Chapter 20
ELARA
Rhett drives a circular route around our hometown, avoiding the landmarks and sticking to the forest roads.
I appreciate that, because the last thing I need is a drive-by reel of flashbacks from my old life.
Mira sits in the backseat, staring down at the book in her lap, lips pressed into a flat line.
I drum my fingers against my leg and glance across the car at Rhett in his dark hoodie, his hair catching the light, a light black dusting of beard over his strong jaw. My… lover now, I guess. A killer. A man who could break and save me.
There I go being dramatic again, but screw it.
This is a very dramatic situation.
Rhett glances in the rearview at Mira, sighs, and looks at the road.
“Are we okay?” I ask.
Rhett nods. He knows I’m asking if we’re being followed.
Before we left, he scanned his car with a device to check if there was anything on it. Then we drove down winding routes, skipping traffic lights when we hit a town, and then another winding route.
Finally, we end up outside a house in the suburbs, with a long, sprawling yard out front.
“How much does he know?” I ask.
“He knows enough,” Rhett replies. “I trust him with my life.”
I look out the window, chewing my lip.
Rhett leans in and lowers his voice, his warm breath whispering against my neck. “He’s not sneaking up on us, beautiful. I swear to you.”
I climb from the car and go to the back seat. When I lean down to pick Mira up, she huffs and slides onto the concrete and walks toward the house. I smile at Rhett because that’s a small win. She might not be speaking, but at least she’s still in there.
I walk up the pathway close to Rhett’s arm but not touching him. I want to reach out and link arms with him, but that would be too couple-like, I guess. It’s hard to know what we are when we’re not pretending.
He knocks on the door and takes a step back. For a few moments as we stand there, it feels like we’re a real family. I think Mira even senses it because she smiles and looks up at Rhett, then wiggles her eyebrows at me. The poor girl is scared, but she’s not going to let it break her.
Rhett grins, and then the door opens. Marshall is a tall, thin man with a thick mustache and a kind smile. He smiles, stepping forward, slapping Rhett on the arm. “It’s damn good to see you.”
Rhett smiles back. “Marshall, this is—”
“Elara, Elle,” Marshall says, turning to me. “Yes, I… it’s good to see you.”
“Thank you,” I say. “And please, call me Elle.”
“And you must be Mira.”
Mira smiles, but then turns to me, pressing her face into my hip. I stroke her hair. It’s awful, but her fear gives me the motivation I need to go through with this.
“She’s a little shy,” I say.
Marshall nods. “I understand. Please come in.”
He invites us into his home, airy and bright. Two boys sit cross-legged in front of the TV, around Mira’s age, playing a video game. Mira takes a few nervous steps in, then walks around the back of the couch, staring at the TV.
“Mira,” I whisper.
“It’s okay,” Marshall says. “Boys, this is Mira, who I told you about.”
One boy turns, freckly along the bridge of his nose with a kind smile. “Oh, sorry. Hey Mira, want to play?”
Mira looks at me. “It’s okay,” I tell her.
She looks up at me, then rushes off with a smile.
“We’re actually smoking some meat on the barbecue,” Marshall says. “We can head out back if you like?”
I bite my lip, looking at Mira as she smiles and sits between the boys, my mind going to ugly places.
Rhett gently squeezes my arm, then leans down. “The doors are glass, look. The barbecue is right there. We’ll be able to watch her the whole time.”
We step outside and I’m happy to see Rhett was right. I can look straight through the glass to where Mira is smiling and waving the controller, presumably in victory. Rhett puts his hand gently and reassuringly on my arm.
I need to do this. If I’m not even able to relax when she’s ten feet away, how am I going to leave her?
I have to trust Rhett. I know he’d never leave her in a dangerous spot.
“It’s nice out here,” I say, as Marshall flips a burger.
“Thank you,” he replies, looking over his deck. “I like it. My wife will be down in a minute.”
“You don’t have to feel awkward, by the way,” I say. “I know you probably know a lot more about me than I do about you.”
“Not much to know,” Marshall says, chuckling. “I worked with that one for so long I had to learn how to be cheerful, otherwise I’d go mad. Other than that, I’m a fishing wizard and married to a beautiful, wise, gracious woman…” He smiles, and I realize his wife has just walked out.
She’s an elegant woman wearing a sleek blue suit.
She walks over to me in short heels and pulls me into a hug.
“Hello, dear. My name is Lucy. I know, I know, I’m very forward.
But I want you to know, you’re welcome here.
” She squeezes me, then steps back, laughing.
“I promise I’m not usually this strange. ”
I laugh, delighted. “Honestly, it makes a nice change from people tiptoeing around it.”
She shoots a look at Marshall. “People, huh?”
Marshall laughs, holding his hands up. “Hey, I’ve got tact. Some say charm too.”
“No one says that,” Rhett says, chuckling.
I laugh with him, glancing indoors, seeing Mira sitting cross-legged, smiling at one boy as he plays the game.
“And that’s Mira inside?” Lucy says.
“Yes,” I murmur. “She’s gone through more than she deserves.”
Lucy nods. “I know. I’m so sorry, Elara.”
“Elle, please.”
“Elle,” she goes on. “I know you must get sick of it, but I am just so, so sorry. Life is cruel.”
Lucian is cruel. But he won’t be for long.
“Thank you,” I say, genuinely touched.
“And of course we’ll watch Mira for the day,” Lucy adds.
“She’s a good kid,” Rhett says. “Quiet at the moment, but she’s funny, clever, caring, smart, and emotionally intelligent.”
My heart glows as Rhett talks so warmly about Mira. I spread my hand over my heart, emotion coiling inside my chest. It’s almost like my heart is telling me this is the man for me.
I almost laugh at the thought.
“What are you smiling at?” Rhett says, with a smile of his own.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
This doesn’t feel like practicing anymore, doesn’t feel like a role. It feels real.