He needed to see Brooke.
This was the only way.
He didn’t want to hurt anyone else, but what could he do?
His mom and dad had gone to see her. She’d agreed to keep quiet. That’s all they told him, despite him asking a million questions about how she looked. Did she ask about him? Did she want to see him? What had she said?
No matter what he asked, they didn’t answer.
They told him to work on himself and getting well.
They told him to keep quiet about what really happened to put him in this place.
They didn’t think he knew what was really going on—that his father had covered up everything. Nurse Nell was a talker. And since she didn’t know about what he’d done, she had no problemtelling him what was going on in the outside world. And since she knew he’d gone to the university, she was all too happy to supply him with answers to his questions about the campus stalker after he gave her a boo-hoo story about a girlfriend thinking she’d been watched on her way to her dorm one night.
The police were still looking for the campus stalker. There had been no new attacks.
Of course not. I’m in here.
But the poor girl from his ethics class had committed suicide. That was his fault. He never meant for that to happen. He’d never thought about those girls after he used them.
His sole focus had always been Brooke.
Which was why he wanted to be there for Brooke’s big bookstore and café opening the day after tomorrow.
He needed to see her. He wanted to be a part of her big day.
Would she think about him?
Yes. She was thinking about him.
She probably couldn’t stop thinking about him.
He needed to see her. He needed to be near her.
She deserved what was coming to her.
He wouldn’t fail.
Not this time.
Good ol’ Nurse Nell walked into his room for one last night check and he made his move.
He was getting out of here. Finally.
“Anything I can do for you before I head home, Adam?” she asked, so politely.
A prison guard wouldn’t give a shit if he needed or wanted anything.
He sat on the edge of his cozy bed with his back to her. “I…” He didn’t say anything more, drawing her closer.
She must have thought something was wrong and walked around the bed. She’d gotten so comfortable with him, she satnext to him. “What is it, Adam? You can tell me anything.” She thought he’d tried to commit suicide because he was depressed. Lonely.
If she only knew the truth. If anyone in this hospital knew the truth, he’d never be allowed alone with a female nurse.
His father had sacrificed the safety of the staff here in favor of keeping things quiet so he could hold tight to his career with ruthless ambition.
He turned to Nell and looked into her pretty face, those sweet, trusting brown eyes, and said, “I’m sorry I have to hurt you.”
