Chapter 62
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
kole
“What if they don’t believe me?” Dani asked quietly, glancing at me over her shoulder. I chuckled, loving that her emotions were on full display for me, and right now, she was nervous.
“Talk all around town the last few weeks has been about you and what happened. You won’t even need to say anything for everyone to think it’s true.
” My eyes drifted down her body, a smile forming on my lips.
“Plus, I think they’ll be too busy asking why you have a plastic bag wrapped around your leg. ”
She threw me a look, rolling her eyes. “I needed to get out of the house. I was going crazy.”
We were on our way to my bar, and this was the first time in more than three weeks that Dani was outside, breathing in the frigid air. She had a cast on her leg until her ankle healed and wrapped a couple trash bags around it, so she could walk in the snow.
After signing the papers, she’d spent a few more days in the hospital before being flown back to Winterlake. She’d been holed up in our condo, healing, and I stayed with her. It gave us time to talk.
At first, she was hesitant to speak of her past, worried it would scare me away. She quickly learned nothing she said would have me running away, and her confidence grew. I still didn’t know everything, but I wasn’t worried. She had all the time to tell me whatever she wanted.
Nothing she told me would scare me away. I just hoped she knew that.
“The snow is too damn deep,” Dani grumbled, having issues lifting her casted leg high enough to step. “And my toes are cold. I can’t wait to get this stupid thing off.”
With a chuckle, I bent down, sweeping her up in my arms. I was careful, knowing her ribs were still hurting.
She snuggled against me, her new puffy coat pressing against my jacket.
I walked slowly, not wanting to slip while carrying her.
Soon, we got to the door of my bar, and Dani tensed in my hold.
“Don’t worry,” I told her softly. “Everything will be fine.”
She squirmed, silently telling me to put her down. When she was on her feet, I grasped her hand, intertwining my fingers with hers.
“Oh, are we telling everyone we’re together?” she asked, her voice full of teasing.
“Every soul in this town is more than aware you’re mine, Dani,” I murmured, leaning over to kiss her. “Ready?”
“I need a drink,” she muttered as I pulled the door open.
“Adella will make it. You’ll lose your nerves before you finish half of it.”
She giggled, the sound warming my chest. The last couple weeks had been long conversations and lots of sleep for her.
It was only in the last couple of days that she was acting more like herself.
As if the shock of everything was fading.
Her nightmares were still happening, but they weren’t as frequent as they used to be.
But it was different this time. We had no secrets between us. No lies. She was being her true self around me, and I fucking loved it.
The chatter died down when I strode through the doorway, keeping her hand in mine. It was packed, every table full and both pool tables being used. Dani’s grip tightened as all eyes fell on her.
“Look who it is,” Adella yelled from behind the bar. “The woman who is the reason Winterlake is staying open.”
Cheers rose up, and I didn’t have to look at Dani to know she was blushing. More than a few came up to us, acknowledging Dani respectfully before greeting me.
“It’s good to see both of you alive,” Nolan said before taking a sip of his beer. “But let’s take a break from coming to my clinic, yeah?”
“That’s the plan,” I mumbled, moving toward the bar. The crowd parted for us, and Adella rounded the bar, giving me a tight hug.
“Glad you’re back,” she whispered. “This place isn’t the same without you.”
Before I could respond, she let go of me, and gently hugged Dani, being careful with her ribs.
“You’re one of us now,” Adella said with a laugh, her eyes twinkling as she pulled back to look at Dani. “Welcome to the club.”
Dani raised an eyebrow. “One of what?”
“A criminal.” She leaned closer. “There are so many stories going on about what happened in the woods. Are you going to share what really happened?”
“Adella, not now,” I cut in, giving her a hard look. “Let her enjoy the first night out.”
She pouted. “I wanted to know before I leave.”
“Leave?” Dani questioned.
“Everything is going back to normal.” Nerves swam in her voice. “Susan decided I can leave.”
“That’s great, Adella,” Dani replied with an excited smile. “You deserve it.”
She shrugged. “I was here longer because I couldn’t let my old life go.
But I think I’m ready to start fresh. And I’m moving far away from where I grew up.
It’ll help me stay away from trouble.” She paused, shaking her head.
“It’s odd talking to you about it. I still see you as an intern.
The number one rule was that they could never know. ”
Dani was never just an intern. Only me and Susan knew of her past. The locals learned Dani was the one who killed Leo and Miles, because I spread that truth.
Which was why they thought she was here as an inmate, just like all of them.
Guilt stabbed me when I looked at Adella.
She still had no idea I wasn’t here like everyone else—and neither was Dani.
But we were helping, making sure the people who deserved it got a chance at going back into society.
“Did Kole tell you what I was sent to prison for?” Adella asked, breaking through my thoughts.
“No,” Dani answered, and it technically wasn’t a lie. I didn’t tell her, but she’d read Adella’s file along with everyone else’s.
“Manslaughter,” Adella stated with no remorse. “I ran over my ex-boyfriend with his truck.”
Dani chuckled. “Did he deserve it?”
“He deserved worse.”
“A crime of passion,” Dani recited from her experience. “It means your chance of reoffending is lower. I think you’ll be fine in the real world. I’m going to miss you.”
“I’ll stay in touch with both of you,” she promised, her eyes darting to the growing line at the bar. “I still have a week, so we can talk all about what happened.”
I frowned, not having a chance to respond before she walked away. Adella had no idea who Leo was to Dani, and I doubted she would want to share what happened. It was hard enough when she had to tell the detectives all the details.
“I need to sit down,” Dani muttered, heading for her usual barstool, which everyone had left empty for her.
I went around the bar, standing in front of her. I wasn’t working tonight, but it felt weird if I wasn’t behind my bar. Harry was sitting a few seats away from Dani, and from how he was swaying, he was already a few drinks deep. Someone pushed through the crowd, stopping next to Dani.
“Hey, man,” Riggs greeted me with a small grin. “I didn’t get to say thanks for saving my life.”
“Good to see you still alive,” I replied, noticing how slowly he was moving. It was the first time I’d seen him since I left him at the clinic that night. It had been while I was rushing back to Dani that Miles fucking attacked me. “Happy to be back?”
“Three weeks in the hospital was fucking hell,” he said with a laugh. His eyes traveled to Dani. “I heard what you did that night. You doing okay?”
“I’m fine,” she assured him, stirring her straw in the drink Adella handed her. “It’s only my ribs and ankle—”
“I meant what you did,” he interrupted. “Killing someone…it can’t be easy living with that.”
“You’re here for stealing cars,” I gritted out. “You have no idea what she’s feeling.”
“I’m not trying to make her feel guilty,” Riggs snapped, running a hand over his hair.
“I just wanted to say thank you. If they hadn’t been caught, all of us would be back behind bars.
But now she’s stuck in this town because of what she did.
She came here as an intern and is one of us now. Her entire life changed.”
“It’s where I want to be,” she said firmly, giving him a warm smile. “Believe me, Riggs, what I did that night…if I had to redo it, I’d choose the same path every single time.” She met my eyes, a grin playing on her lips. “It brought me to Kole. And now I get to stay with him.”
I kept her stare, my heart skipping. I was in love with this woman. She was it for me. I felt for her in a way I’d never fucking felt for anyone.
Riggs took his drink, nodding before disappearing into the crowd when someone called his name. I leaned over the counter, already missing the alone time we’d had for the last few weeks.
“Want some ice cream? I have some in the freezer.”
Without answering, she awkwardly got off the stool, limping toward the pantry room. I followed after her, ignoring Adella’s teasing words about us just getting here. Once I closed the door, she slid onto the top of the freezer, leaning back on her hands.
With a grin, I took my place between her thighs, grasping her hips. From how her eyes were gleaming, she remembered the fun we had the last time we were in here. But I hadn’t touched her since she got hurt, and I wouldn’t until she was fully healed.
“Everyone thinks I’ve only killed two people,” she whispered, blowing out a breath. “If only they knew about my real past.”
“They don’t need to know.”
She nodded in agreement. “I’m sure Susan won’t let me forget when I talk to her every week.”
“You sure you’re happy here?” I questioned, needing to know. Though it wasn’t like she had much of a choice in the matter. It was either Winterlake or prison.
“Kole, I want you,” she promised, keeping my stare. “That’s all I care about. I liked Winterlake before everything started happening. I think this is the perfect place for me. You’re not worried about what Susan said?”
Susan’s words from last week drifted in my mind.
She’d come to talk to me while Dani was sleeping one night.
She still wasn’t convinced Dani could change.
A serial killer with a craving that could never be sated.
When I’d talked to Dani about it, she admitted she did crave it, but she didn’t need it.
“You’re mine, Dani. No matter what you do.”
She looked at me thoughtfully. “When I’m with you, I have no desire to do it. You overpower that for me. I could be with you forever and be happy.”
I raised an eyebrow, keeping my next words teasing. “Even when you’re in a town full of criminals?”
“It helps,” she admitted. “I can study their behavior. Learn why people do what they do. And I’m still doing what I want in a way.
If there is someone here who does horrible things, I’m a voice that makes sure they never go back into society.
” She paused. “But I don’t want to kill again.
If I get caught, I’ll go back to prison.
And I don’t want to lose you. You’re more important than anything, Kole. ”
I grasped her chin, tilting her face up. “Keep saying things like that, and I’ll never let you go.”
She grinned wickedly. “I’m not sure if you’re aware, but I’m very good at stalking, Kole. I’m never letting you go.”
“Good.”
I kissed her deeply, knowing she was the one I wanted forever with. Whether we stayed in Winterlake or moved somewhere else. She was my home now.