His words held a question she wasn’t prepared to answer.
Clark Preston’s name brought shudders so strong that her body wanted to curl inward into a tight ball. It was why she and Forest never mentioned his name, relegating the monster forever simply asfoster father. His name gave power, even in death. It had taken years to erase all mention of him from their lives. And, for the better part of a decade, his vileness had remained nameless.
But, now, Spencer had brought her foster father’s taint back into her life. Spencer had seen the depravity she’d been subjected to, watched the videos, and probably combed through transcripts of the trial.What else did Spencer know?
She brought her fist to her mouth, choking back a strangled sob.
Ash now knew that name, too. He would look. He would dig. He’d set his team up to investigate.
She eased out a breath and pushed away from the wall.
Spencer was a problem for later. Right now, she had a bigger issue with Ash. He’d responded and asked a question while glossing over the most damaging part of that text. She’d admitted to killing her foster father, a secret meant for her and Forest alone to take to the grave.
As she stumbled forward, the lobby beckoned with the promise of escape.
The only person she could depend on waited for her there. Forest would know what to do about Spencer and how to best protect everything they had built. They would deal with Ash…later, and she would need to decide what to do about her career.
At least Forest was an easy man to find. Unmistakably towering above the crowd, his white-blond hair acted like a beacon and drew her toward him. She made a beeline for the man who was much more than a brother. He was her other half.
She hooked a finger through Forest’s belt loop and gave a tug. He seemed to know it was her, and she drew him forward, barely losing her momentum.
But some of that might have had to do with the shock spread across her face and the urgency of her words. “We need to leave. Now.”
Forest allowed her to guide him out of the crowded lobby. Fear dictated her actions, and she knew, without a doubt, that he knew something horrible had happened. They could read each other so well.
When they exited the hotel, he hailed a cab. He opened the car door and slid in beside her, all without saying a word.
“Where to?” The cabbie looked into his rearview mirror.
Forest rattled off her home address.
“No,” she said. “Not there.”
Forest gave a sharp inhale. “Okay. Take us to the National Mall.”
“Mall’s pretty big,” the driver said. “Any particular place?”
Forest shrugged. “We’re tourists. Surprise us.”
Silence descended between them as the cab driver maneuvered through lanes of flowing traffic. Forest tapped his fingers on his thigh while she stared out the window, unwilling to speak with a stranger so close. Her phone buzzed with texts from Ash.
Half an hour later, they found themselves at the base of the Washington Monument. Forest stood beside her, his hand a hairbreadth from hers, close but not touching.
“You going to tell me what’s up?” He didn’t look at her, continuing to admire the stone monument.
She shivered against the chilly air. “Spencer knows our foster father’s name.” She turned to him. “And mine. He knows my name.”
No reaction came from Forest. Instead, he breathed out a single word. “How?”
“He said his father prosecuted our case.”
“How did we miss this?”
How indeed?
Cool wind numbed her cheeks as it buffeted them. They were the only ones not rushing. Tourists and workers hustled down the Mall, jackets wrapped tight. Overhead, a brilliant blue filled the sky. It was such a gorgeous day, and she wished her mood matched the beauty surrounding them instead of the cloying fear wedged in her gut.
Forest pulled the hair from his face and secured it with a leather thong. “I made sure those files disappeared. I broke so many laws…”
