“Oh my god, I remember those chat rooms. Some of that shit got nasty.” Heaven crinkles his nose at a memory, then grins. “I loved it.”
“You’re saying I need to forgive her?”
“No.” Jaxon shakes his head and lifts his coffee mug to his mouth. “I’m saying maybe give her the benefit of the doubt and add in your own experiences. What was the worst shit you ever did when you were her age? She was desperate. Maybe hear more of what she has to say. No one is telling you to fall in love with her, but maybe you can be her friend.”
I clench my fists. “It may not look it to you, but to me a line has been crossed. She lied. She made me want to … it doesn’t matter.” I stare out the garage door and see the rain coming down in violent sheets. Thunder shakes the house, and lightning cracks along the sky. They are right about one thing. I was wrong for sending her out in this weather. “Goddamn it.” I haul ass out the door and slam it behind me, frustrated as hell. This damn girl. I swear, I knew I should have never gone on that stupid dating site. Now, I have to babysit.
Picking up my feet, I run out into the monsoon and head down the driveway. The rain is bulleting against my skin, stinging like needles, and I can hardly blink without water getting in my eyes. My shirt is soaked, and I haven’t been outside for more than a minute. I lift my hand to block my eyes from the rain so I can see.
“Hey,” I shout after her when I finally see her walking slowly down the driveway.
She ignores me and keeps walking. The tips of her fingers can be seen on either side of her elbows which tells me she’s cold since her arms are crossed.
“Finley, stop. Come inside.”
“No, I’d rather walk in the rain than to feel unwanted. Really, it’s fine. This isn’t me making a fuss. It’s me being honest. I’d rather figure out my own way than to stay in that house and have you spew your hate for me every day.” Her hair is in a messy bun now, revealing a small tattoo on the back of her neck. I wonder how she got that since she wasn’t legal until today.
“Just stop.” I reach for her and wrap my arm around her skinny bicep.
She hisses in pain and wrenches her arm away.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” I hold my hands in the air, showing I’m not making a move toward her.
“You didn’t. It’s just bruised. That’s all,” she says.
I have so many questions about her. So many questions as to why she has bruises, why she decided to come to me; why she can’t leave me be? Too many that don’t matter right now. “Come inside. Get out of the weather. Rest. We will figure out what to do tomorrow. I shouldn’t have made you walk in the rain like this.” A chill shakes my body, and the longer we stand here the harder the rain falls.
A few pieces of her red hair sticks to the sides of her face, and she sucks her bottom lip into her mouth as she thinks about my offer, nibbling the pink flesh. She stalks forward, and I think she intentionally sways her hips, but I’m not going to be distracted by a woman who is too young for me and lied point blank. She’s shown up here like a crazy schoolgirl with a crush, like she’s infatuated or something. Now I have to figure out how the hell to get rid of her.
Can life stop fucking me for just a second?
“You’re right. You shouldn’t have,” she harrumphs, knocking her shoulder against mine.
I ignore the excitement her sass brings me because I don’t want to like her attitude. I don’t want to like her at all.
On an annoyed sigh, I walk toward the garage door, bypassing her, and hold out my arm to the dry space. “After you,” I say to her.
“Don’t mind if I do.” She keeps her chin up and chest out, striding away with pride. Before she gets to the door, she unwraps her hair from the bun on top of her head and twists the red mane until the water is squeezed out. She does the same with her shirt.
“It’s fine. Jaxon will show you to your room where you can get cleaned up. Then, you’re going to tell me the truth, Finley.”
“You don’t want to know my truth, Grayson. I think we are better off that way,” she says, marching up the steps to the door leading to the kitchen. “We both know this isn’t going anywhere, so why bother with the truth? Like you said, tomorrow I can be on my way. Let’s not act like you care.” She walks through the door and closes it behind her, leaving me alone in the dark garage.
I lean my hip against the truck and take a minute to compose myself. I have a feeling my truth is going to be hard to come to grips with too.
I don’t have the courage to admit what it is yet.
Chapter Ten
FINLEY
“Authorities are looking for a young female, red hair, and looks like the picture on the screen. If you see this woman, contact police immediately. She is considered armed and dangerous and is a suspect in the killings of two men in Kentucky.”
Well, this day keeps getting better and fucking better.
I step inside the door, I hear the news anchor reporting the latest headline. I look around the room, and the guys, who were just pleading their case to Grayson about giving me a break, stare at me like they want to kill me.
The tall one with a lot of tattoos and black hair has a gun pointed at me. I hold up my hands, again, while
