I should have let that go. It was the first time he’d said anything negative about my brief marriage to Azriel, and I should have just let him have that moment of anger. It could have just been forgiven, because it was sort of true, but oh, no. A new rush of hormones took over. The rage ones to be exact. So, when Thorn went low, I went lower. Crawling on my belly through the mud low.
“You walked out on our wedding, Thorn,” I said. “You did this.”
“I was trying to protect you and the baby. I don’t care if you love him more, I still want to protect you. He’s no good for you, and he’s definitely no good for a child. I had to make sure he was locked away for good. If you won’t protect yourself, then I will. Even if it’s the last act of love I get to show you.”
“I. Don’t. Love. Him.” I gritted out through my clenched jaw.
“Okay,” Thorn relented. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I walked out the way I did, but I had to protect you. Please calm down, sweetie. It’s not…”
“I know it’s not good for the baby,” I said. “Please stop acting like I don’t know what’s good for me or my baby. You’re way too overprotective, Thorn. It’s not cute, or endearing, or romantic. It’s unhealthy.”
“Some of the things you do are unhealthy too,” he said. “We’re supposed to be a team, so when one of us falls, the other is supposed to pick up the slack. That’s all I’m trying to do, Kinsley. Loving you doesn’t always mean giving you exactly what you want.”
He was right, but I didn’t let that stop me. “Is that why you manufactured the story about Azriel trying to have me killed?” My fists were clenched in fury, and I felt my heartbeat pounding in my ears.
I regretted it as soon as I asked it. My stupid mouth spouting off before my brain had time to think.
“What?”
“Let me see, Thorn. I went to see Azriel in jail when you disappeared on me. He told me a lot of things. Some I don’t believe, but some I’m not so sure about. I want to see it, Thorn. I want to see the proof that Azriel tried to have me killed,” I said, because why stop before I ruined everything?
“You know that I can’t do that,” Thorn said. He sounded heartbroken. I’d broken him, and was beginning to hate myself for it. “It’s not just that I shouldn’t show you evidence in an ongoing case, but I turned it all over to the FBI. I’m sorry that it’s come to this, Kinsley. I do love you, but you’re trying to push me away. You don’t need to do that. If you don’t want me, then I don’t need to be pushed. I’m perfectly capable of walking away on my own.”
And he did. He walked away, and I tried to call after him, but it came out as a strangled sob.
When Thorn heard it, he turned back. He practically ran to me and pulled me into his arms. “I can’t do this right now, Kinsley. I’m supposed to be working,” he whispered into my hair. “I’m so sorry. For all of it. Please don’t cry.”
But it was all I could do. I wanted to plead my case and tell him that I couldn’t go on without him. I wanted to say the perfect words that would make him stay. We needed another chance. All I could do was sob, and for a minute, he let me.
Then, Thorn held me at arm’s length. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I cannot do this now. I have to get back to the scene. I will come find you later. I promise. This isn’t goodbye.”
He kissed me on the forehead, and then turned to leave again. That time, though, I didn’t feel like I was going to fall down through the earth. He still loved me, and I loved him. If it wasn’t goodbye, then we had a chance. It was enough to keep me going.
With the knowledge that my personal life might not be going up in flames, my attention turned back to the scene before me. Because was I going to go home and keep my nose out of the woman’s death?
LOL. No.
My father was standing over by Jeremy and Thorn, so I couldn’t go up and ask him for details. He looked concerned for me because he’d seen the whole thing go down between me and Thorn. I flashed him a quick smile, and he breathed a visible sigh of relief.
But I had business to attend to, and just because I couldn’t walk right up to my father and ask him about the dead woman didn’t mean I could do nothing. There were decorations all over the place and some of them were definitely big enough for me to hide behind. I just had to stealthily make my way over to a position where I could hear their conversation without being seen.
The house itself would have provided the best cover, but the whole thing was taped off. If I crossed it and disturbed the scene, Jeremy would arrest me. I knew it, and Thorn would have to help him while my Dad watched. I didn’t want to do that.
But, there was a giant metal cutout of a Christmas tree with a huge pile of presents close to where they were standing. Another that looked like a massive fireplace with six stockings of different colors sat on the other side of them as well. One of those would provide the perfect cover.
I waited until the three of them were all talking and not paying any more attention to me. Once they were deep in their conversation, I crept to the edge of the square and then quickly evaluated the two decorations I’d chosen as possible hiding places.
The fireplace cutout was smaller than the tree,
