Black Bird (Nevermore Duet #1)

CHAPTER 5

NOBODY’S INNOCENT

“You weren’t close by,” Rhaena said, standing in the open door of her apartment and watching Athan while he searched for his keys. The hallway was drafty, she realized as she stood there in a tank top and gym shorts, her hair still wet from her shower. He ignored her as he shoved the key into the lock. “I’ve already had time enough to take a shower and eat.”

“Neither of those things takes you a long time, Rhaena.” He opened his door and gestured toward her. “You coming in?”

“Let me get my shit. We’ve got some stuff to talk about.”

“We sure do. Door’s open.” He disappeared into his apartment, and she could tell something had happened today, though lately it had been harder to read him. Rhaena gathered her things and locked up her door, heading in and making herself useful while she set up to work in his kitchen. Athan came out a few minutes later, changed and seemingly more relaxed as he let Poe out of his cage. “Hey, Rhaena … you got a coffee maker at your place, right?” The question had her pausing as she typed her password into the laptop, and she peered over her shoulder through the breakfast nook. His back was still turned.

“What?”

“A coffee maker. Don’t you have one?”

Rhaena turned her body in the seat, continuing to look at his back while he pampered his stupid pigeon. “Yeah … why?”

“Could I bother you for some?”

She chewed on a toothpick and watched him. “I’m assuming since all of this is a new thing, you must have had coffee today. If you’re asking me to make you some, then you must have liked it enough to want it … and if you want it, then I think it’s also safe to assume that you didn’t get coffee from the hospital, because it’s—”

“Fucking atrocious? I know. I’ve been told.”

“Yes. So … where’d you drink coffee today, bud?” Athan caught her tone and slowly turned in the living room to face her. “Somewhere close by? ”

“Nevermind.” He rolled his eyes and sat the bird up on his perch.

“I’m just asking a question, Athan.”

“So am I. A simple one at that. I ask for a cup of coffee and you wanna play good cop, bad cop like we’re in the damn interrogation room? What’s your problem?” He stared at her and crossed his arms. Maybe she did go a bit too far with that one.

“I’m not trying to interrogate you. I’m your part— ”

“My partner . You keep reminding me of that like I don’t know what we are.” He came around the wall and stepped into the kitchen doorway, leaning on it as she turned in the chair toward him. “It’s becoming a little more clear to me lately that maybe you’re the one that doesn’t.” Rhaena scoffed at him.

“I’m sorry?” Her elbow rested on the back of the wooden chair, and she raised her brows in irritation, every defensive instinct flaring up within her.

“Did you tell Sarah we were dating?”

She huffed a laugh. “Oh, it’s Sarah now, is it?” Athan slowly shook his head, smirking and staring down at the floor. “Why the hell would you think I’d say something like that to a witness? ” She put a bit more emphasis on that last word and he raised his face back to her, crossing his arms again.

“Because she asked if you were my girlfriend. And when I said no, she mentioned that I might need to remind you of that. So …? What was said about my personal life, Rhaena, that I should know about?” Rhaena shot up from her chair.

“I didn’t say a damn thing about your personal life, Kane. Your vic,” She poked a finger into his chest, knowing full well about his distaste for being touched. “Mentioned the way that she’s starting on a downward spiral because of something you did to her.” Athan’s jaw feathered, and she didn’t back down. “When she finished explaining all the things she was going through, she told me that it was strange how calm she felt when you were around. I didn’t say a word about your personal life. I just ended the conversation. However she read it isn’t my problem.”

“Read what? ”

“I packed up and left! I didn’t say anything else to her except that I hoped she felt better, and we’d be checking in while we worked on her case.” She bristled and her eyes dropped from his, the shame taking over. “I got jealous, okay? I know you didn’t mean to do this. I know that we’re never gonna be a thing, and I’ve always been fine with that. All I’ve been trying to do is help you through this and I’ll continue to do whatever it takes to help you, Athan …” She sighed deeply and turned her back toward him, stepping over to the counter and bracing her hands on it. Her head hung low, and her voice was quiet when she said, “I’m lonely. It’s not your fault, I’m just … it sucks. I’m sorry.”

There was a long silence between them, and she didn’t turn around, too embarrassed to even look at him. “You know I can’t—”

“I know, Kane. You don’t have to explain yourself. It’s my shit and I’m dealing with it.” She heard him sigh behind her and couldn’t tell if it was because he was sorry, or just frustrated with her. Either way, she didn’t have the lady balls to say more. Couldn’t think of a damn thing to say. She felt his hands grip her shoulders, easing the tension off of them and she tried hard not to give into how good it felt … just being touched.

“You need to get laid, friend.”

Rhaena snorted and shook her head, smiling. “Yes, I know … thank you. I’ll work on that. ”

“Full moon is in two weeks,” he whispered, his breath sending a chill down her spine as he spoke against the back of her neck. Rhaena pressed her thighs together.

“I know.”

She wasn’t sure if he did it out of pity. Wasn’t sure if maybe it was because it’s the way they’ve always been together whenever they were both up to their ears in exhaustion from everyday life, and the fact that neither one of them ever sought out a companion. She decided she didn’t care when he lowered his hands down the front of her shorts and pressed his body against her. His expert fingers grazed over the thin material of the lace that covered the source of all that built up frustration and she couldn’t help herself as she leaned into it. Athan’s chin rested over her shoulder, and he nipped at her left ear.

“Wanna work out?” His voice made her knees buckle.

“Fuck, yes,” Rhaena breathed, closing her eyes and gripping the counter as her head fell back against him. He didn’t say another word and trailed his tongue down the column of her neck, forcefully ripping the shorts and the thong down her hips and shoving her down against the countertop. She growled at him, half-smiling while he held her down by the neck and spread her legs apart with his foot. Her cheek pressed against the cool surface, and she couldn’t stifle her moan when she felt his fingers slide through her slick folds, teasing around her swelling center. Rhaena let her eyes flutter shut and he ruthlessly continued, only slowing when he felt her legs tremble and then he shoved them into her.

“You don’t come until I tell you to.” He purred over her back, his fingers sloshing in and out her drenched cunt. It was all she could do. She couldn’t remember how long it had been since the last time they had done anything. Her rapid breathing was a chore in itself without having to keep herself from exploding as he pushed harder on her neck against the counter. His fingers slid out and she felt him replace them with the tip of his cock. He didn’t so much as give her a warning before he slammed it fully inside her and she cried out.

“Fuck … oh, fuck …” She gasped, tasting herself on his fingers as he hooked them over her bottom teeth and started knocking her into the counter with every hard thrust. He had taken her so hard that the thought of whether or not that girl was on his mind right now left her head completely. Athan was not an inexperienced guy. Just a look from him sometimes could have her squirming. There was no way she could blame any woman for wanting everything he was giving her right now. Especially when the size of him alone could have you surrendering to your body’s natural response the minute he became part of it. She just didn’t want to be without it. If that made her selfish, then fuck it.

He pulled his fingers from her mouth and raised her knee up to rest on the counter, the angle enough to send her screaming while he fucked her into oblivion. It was exactly what she needed. She could hear him groaning and his pace picked up, the force he had on her neck grew stronger. He was getting close. Good. She couldn’t hold out much longer .

“Now, Rhaena. Do it now.” He growled, reaching around her and pinching her clit while he ravaged her from behind. That was it. She let go of everything she’d been bottling up, nearly weeping while she came. He throbbed inside her, cursing impressively when he did the same. His grip on her neck eased off and they stilled, catching their breath while he lowered her knee back down. Poe squawked from the living room.

“Shut up, pigeon!” Rhaena barked, breathing raggedly with her cheek still resting against the countertop. Athan chuckled breathlessly behind her, and she winced when he pulled himself out.

“I need a shower before we start up,” he breathed, his hand grazing her bare hip. Rhaena didn’t move, instead waving a hand behind her while she continued to try and gather herself.

“Go. I’ll make you your coffee.” She smiled lazily, still bent half naked over the counter.

“Thank you,” he whispered, easing off of her back and heading out of the kitchen.

“Thank you. ” Rhaena grinned as she stood up, stretching and catching his wink as he rounded the corner. “Leave the door open so I can get back in.”

“10-4, partner, ” his voice trailed off down the hallway.

She’d needed that. And he didn’t have to give it. Rhaena supposed he needed it as much as she did. While it was as satisfying as it always was, something stung when she realized it could be the last time they shared a tryst like this. If something started happening between him and this girl … she’d never come between that. Not if it meant that he could be happy for once in his life. Above everything else, that’s what she truly wanted for him. Her only real friend. She wouldn’t be the thing that kept him from her. And if Dahlia, or anyone else tried to, she’d skin that bitch alive. Rhaena made the decision in that moment that she wouldn’t come down on him for getting too close to the situation—unless it came down to getting them thrown off this case. When Athan found out what she’d learned from EverLife’s CEO today, they’d really have too much to lose.

And depending on his reaction to what it had to do with this girl …

Rhaena pulled her shorts back on, and fixed her damp, messy hair into a knot. She glanced down toward the hallway where she knew he was naked and bathing off every trace of her, and it wasn’t until then that she realized—his scent had changed. It was usually overwhelming … the scent of—well … death. But tonight, when he took her, it was barely noticeable. She crossed her arms and bit down on her lip, pondering that for a moment before she left and made her way into her apartment. As she filled the pot with water she started to wonder about Sarah’s blood. It hit her then.

“Shit … that’s why they want her.”

It was an hour and a half before the Black Bird tavern would open to the rabble of the public that liked to hide and seek the dark. The made up, uniquely dressed, heavy drinkers and smokers that filled up the dance floor and fell under the spell of scantily clad dancers in cages that hung from the ceilings … and from the many more that prowled the bar looking for fresh blood and sex in the alcoves set within the wall. Times have changed since he’d become a vampire, and Tony Lloyd dismissed the heavy thoughts that danced in his mind as he cleaned and stacked bar glasses and stocked liquor for the evening. He remembered the days when music was real, and there was more of a chance of a woman or a man selling their bodies to the night, rather than selling their souls. He supposed the one thing that hadn’t changed about the times was the fact that ale and whiskey was still more valuable to the world than blood. It was the cost of everything that had changed about that—in currency and in life.

His inhuman strength made carrying kegs effortless as he made his way in and out of closets and storage refrigerators. Some of the coven would come out of hiding for the couple of hours he prepped, none of them ever willing to help him, but all of them eager to listen to the unique sound of his voice when he sang. It was a ritual, he supposed—filling the empty club with old forgotten songs while he worked. The last shred of his happiness and familiarity with his former life. His humanity. His old soul. The lyrics that haunted him from Sinatra and all the other legends that had been replaced by whatever they called this thrashing rubbish that lasted into the wee hours of the morning. He’d forgotten how old he was now. It didn’t seem as if any of that mattered anymore. This was his life. It was really no different than the one he had before, only the taste of a meal from his original home had since turned to ash and was replaced by a dwindling supply of blood from—he didn’t want to know where.

As clapping sounded from a couple of members of the coven, Tony smiled and lowered his head in gratitude. Devin, one of the coven leader’s latest henchmen approached the shiny bar top. Tony glanced toward him and tipped his flat, plaid cap.

“Can I get ya anything before the ruckus commences?” he asked.

“Maybe a song request later.” Devin smiled, drumming his palms on top of the bar. “Coven leader wants to see you for a sec.” Tony paused his wiping and slung the towel over his shoulder, confused.

“She wants to see me? Why?” A fair question. Dahlia had never given him much thought after she’d rendered him only useful for the tasks she’d turned him for—seeing to the needs of the patrons that walked in and out of her club. That was even when he’d known that some of those patrons, however much he might have liked them, never made it out of this building and he never said a word about it. This was only one of the many establishments that Black Bird had become in the eternity he’d spent running the bar. This one, however, seemed as if it would last the longest as they hadn’t moved in what seemed like fifty years.

“She’s having a small council and has a couple of questions for you. ”

“Umm … alright,” Tony agreed nervously, rounding through the opening at the back and following Devin toward the studded door into the lower chambers of the building. They silently moved through darkened hallways, passing room after room that he’d never been in until Devin stopped at one near the end and knocked twice. Dahlia’s velvety voice summoned them inside and one of the other bulky brutes closed it behind them.

“Welcome, Tony.” Dahlia offered him a gentle smile, the promise of death evident with anyone that ever thought to undermine her. “I promise not to keep you, but if you wouldn’t mind having a seat for a few moments. There were just some things that have come to my attention that I needed to ask you about.” Her moon-pale fingers gestured toward an empty chair near the end of a long, ebony table where about six other coven members she recognized as her “council” sat alongside her.

“Sure.” He tried his best not to look intimidated, but in the centuries he’d worked under her, without complaint or request for anything more than the blood needed for him to survive, Tony had never known the vampire queen to need him for anything other than filling glasses and making her money. He straightened his spine and trudged over to the seat, lowering himself into it and pulling the soggy towel from his shoulder when he’d realized it had caught the eye of everyone in the room. “How can I be of service, mi’lady?”

Dahlia’s serpentine smile grew wider, and she rested her elbows on the table, steepling her fingers and staring into him. “Do you recall Athan Kane being at the club for a meeting with me some time ago?” Tony nodded and blinked once. “Do you know him well? Friend of yours?”

“I know of him … as much as anyone else, I suppose. He’s not a very social bloke, but he’s always been kind toward me. I do remember him being here not long ago, he stopped by the bar for a drink, and he left.”

“Did he say anything to you about why he was present that evening?” She narrowed her eyes, seeming to be in search of a lie within his.

“No ma’am. He asked for a double. His usual. I poured the whiskey, and he drank it and left in a hurry. Is something wrong? Was I not supposed to serve him anything?”

“No, no. He’s still a part of this coven whether he believes so, or not. He can have a drink on the house. Hell, he can have as many as he wants.” She dropped her hands to the table. “What I’m interested in is the events leading up to an attack outside the club on a human girl.”

“Forgive me if I’m overstepping, ma’am … but human attacks are pretty common, aren’t they?”

“Not commonly at the door to the house in which we shelter. That’s equivalent to a mutt sleeping in his own shit.” Soft chuckling sounded around the table.

“I—I wasn’t responsible for—”

“I’m not accusing you, Tony. I know where you were for the remainder of the evening. Truth be told, I’m grateful for members like you. You’re one of the lowest on the list of things I need to worry over.” Her red lips pursed, and he shifted in his seat. “I have video feed of you speaking with the victim that was found in the alley.” She raised a remote and a television behind her on the wall began playing back a silent camera feed and Tony recognized the woman. “Do you remember this girl, Tony?”

“Yes, ma’am. She said her name was Sarah.” Dahlia’s mouth curved into a wicked slash at the mention of the name.

“That’s correct. What’s your relation to this girl?”

“Oh, I have no relation, ma’am. She brought back an empty beer bottle and I only asked if she needed another.”

“Seems like a rather lengthy conversation for that to be all that was said,” Dahlia purred.

“It wasn’t. She asked—” Tony paused, looking around the table uncomfortably.

“Yes?”

“S-she asked about him. About Kane.” Guilt swept over him. He hated being put in a position like this. Giving information about another member could always result in their execution where Dahlia was concerned. The crime often didn’t matter. They were as replaceable as trash bags, anyhow.

“Asked what, exactly?”

Tony swallowed hard. “I think she was interested in him. Nothing more than that.”

“And what was your response?”

Another pause. “I only told her he was the quiet type. Likes to be left alone and prefers it to stay that way. She told me that she was on her way out, and she didn’t order another drink. I saw her leave right after that.” He glanced back up at the paused image of that pretty girl standing across from him at the bar. His eyes lingered on her face. “Did she die?” he asked, sadly.

“Would it matter if she did?” Dahlia leaned forward.

“I suppose not … but she was a kind person.”

“How would you know what kind of person she was if this was your first encounter?” She continued to stare at him, along with all the other council members.

“With all due respect, ma’am … I’ve been doing this for a very long time. I see a lot of faces. Meet a lot of people. Humans and immortals alike. Even before I was part of this coven, I’ve had a way of reading others. Comes with the job, I suppose. She was a good one. Not like the crazy cases we sometimes get in the tavern. It’s a shame.”

She huffed a laugh through her nose. “You seem to be in touch with a bit of that humanity that Athan has. I envy that about you.” He wasn’t sure how to respond to that statement. “Rest assured, pet. She’s alive.” Tony raised his eyes to meet hers. “That’s one of the other reasons I wanted to question you about her.”

“I’m not sure how much else I could offer you, mi’lady.”

“Well …” she started, turning back to look up to the screen. “How many attacks have you remembered in the time since you’ve become a va mpire that one of our bodies was still alive and going about their everyday lives … without being turned?” She returned her attention to him, and he knotted his brows.

“None,” he breathed, stunned by her admission.

“None … exactly.” She smiled and her platinum locks drooped over her slender shoulder, her lace black collar a stark contrast. “If she comes back, can I trust you to inform me about it … and any conversation that you have with her, or the company she keeps?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. You can go. Thank you for your honesty.” She waved a hand and the stocky male by the door opened it to let him out. Tony had almost reached it before she called his name. He stopped, turning to face her. “I do enjoy your singing. Perhaps we can work out some sort of arrangement for you to express that talent on the slower evenings?”

“I’d like that, mi’lady … thank you.” He offered her a half-smile. She nodded in dismissal, and he felt the weight of the door swish shut as he stepped back into the hallway. Something twisted deep in his hollow gut as he walked heavy-footed back to the main chamber of the tavern.

What had he done?

It was seemingly a meaningless interrogation. One he knew very little about. He assured himself that he shouldn’t care. That it wasn’t his business and if he valued staying alive—however alive they were—he should stay out of it. But could he even do that now? He silently prayed that the pretty girl that had lived through that attack … the one who continued to live as a human somehow, didn’t return to this place. If there was any reason for Dahlia to be scoping her out, then she had some sort of agenda. He didn’t want to think of what that girl may be used for. In all the years that he’d spent in the Black Bird coven … for the first time, Tony wished he wasn’t part of it.

“What exactly would you have done, dude? Like, if he hadn’t stopped you?” Wren asked as Sarah laid her head back in her lap, picking at her black nail polish. “Years ago, I would have never even expected you to hop onto the back of some stranger’s motorcycle, let alone get cozy with one in your bathroom.” She could see her reflection in Wren’s black-rimmed glasses as she peered over her, leaning against the headboard of Sarah’s bed in her pajamas and snacking on red licorice.

“I don’t know what I was thinking. That seems to be the trend right now.” Sarah sighed, dangling her foot over the edge of the bed and raising her opposite knee. “But if he hadn’t stopped me, I might have kissed him … that’s just the way I felt right then.”

“Look, I’m not saying I could blame you. The dude is as fine as summer wine, but—Sarah, this isn’t you. None of this is you. And you’re engaged.”

“I know all of that. And since when do you care? You hate Brent. ”

Wren bit off another piece of the thick, red stick of cherry candy. “That’s an understatement. But the fact still remains, friend. I think we need to talk about it.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Sarah dropped her hands down to rest over her midsection and they both grew quiet as she spiraled into her thoughts. The detective hadn’t seemed inclined to stop himself from leaning in close to her neck. That seemed intimate enough without him then breathing on it, trying to ease the sting of the rubbing alcohol she’d foolishly dabbed on the stitches. It hadn’t been until she’d reached up to touch that sensuous mouth that he’d backed away and wigged out. It couldn’t have just been her own lack of judgment. Even when she’d said she was sorry, only a small part of her meant it. She was sorry, yes, for overstepping her bounds … but not at all sorry that, for whatever reason, she wanted that man so badly right then that she could have leapt on him and never let him back up for air. Why was that such a bad thing? People have one-night stands with strangers all the time, don’t they?

“Penny for your thoughts?” Wren mused; a knowing smirk slashed across the side of her mouth as she chewed mercilessly on her snack. Sarah made a face up at her.

“I don’t know how you eat that shit, Wren. It’s disgusting.”

“No. What’s disgusting is everyone’s lack of respect for the value of old candy. People back in the day really knew their shit. I’ll die on that hill.”

Footsteps sounded up the stairs and they both turned their heads toward the door. They were followed by a firm knock. “It’s open!” Sarah called. Brent peeked inside and before she could think about it, her eyes rolled, and his expression drooped. He saw it.

“I would ask if I should come back later, but …” He shrugged.

“You could have called,” Sarah drawled back, raising from Wren’s lap. Brent looked as if he could snap. The door shut forcefully behind him.

“I did call, Sarah. All day. We need to talk … alone. ” His eyes flickered to Wren, who oddly enough, said nothing in response.

“She’s staying the night. You know, cause she’s not too good to be seen in this part of the city. I couldn’t have asked that of you since you’re too busy to know what’s going on, and too rich to sleep next to me in this apartment until morning.” Sarah’s tone cut like a blade.

“Sarah …” Wren placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I’m gonna walk up to the store up the street.”

“You don’t have to leave.”

“No, I do. I’m almost out of licorice.” Wren winked, sliding off the side of the bed. She slid her feet into Sarah’s boots and pulled a sweatshirt over her head. “You want anything while I’m out?”

“Cigarettes … please.”

“You got it, boss.” She tiptoed around Brent, who slid out of the way and then clonked down the steps as the door closed. There was a long, empty silence between them as they looked at each other.

“Why didn’t you answer the phone?” Brent finally asked.

“Typically, that’s a message on its own, Brent. ”

He was quiet for another long moment and then crossed his arms and stared at the floor. “How did we get here, Sarah?” She crossed her legs beneath her and didn’t answer. Another thing she didn’t know how to explain. Did he do anything? No. But wasn’t that the issue? “Is this because I left the bar that night?”

“That’s most of it,” she said simply.

“Sarah, nobody feels worse than I do about what happened, but I’ve been here. I’ve been right here … every day and all you want me to do is leave. Shit, that’s all you wanted me to do the night you were attacked. I didn’t attack you! I’m innocent, at least on that front.”

“Nobody’s innocent, Brent.” She watched his face go pale. It was clear he was hiding something, but then again … so was she. “Which one of us is gonna go first?”

“Well … I’m not cheating on you if that’s what you’re implying.” Oh, he was fishing. There was definitely something.

“Your tone suggests that you think I would,” Sarah argued.

“Yeah?” Brent pulled out his phone and skimmed through something before turning it around and tossing it before her on the bed. Sarah raised it, finding several photos snapped of her riding off with Detective Kane on his motorcycle. “Tell me what that suggests, Sarah.”

“So, he took me home. And? What’s strange about a police officer escorting a witness that might be in danger after she was almost fucking killed?” She tossed his phone back, nearly hitting him with it. She tried to tell herself that it wasn’t on purpose.

“It wouldn’t be strange, except where I come from … a police escort usually involves a squad car, not my fiancé’s arms wrapped around some tatted-up punk with an unmarked bike.”

“That punk? Is the only reason I’m aware of what was really going on in that hospital, Brent. He and the other spicy detective that you seemed to be so taken with. You’ll have to excuse me for accepting a ride out of that place from someone with a badge … my fiancé wasn’t around to make sure I was somewhere safe.”

“Where was Wren?!”

Sarah shot up from the edge of the bed and stormed toward him. “Wren was with me! I called her after I found this!” She reached for her own phone then, swiping open the photo of his father standing at her crime scene. “Try to explain your way out of this one. I dare you.” Brent stared down at it, zooming in and taking the phone from her. For the life of her, she wished that she could say that he didn’t look surprised … but he did. It would have made ripping this bandage off a lot easier.

“I didn’t know about this. I swear it.” His voice was low … almost angry. Ashamed, even. When he looked up and met her eyes, she could tell he was telling the truth.

“Stay the night with me,” Sarah said, taking her phone from his hand. He drew his brows.

“I thought Wren was—”

“Stay the night with me.”

“Why don’t you come home with me? You can stay as long as— ”

Sarah silenced him, pointing a finger toward him. “That. Right there, Brent. That’s why I want you to leave.”

“Because I’m uncomfortable staying in this tiny apartment?”

“To be an educated lawyer, you’re really fucking thick. It’s because even if we were standing in some shack that was ready to collapse over us, you should be comfortable being with the person you chose to be your wife. The person that you love.” He stilled and dropped his mouth slightly open when she slid off his engagement ring. “Everything changed when you gave me this. You never tell me that you love me. You didn’t even say it the night you proposed.”

“Sarah … I—” His throat bobbed, and she handed it to him. “Why are you doing this?”

“Why are you doing this?” She wished she could cry. Nothing came. Nothing except relief. “Ever since you put this ring on my hand … you’ve been different. All the nights that we spent actually talking about something other than work, or school … any of the times we really had an honest laugh? They disappeared. You used to tell me I was your escape from reality. Then you asked me to marry you, and the world found out about it … and now that’s all I am.” She felt better with every word that left her mouth. Like a chisel breaking her out of an encasement of stone.

“That’s not true.” His pride was hurt, but she swore a small piece of him was relieved, too. This was never meant to be.

“Isn’t it? Tell me the truth, Brent. I know that you’re a politician’s son. But tell me the honest to God’s truth. Why did you ask me to marry you? Can you honestly say that it’s because I’m the love of your life?” He didn’t answer. Sarah slowly nodded her head. “I thought not.”

“Why’d you say yes?” He shoved the ring into his pocket.

“Honest answer? I enjoyed what we had. I saw the real Brent Stratford. I knew who he was, and I didn’t want to lose him. If I’d said no, you might have walked out. I wasn’t ready for that. Had I known that it would be … this? Whatever we are now? I would have been honest with you. I’m not ready to get married, Brent. So, for once, if you can’t be honest with me … then be honest with yourself. You don’t want it either, do you?”

He sighed deeply and stared at the floor. “No … no, I don’t.” Sarah reached up and braced his shoulder and he raised his face back to hers.

“You deserve to be happy, too. Truly happy. So do I. I don’t know what I want, yet. I almost lost my life. I won’t spend another minute of it wondering about the what-ifs. I do care about you … but I’m not a nice decorative piece you get to flaunt for your family’s name. And Brent, you shouldn’t have to feel like you have to do it. So, don’t … go live. That’s what I plan to do.”

“You plan to do that with him?”

“I don’t know him. I told you once … I didn’t come to Boston to find my happily ever after with Prince Charming.”

“Why did you come?”

“You know why … I came so I could go to school. I’ve got a case of my own that I’m trying to solve. Now I am one. If I’m being honest, I don’t see how it’s fair to either one of us to worry and fuss over something that maybe shouldn’t even have been a thing in the first damn place.”

They were both quiet for several minutes before he finally spoke. “I feel like I should be a lot more upset about this than I am.”

“That’s because you know it’s the truth.” Sarah smirked.

“I’m sorry, Sarah. I never meant—I really care a lot about you.”

“I care about you, too. My feelings for you aren’t gone … they’re just different. I don’t hate you. But I think you and I both know that this doesn’t feel like forever.”

“No … I agree with you. I do.” He hung his head for a moment and then reached around her, pulling her into a tight hug. “I’ll always be here if you need me, you know.”

“I know. Me too.” She squeezed him back and when they pulled away, he didn’t waste any time with an awkward goodbye. She was grateful for that. Something empty still tugged at her as she heard him trudge down the stairs and out the lower entrance. She supposed that was normal for someone who just broke it off with someone she’d been with for the past two years, but strangely … it wasn’t as painful as it should have been.

It always goes the same way. The minute someone leaves an argument, or an extremely uncomfortable conversation, one finds themselves thinking of all the things they should have said … or asked. Sarah reflected on that as she rinsed her coffee pot out for the third time tonight and started a fresh one. He never answered her question. Never said anything more about the picture of his father on her phone. There was plenty more she figured he wasn’t telling her, and she’d just let him down easy.

Maybe that was a good thing. It meant there was still a chance for her to ask those questions and get honest answers. And she’d be doing exactly that after he had a few days to tuck his tail and shake it off. She stood at the kitchen counter and stared over at the coffee table at the discarded mug that had long since grown cold next to the disassembled frame with her mother’s photo inside. Sarah found herself wondering about the man who’d drank from it … what he was doing.

If he was thinking about her …