No, she’s not.
Jonah sighed. “What did you tell her?”
“We said we wouldn’t look into it unless you came to us directly. But she’s got theories, Jonah.”
“Good ones,” Bogs added without a trace of humor.
Shit!First Cord and now Roxanne. His past had officially come back to haunt him. Jonah walked to the opposite side of the room, staring out the floor-to-ceiling window. He knew eventually his past would catch up with him. He always thought it would’ve been the authorities. He spent a long time after the incident wondering if the police were going to show up. But it never happened. He’d been assured, at the time, that it wasn’t a possibility. Everything had been meticulously planned without room for error. It was a secret pact made between a handful of men. Something they’d take to their graves and would never come to light.
Until now.
He cupped his mouth, looking over the parking lot of Ethan’s building. He’d always made excuses for why he hadn’t gotten involved in a committed relationship. With the boys, it was an easy justification. As they got older and his business grew, he claimed he didn’t have time for anything more than casual. Butif he was being honest with himself, the root of it would be knowing that he could never fully open up to anyone about his past. There would always be a silent wedge in his relationships.
With Roxanne, he was facing the very thing he feared.
“How much does she know?”
He slowly turned and found all the men staring at him.
“About you?” T arched his brow. “Nothing.”
At least he had that going for him.
“But the business?” Stone inched forward, his hands tucked into his front pockets. “She was a part of it for a while, man. She knows a lot.”
That caught him off guard. “What part?”
“She knows how the wheels turn, the operations behind it.” Ethan paused. “But she was neveractivein the whole process. We kept her away from that end. She was only involved for a short time.”
It was hard to digest everything he was hearing. Roxanne knew? It should’ve given him some hope, but it didn’t.
“Listen, man.” Bogs stood. “You tell her everything? She’s gonna understand.”
Jonah immediately shook his head.
Stone stepped forward. “Like E said, she knows about everything we do. Hell, she was a part of it for a while and had no issues with it. She’ll understand.”
“No, she won’t,” Jonah shouted, and balled his fists. They weren’t seeing the big picture.
“Jonah—” Ethan started, but he didn’t let him finish.
“She may understand the reason and even be fine with justifying it. But those people were strangers.” He ground his teeth. “Not a man sharing her fucking bed.”
I’m going to lose her.
Chapter Seventeen
Roxanne got held up at a dinner meeting. She should’ve known Melody’s invitation to discuss the final details of the wedding at a fancy restaurant would be a four-hour event. It only ended because the staff respectfully informed them the place was closing.So embarrassing.
She’d texted Jonah that she’d be late. It was after ten when she finally arrived. Two days without seeing him was too long. She understood his reasoning. Between his construction project and his special order, he was pressed for time.
Jonah insisted she park in the driveway, but she noticed the lights on Cord’s car when she attempted to pull in. She switched directions, parked on the street, and walked up the driveway. She rounded the house just as Holden and Cord came out the back door.
“Hey, Rox.” Holden waved.
“Hi, guys.” She glanced back at Cord’s car, realizing for the first time that it was running but no one was inside. “You two going out?”
“Mid-terms,” Cord grumbled.
