Chapter 9
Billy
As much as I didn’t want to admit it, Everleigh was getting to me.
She was getting to me in ways that I thought were no longer possible.
When Grace died, I’d closed myself off from the rest of the world, and since then, I’d never let anyone get too close.
It was the only way I could guard what was left of my heart.
But there was something about Everleigh that had my walls crashing down around me.
I had no idea what the hell was going on with me.
She had me so tangled up that I couldn’t eat or drink.
Hell, it had been days since I’d been able to sleep.
I tried, but every time I closed my eyes, I saw her staring back at me.
I’d think of her innocent smile, and that’s all it took before I started thinking things I had no business thinking.
I’d have her pinned against the wall, and her gorgeous eyes would be locked on mine as I eased my hand down between her legs.
Her breath would hitch when I slipped my fingers inside her, and then, the room would echo with all her little whimpers and moans as she writhed against me, pleading for more.
I’d start tossing and turning, doing anything I could to shake the thoughts from my mind, and when that didn’t work, I’d remind myself that she deserved better than a man like me. And after what I’d done, I didn’t deserve a woman like her.
So, I did my best to ignore the churning feeling in the pit of my stomach.
But the morning she reached out and touched me nearly did me in.
The feeling of her skin against mine felt incredible, so incredible it sent a jolt down my spine.
Fearing Everleigh might have felt the same spark, I jerked my hand back.
She was hurt by my brash behavior. I could see it in her eyes, and even though I was tempted to try and ease the pain I’d caused, I said nothing.
Instead, I pretended like nothing had happened, then I went outside to talk to Viper. I’d hoped that I would have a little reprieve from all the nonsense going on in my head, but no such luck.
We’d only been talking for a moment when Viper asked, “And the girl?”
“She’s making it. Getting stronger every day.”
“That’s good to hear.” Viper crossed his arms as he asked, “You got any idea what you’re gonna do about her?”
“I’m working on it,” I answered. “Still trying to find a safe place for her, but once I do, I’ll be able to piece things together from there.”
“Sounds like you’ve been busy.”
“Oh, I have... The way I figure it, the sooner I get her out of here, the better.”
“I can’t disagree with you there.” A smirk crossed Viper’s face as he added, “If it were me, I’d give her a fake ID and put her ass on a bus. Just be done with the whole fucking thing.”
For some reason, it felt okay for me to say I wanted her gone, but when Viper said it, it felt different. It felt wrong. “Well, it’s not you. It’s me, and I’m not putting her on any fucking bus.”
“Oh, shit. Not you, too.” Viper looked over to Menace as he said, “There’s gotta be something in the fucking water.”
“I think you might be right.” Menace studied me for a moment, then chuckled. “Yeah, you’re definitely right.”
“You two wanna tell me what the hell you’re talking about?”
Menace snickered as he explained, “Prez has been waiting for one of us, just one, to find a drama-free woman, and looks like you ain’t it.”
“What the fuck?”
“No sense denying it.” Viper cocked his brow as he continued, “You got a thing for her. Hell, it’s written all over your face.”
“I don’t feel shit.”
“Hm-hmm. You keep telling yourself that.” Viper turned and started down the steps. “Tread carefully, brother. Tread very carefully.”
Before I could say anything more, he and Menace whipped out of the drive and continued toward the Manor.
I was worried that Everleigh might’ve overheard my conversation with Viper and Menace, but that wasn’t the case.
When I went back inside, I discovered that she’d retreated to the guest room, and I left her there and avoided her for several days.
Don’t get me wrong. I checked in on her from time to time and made sure she had everything she needed—food, fresh clothes, and whatnot, but there were no lengthy conversations. I simply gave her the necessities and went back to work.
I’d been trying to figure out the best place to relocate her and was finally making progress when I heard a door slam above me.
Concerned that something might be wrong, I jumped up and rushed upstairs.
When I stepped into the kitchen, I found Everleigh next to the front door.
She was slumped down on the floor with her legs drawn up to her chest, and her chin propped up on her knees.
She looked utterly defeated as she muttered, “I’m stuck here. ”
“What?”
“I have nowhere to go.”
“Yeah, I know.” My chest tightened as I stepped over to her and said, “But I’m working on it. I’ll find a safe place for you soon enough.”
“But how?” She wiped the tears from her eyes as she said, “You said yourself that if Antonio found out I was alive, he would kill me.”
“I’ll just have to make sure he never finds out you’re alive.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“No, nothing easy about it, especially for you.” I lowered myself to the floor and sat down next to her. Then speaking as calmly as possible, I told her, “You’ll have a new life. A new name. A new home. A new job.”
“And I won’t get to see my family or friends ever again.”
“No, you won’t.”
“It’s so unfair,” she cried. “He’s the monster. He’s the one who should lose everything.”
“Trust me. The time will come that Antonio gets what’s coming to him.”
“I sure hope you’re right about that. I really, really do.”
I could see that she was struggling mentally, but physically, she’d gotten a good deal stronger.
Her wounds were healing, and her color was looking better, so I thought it might do her some good to get out for a bit.
With that in mind, I gave her a warm smile and asked, “You feel up to a little walk?”
“Where?”
“Just around the property.”
“Yeah, I think I could manage that.”
I stood, then helped Everleigh up off the floor. Once she was standing, I stepped over and opened the front door, then waited as she stepped outside. As soon as I closed the door behind us, she turned to me and asked, “So, where do you want to go on this walk of yours?”
“I thought we’d go down to the pond for a bit.” I motioned my hand over to the pier as I asked, “Do you think you can make it that far?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
I gave her a quick nod, then guided her down the steps and over to the gravel path. We hadn’t gotten far when Cy, the friendly stray, came wandering up. Everleigh knelt down and ran her hand across his head as she asked, “Who’s this?”
“That would be Cy.” I leaned down and gave him a light rub on the head. “He’s been coming around for a couple of years now, but he never stays long.”
“Do you think he belongs to someone?”
“No idea who.” I stood and motioned my hand toward the corn field. “The next house down is about five miles away.”
“Well, he looks well fed to be living completely on his own.” She gave him another quick rub across his back, then stood. “And most strays aren’t so friendly.”
“You’ve got a point there.”
Seconds later, Cy spotted a bird and disappeared into the field, so we continued on with our walk. When we reached the dock, I turned to her and asked, “What do you think?”
“It’s really beautiful.” She took a quick glance around, then admitted, “I didn’t realize how big your place was.”
“It’s hard to tell from inside.”
“Yeah, it definitely is.” She looked back out at the pond as she asked, “How long have you lived out here?”
“For as long as I can remember. We moved in well before Kiersten was born.”
"You know, you never told me what happened to your wife.”
“No, I guess I didn’t.” I wasn’t in the mood to dredge up the memories of that day, so I kept my explanation brief. “She had an unexpected reaction to her medication, and it killed her.”
“Oh, God. I’m so sorry, Billy. That must’ve been really hard for you and your daughter.”
“It was, but we got through it. Besides, it was a long time ago.”
“I’m sorry all the same.” She knelt down and picked up a couple of pebbles from the ground, then tossed one into the water as she admitted, “I was going to get married, or at least I think I was.”
“Oh?’
“Um-hmm. His name was Bobby.” I already knew all about Bobby McCormick.
His information was included in the intel Menace had given me on Everleigh, but I didn’t tell her that.
I simply stood there and listened as she said, “I’m not sure where he is now, but there was a time when we had big plans.
We met during my sophomore year of college in one of our Econ classes. ”
She tossed another pebble into the water as she said, “He was a real charmer. I fell for him fast and hard, but I never really felt like he was all that crazy about me.”
“Oh, why’s that?”
“It’s hard to explain. When we first started dating, things were great.
Bobby seemed to be completely devoted to me, but once we graduated, we both became obsessed with our futures and getting our careers off the ground.
Bobby traveled a lot, and I spent hours on end at the office, and over time we kind of forgot the reason why we started seeing each other.
Or at least, I’m pretty sure Bobby did.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m pretty sure he was seeing someone else.” She leaned over the railing and scoffed as she looked down at the water. “I was going to confront him about it, but I was taken before I got the chance.”
My throat tightened as I asked, “Do you still love him?”
“I’ll always care about him, but our time has come and gone.”
“You sure about that?”
“Oh yeah, I’m pretty sure.” Everleigh turned to face me as she explained, “I mean, the man never even tried to look for me. I saw the papers. Watched the news. Never once did I see any reports that I was missing.”
“I’m sure Antonio had something to do with that.”