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