“Well last I heard you were ready to rip someone apart last night because she got drunk,” Sadie pouts her lips and gives me a cocked brow, her signatureI’m calling bullshitexpression.
“She was alone,” My nephew whimpers in my arms so I start to bounce him gently, lulling him back to sleep, “I don’t particularly want girls being taken advantage of at my track.”
Her eyes narrow, not buying what I’m selling.
“Rach was out of line,” I continue.
Sadie grumbles, “That girl is trouble and always will be, if I were there it wouldn’t have happened, to anyone.”
“I know.”
“River, really, who is she?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I meet her eyes, “Promise.”
“You’re as stubborn as he was,” She sighs, “I could never get Logan to talk if he didn’t want to.”
“He loved you.” I look down at the baby, “More than anything.”
“I know he did,” Sadie stands and walks toward me, leaning down to pick up her son so she can place him in the bassinette, “Even if he did have his secrets.”
“Logan never did anything without reason, if he had secrets, they were there to protect you.”
“And maybe, if I had known something,anything, we could have stopped that fire from ever happening.”
My heart thuds. Sadie knows most but not all. She knows the fire was started by Liam, Marly’s brother and she knows he never got charged for it but everything else is my secret to bear. My brother isn’t here to protect her anymore, so I have to be.
“I’m going to head out,” I tell her, standing and giving her a hug, “I’ll transfer you some money when I get home.”
“I don’t need your money, River,” She pats my back.
“I know you don’t, but I’ll send it anyway.” I walk to the door and let myself out, heading back to the jeep parked on the road. Night has fallen but the air is still warm, a crescent moon lighting up the dark.
How far do I go with this? I wonder to myself as I drive through the streets, how far do I push?
Marly Winchester is only the tip of the iceberg, only a pawn in this very long game of chess. But she’s the gateway to Liam, she’s the path to finally getting justice for my brother.
Chapter Twelve
I’ve always felt lonely in this house, even when my parents are home and the staff are busy with their jobs, I’ve always felt like I’m alone but not quite like I do tonight.
My steps echo on the tiled floors. Has this house always been this sterile? It’s more of a showroom than home, a museum to flaunt wealth but there’s no character. I’ve never noticed it before, until right now. And maybe it’s because of the time I spent at River’s.
Sure, his place is tiny, no bigger than my bedroom but it had character. It was him. There was a story there. I can imagine the only stories these walls can tell is how much everything is worth.
It’s so incredibly sad.
Unable to bear it any longer, I head up to my bedroom. River’s t-shirt is lying across my bed, in the same place I left it after I got home and showered. It still smells like him, and I should probably wash it, and I definitely shouldn’t wear it again.
I shouldn’t but I’m going to.
Stripping out of my clothes, I pull it over my head, letting it fall to my thighs. I don’t bother with pants and stay just in my underwear. It smells like him and for whatever reason it makes me feel a little less alone.
Laying in the dark, I stare toward the window, having left the curtains open, I can see out into the expansive gardens. Golden lights have been placed all across the grounds, lighting it up, no matter what time it is. But despite the space, and all the gilded edges of this estate, it still feels like a prison.
And I wonder if I’ll ever escape it.
I know where my life is going, I know the only way out of this house is with marriage but even that, I’ll have no control over. It’ll be moving from one prison to another. And I doubt it’ll be much better than my current one.
