“Yes.” I nodded. “But we can trust—”
“No.” Her fingers gripped my skull. “We can’t trust…I can’t trust…” She licked her bottom lip and dropped her hands, looking away from me.
Gently placing my fingers under her chin, I pushed her head up. “I won’t tell anyone. I promise. You just keep being Dani. My Dani.” I grinned and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
When I pulled away she was smiling. “Thank you. I never meant to tell you about my parents. I’m sorry.”
I tipped my head and tucked her golden hair behind her ear. “I’m glad you did and I’m sorry for being such an asshole before.”
Her chuckle was dry and breathy. “You had every right to be. I lied to you. And you’re the only person who’s ever cared enough to figure out why.” She licked her bottom lip. “It worries me that you did, but it’s also nice to be with someone who doesn’t just settle for the shallow. Who doesn’t just ignore all the lies, because all they really want from me is sex or popularity.” Guilt crested over her features. I wondered if she was thinking of Tori, but before I could ask, she sniffed and shook her head. “I hope you understand why I’ve had to do what I’ve done.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I get it. I just can’t believe you’ve been living like this since you were 13.” I waved my hand around the apartment.
She ignored my sympathy, a thought occurring to her. A thought which made her forehead wrinkle and her body shift away from me. “How’d you find out all that stuff about me? Who’d you ask? Who’d you talk to? How did you know?”
I placed my finger on her lips, gently silencing her. I wasn’t sure how much to say. I didn’t want to scare her. She already looked like she was about to be hit by a bus.
I licked my lips and ran my hand through my hair. “I saw a picture of you in my cousin’s yearbook. He goes to Lowell High.” I glanced at her and watched the way her eyebrows flickered with an anguished frown.
“The yearbook? How’d they get a photo of me?”
“It was on one of those montage pages. You weren’t looking at the camera. You probably had no idea the photo was even being taken.”
Her features dented with worry as she rubbed her chin.
“Luke—”
“Who’s Luke?”
“My cousin.” My insides started to thrum as I watched her panic start to fester. Her whole body was tense and alert. She reminded me of a deer who’d just heard a twig snap behind her. She was getting ready to bolt. I kept my voice gentle and smooth. “Luke told me about how you dated Miles.”
“But I didn’t want to.”
“I know.” I rubbed her back.
“How did you even recognize me? Everyone at Lowell knew me as Riley.”
“I knew it was you. Sure, your hair was different, but I recognized the look on your face. You get it sometimes when you’re trying to block out the world, a kind of distant look in your eye. I just knew it was you.”
Her blue gaze met mine, telling me she loved that I really saw her, but it fluttered back to the floor as her shaking fingers scratched the back of her neck.
Did I dare tell her the rest?
“So, how did you find out about Taylor and Peyton?” She choked out the last word.
“Well, I just had to find out more, so I went into San Francisco yesterday to see if I could talk to some other Lowell High students. I was trying to track down Miles’ younger brother.”
“James.”
I nodded. “But I couldn’t find him and ended up meeting up with some other guys, and a student from Balboa High thought he recognized your photo.”
“You showed my picture around?” Her voice hitched.
“Only to a few.” I rubbed her back, trying to settle her. “None of them were certain it was you, they just told me a few stories.”
She sat away from me, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “What if they talk, Zach? What if they start figuring it out?”
“They won’t. They all told their stories and went back to life as normal.”
“Did you tell them who you were? Did you say where you were from?” She stood up, crossing her arms over her chest.
“My name may have been mentioned, I can’t remember, but I definitely didn’t say where I was from. They weren’t interested in me, they just wanted to tell me stories about wild-child Taylor and the day Miles got attack—”
“Stop it!” Stress was radiating from her in pulsing waves that nearly knocked me over. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” She scrambled off the bed.
“Dani it’s going to be okay.”
“You don’t know that. I’ve robbed and cheated these people. What if they come after me?” Her eyes sizzled with panic as another thought brandished her brain, but she pressed her lips together and kept it in.
“I seriously don’t think they will.”
“But you don’t know that, Zach.”
She bit her lip, blinking rapidly at fresh tears. I gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down onto the bed. “You’re right, I don’t know for sure and I’m sorry for doing all this behind your back. But I had to know who you were.”
“No, you don’t have to know.” She shook her head, wriggling her wrist free. “You know Dani and that’s enough.”
“It’s not enough,” I whispered. “I want to help you. I want to get you out of this mess.”
“I can’t just get out, Zach, it doesn’t work like that.” She buried her face in her hands. “It just keeps catching up with me,” she muttered to herself. Her fingers dug into her hair, squeezing her scalp until I thought she might hurt herself.
“Dani.” I reached for her back, but she bolted away from me, her eyes wild and bright as she turned to face me.
“I have to get out of here.”
I was too horrified to say anything as she stepped past me and opened up her bag, ready to cram things into it. It took a couple of slow blinks and serious head shakes before I managed to get my faculties together enough to leap off the bed and stop her frantic movements.
Like hell I was going to let her leave me without a fight!
Chapter 26
ZACH
May 2014
“Dani, stop. What are you doing?”
“I’m leaving!” She threw her pants into her bag, before balling up her shirts and shoving them in the end.
“You can’t just run away.”
“Yes, I can. I have to.”
I crouched down beside her, gently touching her arm. “No, you don’t.”
With a huff, she threw her Converse on top of the bag and spun to face me. “You asked questions, Zach! People talk. Talk travels and then the wrong people hear!”
“I—” Licking my bottom lip, I pulled in a quick breath. “Okay, I’m not sure exactly what you’re trying to tell me here, but you don’t have to run from this. That kid from Balboa High told me a few stories, they weren’t even sure the photo was you.”
“And Peyton? How’d you find out about her?” The look of self-loathing that washed over her features told me everything.
I gently squeezed her arm and used the softest voice I could. “The waitress at the diner where I had lunch saw your photo.”
“And recognized me.” Dani shook her head and reached past me for her books.
I shifted, blocking her way.
“Move!”
“I can’t! I won’t!” I held her face, forcing her to look at me. “I can see how much you hate this life. This is your chance to stop running and get out.”
“I can’t just get out!”
“Why? What’s chasing you?”
Her blue eyes were luminous as they filled with tears. “My past,” she whispered, flicking my hands off and slumping to the floor. “There are things that have happened to me. Things I couldn’t control…” She pressed her quivering lips together and blinked at tears. It was heart wrenching to watch. I shoved my hands in my pockets, trying to perfect my words. I wanted to cover my desperation, yet
still be loud and clear.
Crouching down in front of her, I kept my voice soft.
“You can’t let the past rob you of your future. You have so much life left to live. Don’t let it be dictated by whatever’s happened. You can’t let it beat you.”
Her eyes shot to mine, surprise flickering over her face.
I sat next to her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. “You said you didn’t want to run anymore, so stay, graduate, be with me.”
Leaning her head against my shoulder, she sniffed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I don’t want to let it beat me,” she whimpered.
Breathing out a relieved sigh, I rested my cheek against her head and held her tight.
*****
We stayed that way until my butt was aching and my back was stiff. I felt like an old man as I pushed myself off the floor and pulled Dani up beside me.
Dani. Was that really her name?
It couldn’t be.
I licked my bottom lip, ready to ask her, when she blurted, “Are you hungry?”
A surprised snicker spurted from my mouth. “You seriously cook in here?”
“No.” She chuckled. “I slice.” She grabbed the knife from the door, flashing me a wincing smile before closing the door and moving into the kitchen area.
I waved my hand, indicating we could let that one slide. I watched her lithe body move around the small space. She was so elegant. She reached down for her bag and extracted two apples, a banana and a couple of carrots.
She began to chop the fruit, her graceful hair falling over her shoulder. I liked that it was getting longer. I moved towards her, tucking the hair back and lightly kissing her neck.
A soft moan slipped from her lips and I wrapped my arms around her waist, snuggling her body against me. Man it felt good to hold her. In her bare feet, she was just a little shorter than me. I propped my chin on her shoulder and watched her slice.
She handed a piece of apple up and I took a bite.
It was juicy and sweet, reminding me of her and making me want to kiss her all over again.
I would, as soon as this food was done. Dani looked ravenous, munching on the fruit as if it was the first thing she’d eaten all day.
“Is this your breakfast?” I pulled away from her, grabbing a segment of banana.
“Yeah.” She nodded.
Glancing back at the fruit and carrot sticks, I frowned. “You don’t eat a lot, do you?”
“I don’t know how to cook.” She shrugged. “And I can’t afford to buy too much. I’ve got to make my money last.”
“I saw you con a guy out of three hundred bucks in less than ten minutes. Shouldn’t you be bringing in a ton of cash?”
She tensed, the knife freezing in the air. Was she about to throw it at me? I took a step back. I hadn’t meant to insult her. After a painful pause, she continued slicing the last carrot with decisive chops. Thwack, thwack, thwack. She was probably pretending those carrots were my fingers. I stepped up behind her again, gliding my hand down her arm to still her movements.
“I’m sorry.”
She paused, but didn’t let go of the knife. “I don’t steal because I want to. It’s only out of necessity. I made that three hundred last until this morning. That’s why I had to go out again.”
“That’s like a month.”
“Yes.”
“How do you survive on that?”
“I slice!” She nudged my hand off her arm and finished cutting up the carrots. No wonder she ate so much when she had one of AJ’s dinners. It was probably the only decent thing she had in a day. No wonder she was so damn slight too.
“How do you find the energy to run?”
She shook her head. “Luckily for me, I’ve never been a big eater.” She turned to face me, popping a banana in her mouth. “Tins of tuna, bananas, raw vegetables. It’s enough.”
My brows bunched together.
“I try to have at least four or five decent meals a week if I can. Why do you think I always say yes when you invite me out for food?” Her eyebrows shot up.
“Naw.” I tipped my head. “I thought it was my charming personality and good looks that had you coming.”
She snorted a laugh. “Well, that too.”
Her blue gaze softened as she took me in. Gently stepping towards me, she ran her hands up my chest and wove them into the hair at the nape of my neck.
“I can’t believe you’re here…after everything you found out, you still stayed.”
I ran my hand up her arm. “If it was any other girl, I’d be running my ass off.” Touching her face, I ran a feather light finger over her ear. “But you’re not just any girl.”
Her gaze flickered away from me, her lips pinching into a tight line as she forced air through her nose. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I won’t.”
“You can’t come here again, okay?” She tried to pull away from me, but I grabbed her hips before she could.
“I know where you live now. I can drop you home.”
There was no humor in her gaze when she replied, “You know I like to walk…and I’m not messing with you, Zach. I’ll stay, but you have to promise not to come here again. It’s not safe.”
“Why? Why isn’t it safe?” My insides clenched. “Is someone controlling you? Are you being forced to live here? Tell me what’s going on.”
Con artists never worked alone. That’s what Uncle Alex had said. Dani had admitted she never wanted to steal. Someone must be threatening her. It made me want to break them. Anger shot through me.
“Who’s doing this to you?”
“No one. Calm down.” She stepped away from me and crossed her arms. “I’m my own boss, okay, no one is controlling me.”
And there was the guilt again.
“I just need you, of all people, to be careful…and stop asking questions. If anyone ever found out what you know about me or if they figured out you were looking for me…it could mean trouble. That’s why I’m kind of freaking out here.”
“Why trouble? What are you not telling me?”
“I can’t— Look my parents were killed by a crooked cop and he’s still out there. If he finds me…” She shook her head, expelling a heavy sigh. “What if he found you? What if he hurt you? I can’t live with that, Zach. You have no idea how bad I want to run, how my instinct is telling me to split.” She closed her eyes, chewing her bottom lip so hard I thought it might bleed.
“Do you think that cop is still looking for you?”
“I don’t know.” Her eyes were wide and jittery. “I just don’t know…but if he ever does find me, I’m dead, okay? I’m dead.”
An image of her lifeless body bleeding before me made me move towards her. Wrapping my shaking arms around her shoulders, I held her to me. She wound her arms around my back, gripping tightly, her fingers digging into my shoulders.
My insides were surging from darkness to light. Light that she was safe now and in my arms, darkness because I wanted to kill that cop that had caused her so much pain. She was living in constant fear of him finding her. I wanted to know why. I needed to unpack the story, but I knew Dani couldn’t take anymore today. We’d both been on an emotional roller coaster and I was feeling the effects of it myself.
I felt her wet tears on my shirt and rubbed my hand down her back, kissing her shoulder and reminding her that everything would be okay.
But would it?
How would they ever be okay until she got the justice she deserved? That cop needed to be brought down and nothing would give me greater pleasure than doing it.
Chapter 27
ZACH
May 2014
We spent the rest of the day together, fluctuating between making out and quietly chatting. Dani told me more details of her heists and I told her some more of what people had said about her. She got pretty nervous so I made it light and left Uncle Alex out altogether. I couldn’t figure out why at the time. I guess it was instinct keeping
me quiet…an instinct that was right.
I tried to ease her fears of the past catching up with her, saying over and over how the high school kids didn’t seem that interested. She made it sound as if she was always working alone, but I knew that was a lie. Not the outright kind, but the left out kind. She just avoided certain details. I didn’t have the courage to question her about her “brother.” It was so good listening to the truth, I didn’t want to push for more and end up silencing her. I soaked in her words, my sympathies for her increasing with each story. It was easy to forgive her crimes when I knew she was ripping off such greedy people. She cried when she told me about Tori and I wiped away her tears.
“It’s over now,” I whispered. “You don’t have to live that way anymore.”
She didn’t respond to my confident statement, just went really quiet, maybe trying to believe me. Well, she could. I wouldn’t let her do this to herself. I’d look after her. It was an easy promise to make.
I forced Dani out for a decent meal before leaving her. She insisted on drive-through and we found a secluded patch of forest to eat in. Sitting on the hood of my car, we munched on our burgers and fries, not saying much. My mind was consumed with ending this for her.
I needed one more nugget of truth though and I was worried she wouldn’t give it to me.
After we’d loudly slurped our chocolate shakes and laughed at each other, I drove her home, nervous as hell.
“See you at the pool tomorrow?”
“You bet.” I tugged on her shirt, pulling her in for a kiss.
Her cheeks were flaming as she reached for the door handle.
“Dani, wait.”
She spun back to face me, her expression open. I hated that I was about to close it. Somehow I knew the answer to this question already. It was going to piss me off, but I had to try.
“What’s your name? Your real name.”
Her expression closed down and she shook her head. “I can’t tell you that.”
“You know you can trust me with anything.”
I Know Lucy (The Fugitive Series) Page 17