Cross My Heart

Heat rose to her cheeks. “I can’t believe I slept and you had no company the whole ride up here.”

“Don’t worry. I let Digger here climb in front and she kept me company.” He winked and turned his gaze back to the road.

He’d obviously put her earlier phone conversation behind them and she was glad.

They had some time until the next rest stop, so she bent her knees beneath her and shifted toward him. “So tell me a little more about your life after I left,” she said.

One hand on the wheel, he glanced over. He remained silent for so long she was afraid he wouldn’t answer.

Finally, he said, “Your uncle went on a rampage.”

She winced, pulling her knees tighter against her chest.

“He couldn’t find you, which meant he couldn’t get his hands on your money-not that he said as much. He just ranted and raved to Mom about how she’d obviously been neglecting the children in her care if his niece had been able to run away and get herself killed.”

Lacey let out a sigh. “Then what?” She was almost afraid to ask.

Ty’s knuckles turned white against the wheel. “He pulled some strings and had Hunter taken out of our house.” Ty flipped on the blinker. “There’s a rest stop coming up in half a mile. I’ll pull over so you can go.”

“Thanks. Digger will need it, too.”

Silence followed and she knew Ty was avoiding finishing his story. “What happened next?” She needed to know.

“Hunter was sent to a state-run group home.”

Lacey’s eyes filled with tears and guilt clogged her throat. She’d been so caught up in her own survival, she hadn’t thought about her uncle’s reaction to her disappearance. Even later, when she had, she’d never considered that there was anything he could do to the people she’d loved and left behind.

And she had loved Hunter, as a best friend and as a brother. He’d been so vulnerable back then, though he tried to hide it. And he’d emulated Ty, needing that guidance to keep him from acting on his emotions and not common sense.

“How bad was it?” she whispered.

Ty shrugged. “You know how Hunter was. Without one of us there to temper him, he ended up in one fight after another. It took a mentor program with inmates at the local correctional facility to set him straight.”

Lacey shivered. Reality was far worse than she’d ever imagined. “I could kill my uncle,” she spat.

“Just showing up alive might do the trick.” And to her surprise, Ty laughed.

She appreciated his attempt to lighten the mood, but couldn’t bring herself to feel anything but anger and contempt for her uncle, sadness and pain for her friend.

Yet she recalled Ty telling her Hunter was a lawyer now, which lightened her spirits. “How did Hunter get from delinquent to attorney?”

Ty met her gaze. “With a lot of damn hard work. He set his sights on a goal and worked hard to get there.” Pride tinged Ty’s voice.

Lacey understood, admiration for Hunter filling her, as well. “Tell me more.”

“There were some things Dumont couldn’t control. Hell, maybe there were things he forgot to care about over time because Hunter lucked out. He had no juvenile record other than misbehavior and he was able to get his paperwork sealed when he turned eighteen. He put himself through college and then law school. He owes more in student loans than he makes in a year, but he’s a damn good lawyer.”

“Thank God he pulled himself together.” Lacey realized she was rocking back and forth and stopped the movement. “What about you? What was your story after I left?” she asked Ty.

“Since we’ve been sitting outside of this gas station for a good five minutes, I think you’ll want to run inside.” Ty pointed to the full service rest area. “I’ll walk the dog.”

She hadn’t even realized they’d come to a stop. She lowered her legs and grabbed her purse. “I’ll be right back. But don’t think you can avoid the subject again,” she warned him.

“My story is nothing as dramatic as Hunter’s. Or yours.” His gaze drifted away from hers.

Lacey shook her head in disbelief as she finally understood what bothered him about himself. “You feel guilty about it, don’t you?” she asked. “Because you didn’t suffer the same way, you feel guilty. That’s why you avoided discussing it last night and you almost threw me out of the car without answering me now.”

Ty ran a hand through his hair. “You’ve been gone ten years. You have no right to think you still can read my mind,” he said, his words suddenly turning harsh and biting. “Especially since I’m not someone who was even worth mentioning to your friend Alex.”

His tone hurt but she obviously had read his mind and he hated knowing she could still see inside him. She’d bet he felt she’d belittled him by never having discussed him with the man she was involved with.

She reached out and touched his hand briefly, enough to grab his attention before pulling back. “Some things, some people are too important to mention aloud.”

Instead, they were to be held close to the heart and treasured, she thought, feeling a lump rise to her throat.

“You saved my life, Ty.” Without second-guessing herself, she reached into her shirt and pulled out the locket he’d given her. “And when I crossed my heart, I meant it.”

His gaze settled on the small gold piece he’d bought with his own money, his eyes opening wide in surprise. “That was a long time ago,” he said gruffly.

She’d embarrassed him with the reminder. But she’d also eased the slap he’d felt over her conversation with Alex and that was all that mattered.

“This got me through some really tough times.” She delicately fingered the treasured piece around her neck. “You got me through.”

That long-ago night, she’d sworn she’d never forget him. And she realized now that no matter where she went or who she was with, she’d always had him with her-his strength, his courage and his caring.

She reached out and touched his cheek, forcing him to meet her gaze. “I never forgot you. Cross my heart,” she whispered, before she turned and ran for the safety of the rest stop.

TY AND LACEY MET UP with Hunter at Ty’s place as soon as they hit town. They entered through the back entrance off the bar. There were no awkward hellos when Hunter saw Lacey for the first time, Ty thought, watching stiffly as she bolted across the room and into Hunter’s arms.

“It’s so good to see you!” Her voice rose in an excited squeal.

Hunter pulled her into a tight hug. “You, too.” He pulled back, looking at her with a grin. “You’re still as gorgeous as ever.”

She laughed and punched him lightly in the shoulder. “You’re looking pretty good yourself.”

“He works at it,” Ty muttered.

He hadn’t received such an easy greeting and rationally he understood why. She hadn’t expected to see him, so she’d been caught off guard. Once she adjusted to his presence, he’d dropped one huge bomb about her uncle.

Ty knew he was consoling himself with platitudes and tempering his jealousy, neither of which sat well with him. He was normally a guy who went about his business with few highs and lows. Man, things had changed.

Ty cleared his throat. “Hey you two, break it up. We have some planning to do.”

Lacey turned toward them. “That sounds like old times. So how do you want to handle things?”

Ty stepped toward her. “I suppose the first order of business would be looking into the terms of the trust and finding out exactly what you need to do in order to claim the money.” Ty glanced at Hunter. “Am I right, lawyer man?”

The other man nodded. “You’re right. And I’ll look into that as soon as possible. I’m going to need some help because I’m a criminal attorney.”

“That’s amazing,” Lilly said, her eyes glowing with pride in what Hunter had accomplished.

Ty felt the same way.

“What kind of cases?” she asked.

“A little of this and a lot of that,” he said and laughed.

“Don’t be so modest,” Ty said. “Hunter’s well known around town. He’s one of the biggest trial lawyers in the state. His clients are pretty high profile even for upstate New York standards.”