The past week has been one of the most intense weeks of my life. I’ve never been one to stress over things, but that was before Kenna. Now it seems I live in constant fear of driving to the cabin only to find it empty.
I love her. She loves me. But she said she won’t let me give up anything for her. What she doesn’t understand is that I’ll be gaining much more than I’ll be losing.
Christian is foremost in my mind. We’ve had more conversations this week about how things would work if I moved. He shows no hesitation. Not a hint of sadness. Is it possible that at his age, he understands how much I love her? Is it even conceivable that he feels for Bug what I feel for Kenna?
I don’t like keeping secrets. That’s another thing eating away at me. I never told her about Cyrus coming to the shop. That might have sent her fleeing for sure. At the very least, she’d have asked all kinds of questions about what he said.
What he said.
I look up from the car I’m working on, glance outside to the spot that asshole confronted me, and recall a piece of the conversation. What was it he said about her being a meal ticket? What kind of bullshit is that? And not only did he accuse me of wanting her to bemymeal ticket, he said if she was going to be anyone’s, she’d behis.
In an instant, all kinds of shit—badshit—is working through my head. Was Cyrus not only her husband, but her… handler? Pimp? Did he force her back into the business after they got married? Push her to move from escort to prostitute to support his gambling habits?Fuck. Was he trafficking her?
I try to wrap my mind around it. Is it even possible?
She flat-out denied it when I voiced the concern a few weeks ago. I honestly wasn’t being all that serious when I brought it up. I figured if I asked her about the worst scenario I could think of, she’d be more likely to tell me about something that wasn’t nearly as bad.
She’s hiding something, that’s for sure. Something she’s afraid to tell me even after our declarations of love. But… shedidwant to tell me something on Saturday. Was she going to reveal her deepest, darkest secrets? And why did she stop herself from sharing them with me?
Then again, if shehadbeen forced into sex slavery, the very last person she’d want knowing about it is the new guy she’s sleeping with.
She may not believe it, but what I told her was the absolute truth. Nothing about her past would change how I feel about her.
I try to get back to work, but…ah, fuck…As more of my conversation with Cyrus cycles through my head, more fear makes my skin crawl. He knows about the business loan. The mortgage on the house. Could he know about the cabin, too? There isn’t a loan on it. We own it free and clear. If Cyrus simply ran a credit check on me, nothing about the cabin would show up. Still, how safe is she there?
I wipe my hands off and pull out my phone.
Me: Hey, Jonah. Any news yet?
Jonah: I was going to call you later. Background check revealed a lot of debt. Maxed out credit cards. A second mortgage on his condo. He’s even borrowed against his business. No criminal record. Still waiting on more detailed info from my contact. Hopefully early next week.
Me: Thanks. As soon as you hear anything more, please let me know.
Jonah: Will do.
“You okay, brother?”
Lincoln is staring at me from the next service bay.
“Yeah. Why?”
“You’ve been zoning out a lot this week. You worried about Kenna?”
I tuck my phone away and sit on a nearby stool. “Like you wouldn’t believe.”
He walks over and leans against the car. “Are you really in this thing with her? As in you’re going to do all that shit we talked about the other day?”
“I love her, man.” I cock my head. “Wouldn’t you do anything for Tiffany?”
He narrows his eyes, scoffs, then looks off into the distance. “Actually, no. Give up the business? Move away from the town I love? Uproot my kid’s life?”
“Seriously?”
“Yes. Seriously. And when I say no, I don’t just mean no. I meanfuckno.”
I shake my head, confused. “But… you love her.”
He shrugs. “Yeah. So? Let me ask you this. Would you have given up the same things for Denise? Would you have quit your business and moved across the country?”
