“He kissed me,” I blurt out.
“What?”
“Jesse kissed me. And God help me, I kissed him back.” I cover my face with my hands. “It was like all these years just disappeared, and I was eighteen again.”
“Oh, honey.”
“I know it’s stupid. I know I should stay away from him, especially if what you’re saying is true. But Nora, when he touched me, it felt like coming home.”
“Listen to me very carefully,” she says, her voice taking on that no-nonsense tone she uses when she’s being serious. “Whatever you’re feeling for Jesse, whatever history you two have, you cannot let that cloud your judgment. If he’s involved in criminal activity, getting close to him will only drag you down with him.”
I know she’s right, but knowing and feeling are two different things. The memory of Jesse’s hands on me, his mouth claiming mine, sends heat through my body even as fear chills my blood.
“I should have stayed in Chicago,” I whisper.
“Maybe. But you’re here now, and you have to deal with the reality of the situation.” Her voice softens. “I love you, and I want you to be safe. That means keeping your distance from whatever Truett and Jesse are involved in.”
A sound outside makes me freeze. Car doors slamming. Voices.
“Someone’s here,” I whisper.
“Who?”
I creep to the window and peek through the curtains. Truett’s truck is in the driveway, but there’s another vehicle too. Through the rain, I can make out two figures walking toward the house.
“It’s Truett and Jesse.”
“Aubree, listen to me. Act normal. Don’t let them know you suspect anything. And for God’s sake, don’t be alone with Jesse.”
“I have to go.”
“Call me tomorrow. Promise me.”
“I promise.”
I end the call just as the front door opens. Truett walks in first, shaking rain from his jacket. Jesse follows, his dark hair wet, his green eyes immediately finding mine across the room.
“Hey, sis,” Truett says, hanging his hat on the hook by the door. “Didn’t expect you to be up.”
“Couldn’t sleep,” I lie, my heart pounding. “The storm’s pretty bad out there.”
“Yeah, it is.” He glances at me, his eyes closed off. A look I’ve seen before but never understood until now. “I was just checking on some fencing that might’ve come down.” He’s lying, and I know it.
The lie rolls off his tongue so easily, it makes me sick. How many other lies has he told me since I’ve been back?
“Everything okay?” he asks, his voice rough.
“Fine,” I say quickly. Too quickly. “Just tired.”
Truett takes a step closer, his gaze intense. “You sure? You look pale.”
“I’m fine, Truett.” I stand up, needing distance between us. “I’m going to bed.”
As I walk past him toward the stairs, he reaches out. “Aubree.”
I look up at him, and for a moment, I see my brother, the one who saved me from all the bad stuff. My hero when our parents died. Before life got complicated, before we lost everything that mattered.
“Get some sleep,” he says softly, releasing my arm. “Things will look better in the morning.”
