“Oh shit,” Justin said as he noticed Rowan standing in the doorway.
The woman turned around and had the audacity to grin. As if she was claiming him in front of her. That was so wrong.
“Justin. Would you like to introduce me to your houseguest?” Rowan clipped while closing the door.
He locked eyes with her for a second then smiled a tight smile, all while his jaw tensed. “Yeah. Rowan, this is Angie. Angie, this is Rowan. My roommate. We go way back.”
She heard the hurt in his voice. Angie seemed to have missed it as she giggled and nodded to her.
“Nice to meet you, Angie. Do you mind putting on some pants? I’d like to make breakfast.” Rowan’s eyes never left Justin’s.
“Sure.” Angie giggled again and walked down the hall into the bedroom.
Rowan watched Justin while he nodded to Angie, watching her walk down the hall with a slightly dreamy look in his eyes. Not what Rowan needed to see.
“Way back? Is that how we’re doing it now?” Rowan asked as soon as Angie was safely in the back.
“Just following your lead, Ro,” Justin clipped back at her defiantly.
That’s what she had told Shane-last night, how did Justin find out? And then it dawned on her.
“You went out with Shane last night? You’re working with him? Are you crazy?” Her voice was rising. Of course, this was the work he found. Damn it.
“Yep. Shane and I are good buddies these days. No thanks to you,” He spoke again, anger dripping off his words.
“And you told him I was packing, didn’t you. You told him I wanted to move. That’s how he knew. God damn it, Justin. What’s up with you? Since when do you work as a PI? Since when do you tell people our business?” Rowan was shouting now. Her entire world was tilting-again.
“Our business. You say that like it’s a bad thing. Am I so bad?” The hurt in Justin’s voice was devastating. It sliced her open.
“No Justin, you’re not bad. It’s just me. It’s all me. I’m sorry.” Rowan spoke quietly, wanting nothing more than to walk across the kitchen and hold him.
Justin took a breath and waited. She knew that look; he had shut down, and she would have to wait to finish this conversation.
“Do you really think it’s wise to work with a PI?” She tried a different tactic.
Justin laughed. “Just trying to put my years of experience to work. Ya know, Jewel always said I was one of the best.”
With the mention of Jewel’s name, her blood boiled. “So that’s what you’ve been doing? Proving Jewel right?”
Rowan turned and stormed toward the back. She ran into Angie in the hall and slammed her door shut.
“Rowan. That’s not what I meant.” She heard Justin say behind her.
She was too upset to answer him. Not with Angie in the house and Shane on her mind.
*****
The day had gone from shitty to completely wrecked. Work was slow and painful. The girls were all fretting about school and what was going to happen. She tried to engage, but with everything else going on, she just couldn’t get worked up about what to wear the first day of high school.
Rowan opened her mailbox feeling beat down and almost dead. The postcard that fell out sent a jolt of adrenaline into her bloodstream immediately. “Let’s meet. Lina.” Short and simple. But how did she even know where to send the postcard? Rowan ran upstairs to find Justin. Maybe he would know.
Her apartment was empty when she got inside. Darn. She needed to talk to him. Or Talia. Maybe she got it from Talia. First, Rowan needed a shower, then she would call Talia, it would be good to talk to her anyway.
Twenty minutes later, Rowan ran out of the house, having showered, and started a new load of laundry. Given how amped up she was, she walked to the payphone around the corner. So many things were running through her head, she could barely keep them all straight. Justin was sleeping with someone. She knew that was going to happen, but still. That was a shock. Shane was on some romantic kick, and now Lina wanted to meet. She had probably heard the rumors and was hurt. Or maybe this was a trap.
The phone rang twice before Talia answered.
“Talia,” Rowan breathed out when she heard her sister’s voice. All the emotion she had been trying to hide came flooding back. Talia was her big sister and always did her best to take care of her. Rowan remembered how alone she’d felt when she first left.
“Oh! What’s wrong?” Talia’s sharp voice pulled her back to the moment.
“Nothing. Everything’s fine. Everyone is here. All good,” Rowan told her.
They had learned to not use names whenever possible. Just in case. They never knew how serious Jolly was. Rowan knew Jolly was serious and evil. He enjoyed toying with people and never tired of other people’s misery.
“Good. What’s up?” Talia asked, her voice much more relaxed.
“Just got word from a friend. Wasn’t sure how. You know anything about it?” Rowan asked, hoping her sister would know whom she was talking about.
For a few seconds she was silent, then she let out a long breath. “Yes. She came here. Came here to see you. Thought you would be here. It seemed legit. So, I gave her the address. I really hope that was the right choice.” Talia sounded tense.
“So far. How do I get word back?” Rowan asked, going with her gut on this one; she couldn’t imagine Lina setting a trap. But then, she wouldn’t have thought that Colt would leave her high and dry that night, either.
“Just tell me when and where and I’ll be the go between. And listen. Stay awake on this one. I feel like it’s real, but be ready.” Talia sounded so earnest.
Rowan laughed at the ‘awake’ comment. Using inside lingo seemed funny to her. But still, the message was loud and clear: Always keep your guard up.
“I hear you. Soon?” Rowan asked.
“Yeah, this week. I think she must be out and about. She sounded really excited to find out you were in California. I think she is, too,” Talia answered, then spoke to someone in the same room.
Rowan thought hard about where to go. She wanted to see her, but not at the house. And not where Shane could see her. This had to be done right. The least likely place that Shane would be is a fancy hotel.
“Let’s meet at the Sheraton Teahouse. Downtown. Tuesday. 2 PM.”
“I’ll pass it along. Tell him we miss him and he can come back when he wants. He didn’t have to leave, ya know. We never would have kicked him out.” Talia sounded almost sad now.
“No. He needed to be the cautious adventurer, he’s just not so cautious these days.” Rowan laughed.
“Okay. Thanks baby. Take care.” Talia hung up.
Rowan hung up and wiped a tear from her eyes. Why did they have to live this way? Why the hell did it come to this? She just wanted her family together and to be left alone. She knew that would never happen, but that didn’t stop her from wanting it.
Rowan started to head back, but froze when she felt like she was being watched. Scanning the area, she saw a dark blue Kia pulling away. She couldn’t be sure, but that looked a lot like Shane’s car.
*****
Watching Rowan wipe tears away from her eyes and looking so longingly at the phone was hard. It was clear she loved whoever she was talking to, and missed them terribly. It didn’t help that Justin was with him when he saw her. Shane would have loved to follow her and see what she did next, but that seemed a little creepy with her cousin, or whatever the fuck he was to her, sitting next to him.
“Dude,” Justin said.
Shane pulled out and continued driving. They had a job to do and it wasn’t going to be fun. This time they needed to sneak, yes, sneak, into an office and retrieve some evidence. The plan was for Shane to distract the front office clerk and let Ninja Boy do his thing.
Shane blew out a breath. “What’s the deal with you two? You guys grow up together?”
Justin sat next to him, not moving, not talking.
“Fine, whatever.” Shane’s an
ger got the best of him and he slammed the accelerator hard.
“If it was up to me, you’d already know. But it’s not. None of this shit was ever up to me,” Justin told him, staring out the window.
That got Shane’s attention. He focused back on Justin.
“Okay,” he said slowly.
Justin blew out a long breath. “Look, there’s a lot more going on than Rowan will ever let on. Just be careful with her. She’s been hurt. A lot. Even I know that. I don’t know everything, but I’ve done the math. It’s fucked up. That’s all I can say right now.”
Shane was even more confused and intrigued. On one hand, he was elated because he knew something was up with these two, but on the other hand, he had no idea what Justin was talking about. It wasn’t a puzzle he was going to figure out on his own. He needed Rowan to open up to him.
“Yeah, okay. I really like her. Like, I’m really into her and I don’t want to hurt her. I’m just trying to understand what’s going on with her. I’m not going to mess with her head or anything.” Shane could hear the desperation in his voice and he didn’t like it.
Justin never looked at him, never took his eyes off the road ahead. His jaw tensed a few times, then he said, “You’ll never understand, dude. It’s unfucking comprehensible.”
Shane took that in. What the hell happened to her? To the kid sitting next to him? His urge to dig deeper was overwhelming; he needed to find out the mystery of this woman more than he needed his next breath. He didn’t know what Justin was playing at, but all it did was fire him up like nothing ever had. If ever he had a case he wanted to crack, it was this one.
They pulled into the parking lot of Sunshine Marketing a few minutes later. Justin still seemed tense and he needed to get him to relax. If they walked in this wound up they would be called out in a second.
“Hey, Ninja Boy. You okay there?” Shane grabbed his shoulders and shook him.
That seemed to get Justin to snap out of it. He turned and smiled at Shane, shaking his head a little.
“Yeah. Yeah. I got this.” Justin smirked. Good, he was back.
They walked in together and quickly spilt up. Shane walked over to the front desk lady and sighed in relief to discover she was a young woman with dark hair and an off the shoulder dress. A little dressed up for a receptionist, but it would work to his advantage. Smiling as he approached, eyes already slightly hooded, he would play this out for as long as he could.
She looked up and paused, watching him, “How can I help you, sir?” Her voice was high and sweet.
“Sir?” he asked, pretending to be wounded. “Do I look that old these days?”
“Oh.” She seemed generally shocked at his reaction. “No. I didn’t mean old. I was just. Just. I don’t know. I call everybody Sir.” She floundered in front of him.
“Everybody?” He cocked his head and raised one eyebrow. Laying it on thick.
“Um. Well, no. Not everybody. Just the men. Um. Can I help you?” She was bright red and flustered. Exactly what he was hoping for.
“It’s okay. I’m just messing with you. I’m hoping you can help me though,” he said, stalling for more time.
She looked at him without speaking. She was cute, big brown eyes, full lips, high cheekbones. Her hair was shoulder length and had a soft wave to it. Now that she wasn’t quite so embarrassed, he could see that she was a knockout.
“How can I help you, then?” she asked, with much more composure than before. Shane was impressed.
“Well first, are you single?” he asked her, with an appreciative look in his eye.
Watching her as her brain registered the question, he smiled inwardly. Her mouth opened and shut quickly as her eyes darted around the room and landed back on Shane. He waited while she got her thoughts together.
“I’m really not sure I can answer that question, Sir.” She pinned him with a stern look.
Okay, time was running out. Justin had better hurry up and grab that file.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just you sort of blew me away when I first walked up. I sincerely apologize for being inappropriate.” Shane waited for his apology to sink in, giving himself even more time.
This time, a slow blush started just under her neck and worked its way up her face before she could speak. She closed her eyes for a full two seconds before opening them again. And that was all the time he needed. Justin came out and slipped out the door while she was wishing the floor would open up and swallow her.
“You know what,” she said, still red, but with clear eyes, “Can we just start over? Please.”
“I’ll do you one better. I’m going to leave now. Don’t worry. I’ll come back and we can pretend we’ve never met. How’s that sound?” Shane pulled away from her desk and started to back up.
“That would be great,” she said on an exhale.
“Take care.” He winked at her as he turned and headed out the building.
Opening the door, he saw two figures near his car. Shit. Someone was confronting Justin. Shane started to run toward his car when he saw the stranger throw a punch. Justin moved lightening fast out of his way. Before he reached them, Justin had the guy leaning over his car hood with his arms pinned behind him. All while still holding the file in one hand. Who the hell was this kid? The next Jason Bourne?
“Like I said. I’m waiting for a friend. Looks like he just got here, and now we’re leaving. Thanks for the entertainment. I hate being bored,” Justin was saying when Shane got within earshot.
“Hey,” Shane said, “Problem?”
“Nope. Right, asshole? We got no problems here,” Justin answered him in the guy’s ear, tightening his grip on his handhold.
“No problems. I was just leaving,” The guy said, facedown against the hood.
Justin let him up and stepped back, handing the file to Shane. He slipped it in his jacket before the guy turned around. He glanced a quick look at Shane and then at Justin before storming off.
Shane looked at Justin, questioningly, then opened the car. They both slipped in and he drove back out on the road.
“It’s all there. Memos, emails, even an invoice. These guys hired him to sue. It’s all in the file,” Justin told him as they drove away.
“And the guy in the parking lot?”
“Not a fucking clue. He didn’t like me and didn’t like that I was holding a file. I’m guessing really bad security,” Justin answered him matter of factly.
“Yeah, okay. Good.”
Chapter Twelve
Fast or slow. Whatever I want. Isn’t that what Shane had told her? Whatever she wanted. He was in, no matter what? He’d seemed so genuine and so unbelievably confident about them. Rowan went over the conversation repeatedly, trying to piece out the words, trying to make them mean something different, but in the end it seemed that Shane was just a nice guy who was really into her. He didn’t know anything about her past.
At least, he didn’t know anything Justin hadn’t told him. She knew Justin meant well, but that had been a blow. She forgot how impulsive teenagers could be. He shouldn’t be here with her, it was too dangerous; he needed to be living a regular life, dating girls and flipping burgers for a living, taking a few college classes and getting drunk with his friends. She needed to send him back to Talia’s. It was too dangerous for both of them. If he kept this up they’d find her, and if they found her, they’d take him back, too. Jolly didn’t want Talia, he gave up on her years ago-Justin would be safe with her.
And now he’s working with the PIs. Staying out late and doing god knows what. She supposed it was better than what would have happened to him, but still it felt a little like failure-like she didn’t get him out in time. They still corrupted him; he knows too much now. It feels normal to him.
Rowan had been thinking and pacing her apartment for about an hour, waiting for Justin to come home. Her phone call with Talia had been both good and bad, but this wasn’t about her anymore. She needed to focus on Justin and get him b
ack to a normal 18 year old life.
She wasn’t even sure she should tell him about Lina. She’d been so wrapped up in Shane, she almost forgot all about the meeting. No, she wasn’t going to tell Justin about it. She needed Justin to believe she was fine. Fine enough to date a PI, even! That was a good idea, Justin would see she was fine and dating a good man, and then he would go back to Talia’s and go to college.
Dating Shane wouldn’t be horrible. Her skin shivered thinking about it. He really was a great guy. And sexy. And really good in bed. Small earthquakes shook her body with the memories of the last few nights. And there was something about the way he made her feel that was addictive. When he held her and looked in her eyes, she felt as if she was the only woman alive. He made her feel sexy and cherished. That can’t be a bad thing, right?
Rowan heard keys jingling at the door. Justin was finally home. The door opened and Rowan started walking toward it.
“Justin. I’m really sorry about-” Rowan stopped speaking when she looked up and saw Shane standing in the doorway.
Justin walked in and gestured to Shane to follow. Shane’s eyes locked with hers and she felt every nerve come alive and start pulsing, the heat in Shane’s eyes speaking to her on a cellular level. She wasn’t strong enough to deny it. She wanted this as much as he did.
“You were saying?” Justin broke the silence.
Rowan looked over at him to see him grinning at her.
“What?” Rowan couldn’t remember what she had been saying. It was something, but for the life of her she couldn’t think of it.
Justin laughed out loud. “Jesus, Ro. Whatever. Don’t worry about it. I got the message. You’re sorry for being PMSy this morning and you love me. I know.” Justin laughed as he walked down the hall.
Rowan snapped out of it. “Wait a minute, Mister.” She turned to Shane. “Was he working with you today?”
Shane’s eyes widened in surprise. “Yeah. He’s, um, really good.” He closed the door behind him, stepping fully into the room.
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