Shit!
****
Jonah heard Roxanne pull in about five minutes ago. He assumed she was on a call. She usually left the room when she was speaking with clients. He glanced up at the clock. It was now pushing ten minutes. He was tempted to check on her when heheard the back door creak open. A second later, she was standing in the doorway.
“Hi.” She smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. Her voice was off, too.
“Hey.” Jonah walked across the kitchen, taking her in for a quick kiss. She kissed him back, but without her usual enthusiasm. If he had to guess, she’d been taking a call from her bride-from-hell. He’d heard so much about this woman even he couldn’t wait till her wedding was over.
“Bad day at work?”
She flattened her lips, subtly shaking her head. “No.”
Jonah stepped back, eyeing Roxanne. She was uneasy and nervous. The polar opposite of her usual self.
“What’s going on?”
Roxanne drew in a breath and hooked her thumb over her shoulder. “I ran into Cord in the driveway. He umm …”
Fuck!He thought the animosity had died down. If anything, Cord seemed to be warming up to Roxanne and her presence quicker than he’d expected.
“Tell me what happened because if he was an asshole to you then I’m …”
Roxanne rushed forward, shaking her head. “No, he wasn’t.”
Jonah straightened. “Then what?”
She sighed, shifting on her feet. “He asked me for a favor.”
What could Cord possibly want from Roxanne? He folded his arms, scanning her face. Clearly, it was something Roxanne wasn’t comfortable with.
“He asked me if you’d told me about your parents and Sawyer. I said you had but um …”
Fuck!Jonah had told her an abbreviated version of the story. Clearly, Cord had gone into more detail. A fiery heat raced through his veins. Jonah clenched his jaw, biting down on hismolars to the point of pain. This was a part of his life that he hadn’t planned on sharing. Not with Roxanne. Not anyone.
“What did he say?” Jonah tried to level his tone. He failed.
Roxanne clasped her hands, twisting her fingers. “It was hard to follow. He asked me if I could have my brothers look into a man named Rueben Pryor.”
Jonah’s muscles tightened and his blood rushed through his veins. He needed a minute to get his emotions under control. He turned his back on her and stalked to the living room. It wasn’t like him to avoid any situation, but he was caught off guard and virtually backed into a corner. He braced his arms on the fireplace, staring at his reflection in the mirror over the mantel.
Jonah hadn’t considered how he’d handle this conversation with Roxanne because it hadn’t been part of his plan to have it. It was in the past—where he wanted it to stay. This was hitting too close to home.Dangerously close.
Jonah pushed off the mantel and turned, finding Roxanne standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He dropped his gaze to the floor and walked across the room, sitting down on the couch. He clasped his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. He wasn’t sure how to play this off. At this point, she knew more than he wanted her to know.
Her footsteps were slow and cautious. The cushion dipped beside him, and he glanced down at her feet.
“He brought it up, Jonah. I’d never try to start a conversation with him or Holden about your family. I know it’s …”. Her voice trailed off, and he turned to her.
“It’s what?”
“It’s a very sensitive and personal subject.” She inhaled a breath. “And none of my business unless you make it mine.”
At this point, Jonah had little choice. Cord had given her too much to ignore or flip the narrative. There was a way to giveher just enough of an explanation without disclosing the whole truth. He just wasn’t sure if he’d be able to pull it off.
“Everything I told you was true. But, from the investigation, they concluded Sawyer wasn’t as injured as my parents in the accident. There was evidence that he got out of the car.” Jonah paused, knowing he had to be extremely careful with his words. He had to follow the police report. “They suspected another car had come by and hit him while he was near the road.”
“But the other car didn’t stop?”
