Forgiving Lies (17 page)

“He’s her family. She loves him, I get it.”

“There’s nothing to get. That shouldn’t make a difference. Rachel, I’m so sorry. I’m . . . I’m sorry.” He grabbed the loofah out of my hand and tossed it in the tub. Cupping his hands to catch the water, he tried to help wash the suds off me and turned the water off when I was soap free. “You don’t need to get clean, baby. You aren’t dirty. You’re okay.” He wrapped a large towel around my body and pulled me close as I trembled. “You’re okay. I’m so sorry I didn’t realize, I’m sorry I was upset with you.”

I face-planted into his chest and let him lead me into my bedroom. Letting me go for a moment, he flipped off the lights, quickly undressed until he was only in his boxer-briefs, and walked back up to me. Grabbing the comforter off the bed, he had me let go of the wet towel and let it fall to the floor before wrapping me up in the comforter. I climbed onto the bed after him, and he got under the sheet and pulled me close to him, his arms tightening around my shaking body.

“I’ve got you,” he whispered against the top of my head. “You’re safe.”

My eyes shut and my body melted against his. I focused on nothing but his arms holding me close, the sound of his steady breaths, and his soothing words. Nothing else mattered as long as I was in his arms.

Kash

M
Y FEET SLOWED
their pounding against the concrete as I turned into our breezeway and stopped completely when I saw him.

“What the hell?” I breathed, and got closer. “Can I help you?”

The man looking in Rachel and Candice’s windows jerked back and faced me. “I’m sorry, do you live here?”

Uh, no. I ask questions.
“Can I ask what you’re doing looking in windows?”

“I was trying to see if I had the right apartment.”

“Same question. Different answer, or I call the cops.”
They’ve already been alerted. But that’s just a technicality and I’d rather not use my job around here.

He laughed awkwardly and brought his hands up in front of him. “No, no! I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m here visiting my daughter. I came to surprise her, but she isn’t answering the door. I was just making sure I had the correct apartment.”

“And you didn’t think to call her? Who’s your daughter?”

“Oh, if you live around here you probably know her. Rachel Masters?”

Who the fuck was this guy? I kept a straight face, but every inch of me wanted to pull him into my apartment and interrogate him. “Heard of her. Not sure which apartment is hers. And to be honest, I don’t feel comfortable with you going around looking in windows. So until your
daughter
is here to show you which apartment is hers and let you in, you’ll leave. Or I’ll call the cops. And I can assure you it won’t take more than a few seconds for them to get here.”

His phone started ringing and I watched as he answered with an overenthusiastic “Hey, sweetheart! Whatcha doin’?” He pointed at the phone and mouthed
daughter
. “Oh, you’re out with Candice, huh? That’s great. When are you gonna be back home? Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Okay, I can meet you there. Okay, love you too.”

Did this dumbass really just forget telling me he came here to surprise her?

He put the phone back in his pocket and pointed in the direction of the parking lot. “She’s having breakfast with a friend. I’m going to go meet them there.”

“You do that.” I smiled and watched him walk back to the parking lot. As he got in his dark green Explorer, I took in as much as possible and waited for him to leave before pushing through my door. Mason was standing right there, arms crossed, expression furious.

“That motherfu—”

“Stop!” I hissed, and searched for a pen and paper. God, why is it that you can never find both! Giving up, I grabbed a cereal box and wrote down the license plate, make and model of the car, and every detail I could remember about the creep. Once I was done, I turned to Mason. “You heard that?”

“Yeah, and we had a real similar conversation when I came back from working out.”

“Shit.” Walking quietly, I opened my bedroom door and blew out air I hadn’t realized I was holding in as my eyes landed on my sleeping girl. Thank God we’d both come back to my apartment last night. I already hated knowing that she’d been there alone while Mason and I were both gone, but I would’ve been sick if she’d been in her place and that guy had been trying to find a way in.

I brushed the top of her head with my lips, grabbed her phone, and walked back out to the living room, closing the door silently behind me. I wasn’t dumb; I knew Rachel hadn’t called that guy, whoever he was, but I needed to know if someone was trying to contact her. Sitting on the couch, I started going through her calls and texts as Mason kept an eye on the window. When I didn’t find anything out of the ordinary, I went back to the counter and grabbed the cereal box and my phone.

Detective Ryder answered, and after giving the information on the car and what had been going on with the man, I told him to e-mail me the findings and hung up before facing Mason again.

“Who do you think he was?” Mason asked.

“I have no idea. But he’s sloppy. Even if I didn’t know Rachel’s dad was dead, I would have thought something was weird with the guy. There were too many contradictions in his story. And whoever he is, he obviously doesn’t know that Candice is at cheer camp during the week.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too.” He sighed and roughly ran a hand through his hair. “We gotta keep a watch out for him. I told him to leave, and not twenty minutes later he was back and looking through the windows, trying the door.”

“He was trying—” I caught myself and took a few deep breaths before lowering my voice. “He was trying the door?”

“Yeah, I called you to see where you were, but you left your phone here and as soon as I started calling the cops, you showed up.”

Running a hand over my face, I looked over at my closed bedroom door and thought for a few moments. “If we arrest him, people around us will know what we are.
Rachel
would know what we are. I can’t put her in that position.”

“I agree, the farther we’re getting into this case, the more I’m with you that we need to stay as undercover as possible. Not including the meetings at the department.”

I nodded. “So now, if he comes back . . . do we call the police, or do we watch and take down everything?”

“I don’t know, man.” Mase sat down on the opposite couch and sighed heavily. “If you didn’t know who was living in that apartment, what would you do?”

“Call it in to dispatch, see if he is who he says he is . . . and if he came back I’d arrest him or call APD and get them to do it.”

“But because it’s Rachel and Candice?”

“I wanna know who is claiming to be Rach’s dad and why.”

He didn’t respond for a while and we both continued to look out the window. “If we have him arrested, we can see if Ryder will let us question him. Or at least watch it on the cameras while someone else does it.”

“You know he wouldn’t. He’d want to know why we were so interested in this. Just like Rachel doesn’t know about that part of my life . . . that part of my life won’t know about her. I need to make sure they don’t have a possibility of colliding.”

“All right. I get you. Let’s watch. If he even comes back over the weekend, we’ll watch everything he does and then decide.”

“Sounds good.” I heaved myself off the couch, walked over to the door, and glanced into the parking lot. The spot the Explorer had vacated was still empty, and I didn’t see any sign of him. But if he’d waited twenty minutes after Mason confronted him, I was betting he’d wait a while longer before coming back after both of us had. “Gonna go take a shower, keep an eye out.”

My phone chimed, and after checking and forwarding the e-mail to Mason, I read off everything about our Peeping Tom.

“Marvin Cross. Five feet eleven inches. One hundred and ninety pounds. Caucasian, black hair, brown eyes. Born in sixty-eight . . . Texas resident, no priors. Fucking awesome. I’ve never seen him before at the bar; either he’s checking on Rachel for someone, or she knows him through the school somehow.”

“If you hadn’t just met the bastard who raped her last week, that would’ve been my first line of thought.”

“Mine too. Let’s open the windows and keep the blinds cracked. The sun goes right into our windows, so it should keep him from seeing us, but I want to hear him. Whoever called him played along with that bullshit about her and Candice being together. If he gets another call, I want to know what’s said.”

Just as we’d finished with the windows and blinds, my door cracked open. I turned and smiled at the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. “Morning, babe.”

She smiled and stumbled out of the room.

“Sleep well?” I asked against her hair when she walked into my arms.

“Mmm-hmm. You already go for a run?”

“Yep, I need to shower. Wanna join me?”

She peeked around me to look at Mason, then looked back up at me and blushed as she gently nodded her head. I pushed her back in the direction of my room, and as soon as her back was to me, I tossed her cell to Mason so she wouldn’t ask why I had it and looked back at him in time to see him nod at me.

Whatever this Marvin guy was doing, we would find out. I just needed to find a way to keep Rachel away from the apartments completely while we watched for him.

12

Rachel

“I’
M EXHAUSTED,
” C
ANDICE
moaned, “but we needed this day.”

“I agree. I just want to go home and crash for the rest of the night . . . we did big today.”

“Yeah, we did! How many outfits did we get combined? And the shoes—oh, the shoes. Maybe we should go out with the guys tonight instead. Take them to a club downtown or something. I need an excuse to wear some of my new stuff.”

A club sounded like the exact opposite of fun right now. Not when my comfortable bed and fluffy pillows were calling my name.

With Candice at the cheer camp during the day and me working half the nights during the week and spending the rest with Kash, we never saw each other anymore. Kash and Mason had set it up so Candice and I could go to the movies last night, and today we’d gotten pedicures before going on an all-day shopping spree. It was good to be with her again, but I was already missing just being with Kash. Even before we’d stopped playing games with each other, I’d craved being near him. And now—I couldn’t get enough of him.

Yes, my bed was definitely calling my name. But I didn’t see sleep coming any time soon.

I grinned to myself and hoped Candice wouldn’t ask why I’d started blushing suddenly. “I don’t think I’m up for a club tonight, Candi. Maybe next weekend, when we haven’t been on our feet all day?”

“Oh, did you already have plans with . . . someone?”

“Someone like Kash?”

She shrugged slowly. “Or just someone.”

Uh . . . what?
“No.” I drew out the word as I looked at her expectant expression. “Am I supposed to? And who else would I be with? I only ever hang out with you, Kash, and Mase.”

Candice didn’t respond for almost an entire minute. She just stared like she was waiting for something from me. Like a switch being flipped, her expression went back to normal and she bounced in her seat. “Well, anyway! Next week’s perfect. We can celebrate me being done with cheer camp and our senior year starting!”

I was about to tell Candice we needed to see if she was bipolar or had multiple personalities when what she’d said registered in my mind. “School, that’s, uh—just a little over a week away, isn’t it?” All the color drained from my face at the thought of having to see Blake on an almost-daily basis again. I wasn’t ready to face him, especially after the way he had been that night at work.

“Yeah, can you believe how fast this summer went by? I’m kind of bummed the camp took up all of my time, but next summer, after graduation, we’re going on a trip somewhere and we’re celebrating for a few weeks. Just us, a bunch of hot guys we won’t remember the names of, endless drinks, and the beach.” She sighed contentedly. “Doesn’t that sound perfect?”

I forced a smile as I attempted to remember what she’d just said. “Uh, minus the nameless guys . . . yeah, it does.”

She scoffed. “You’re no fun now that you’re dating Kash.”

“Candice, when have you ever known me to want to hook up with a bunch of guys?”

“Okay, true.”

We got out of the car and, loaded down with our dozens of bags, made our way to the apartment.

“So, you’re not going out tonight?” she asked as we walked through the living room toward our doors.

What the hell was with her right now? “No, Candice. I’m not. I just want to relax for a while. Make one of your booty calls; I’m sure one of your guys is free.”

Before she could respond, I dumped all the bags on my bed and walked into my bathroom to turn on the tub. Giving my sink a double take, I studied it for a second before walking back into my room to get undressed and start pulling things out of the bags. Once everything was laid out on the bed, I hurried back into the bathroom, turned off the faucet, and slipped into the hot water.

After a few minutes in there, Candice poked her head in. “I’m going over to Charlie’s place. I’ll probably be back tomorrow.”

Wow, I hadn’t heard of a Charlie yet. “Be safe. Hey, did you take anything out of my bathroom?”

“No, why?”

“My sink just looks . . . kind of bare, I guess. I’m not sure, it caught my eye when I came in but I can’t figure out what—if anything—is missing.”

She studied the contents on top of my counter before shrugging. “It does look like something’s missing. But I haven’t taken anything. Maybe you just took some more things over to Kash’s and forgot about it?”

“Maybe,” I muttered, but I really didn’t think that was it.

“All right, I gotta go. Call me if you need anything. Love you, Rach.”

“Love you back,” I mumbled.

After she was gone, I took my time relaxing in the tub until the water was cold before stepping out. As soon as I walked back into my room, I knew something was wrong. I looked at my bed and my eyes flitted over the few things that were on it. Over half of what I’d bought wasn’t there anymore.

“What the hell?” I whispered, and checked all the empty bags, making sure I hadn’t left some of my things in there and forgotten. Turning to check Candice’s room, a scream to rival those in horror movies left me and I jumped back, clutching my towel to my chest. “Jesus, Kash! Make yourself known!”

“I called your name when I came in. Why are you so jumpy? You okay?”

“No, I feel like I’m going crazy. First I thought there was stuff missing from my bathroom, and now I swear most of what I bought today isn’t here anymore!”

He offered a small smile and pulled me into his arms before kissing me softly. “Sorry, babe. I should have told you when I came back in while you were in the tub. I’ve been taking your stuff. I packed a bag for you. We’re going on a little trip.”

“We are? Wait. Who’s ‘we’?”

“You and me. Get dressed, we’re leaving in a couple minutes.”

“Kash!” He whirled back around to look at me, and though he was exuding patience, he began pushing me over to my dresser and pulling out thin sweats and an off-the-shoulder top I only ever wore to bed. “Are you packing those too?”

“No, put them on.”

“What—no. First, we can’t just leave; we both have work. How long are we going for anyway? And you can’t just expect me to get ready and leave in two seconds. If you were in here while I was in the tub, you should have told me. I would have gotten out sooner and started getting ready then. I’m not wearing this to wherever we’re going.”

Kash turned me and held me close as he caught my gaze. “I promise you don’t need to dress up for where we’re going; I doubt anyone will see you but me. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to have time to get ready or to know about it. As for work, I took care of it.” He leaned in close and kissed me softly once but didn’t move back as he continued to talk against my lips. “But I planned something for us, and we need to get going. Will you please just put on these clothes?”

I’m pretty sure I wanted to keep arguing with him, or at least demand to pack my own bag. But my stomach had gone all fluttery on me and I had a ridiculous smile on my face as I nodded, letting my nose trail against his, and kissed him once more. “Okay.”

He pulled away and was walking into the living room when his phone rang. I made quick work of finding a bra and underwear and putting them on before throwing on the clothes he’d pulled out for me. I had just taken my hair out of its high bun and was braiding it low and off to the side when he walked back into my room.

“See? You look beautiful.”

“Liar.”

He rolled his eyes and tugged at the bottom of my long braid before kissing my forehead. “You ready?”

I shrugged and looked around my room. “I mean, I guess. It feels weird not packing anything. Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

“No.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the apartment. Mason was standing outside by his truck, looking awkward and like he was keeping watch, but he smiled when he saw us.

“You coming with us, Mase?”

“Nah, just got done loading the truck up.” He threw a set of keys at Kash and Kash led me toward Mason’s truck.

“We’re taking his?”

“Bigger cab.” Kash shrugged and got me situated in the passenger seat. After he shut the door he spoke softly enough to Mason that I couldn’t hear what they were saying, and then he jogged around to the driver’s side.

“There’s a lot of food in here. You went shopping?”

He grinned before reversing out of the spot. “You were gone for a long time today.”

I turned to look in the backseat again and shook my head, my mouth still partially open. I couldn’t believe that he’d planned a trip for us, and to go through all of this? “But, Kash, there’s like . . .
a lot
of food here. I guess it’s safe to say we aren’t going to a hotel . . . or a bed-and-breakfast?”

“Eh. There aren’t many places to eat where we’re going. Well, there’s one, but other than that you have to drive a ways. But I don’t plan on leaving where we’ll be.” His gray eyes darkened and he flashed that arrogant smirk I loved before squeezing my thigh and leaving his hand there.

I instantly hated Mason’s truck for having a center console. From Kash’s throaty laugh and the way he began sucking on his lip ring, he knew I was frustrated. And he knew why.

“How long will it take us to get there?”

“Anxious?” He raised an eyebrow and winked. “An hour or less.”

Drumming the fingers of my left hand on the center console, I worried my bottom lip and studied his profile as he drove. “Drive fast.”

Kash

I
LOOKED OVER
at Rachel, who was practically pressed up against the window as we drove through the country. She’d originally laughed and asked why I was taking her to Florence, Texas . . . but the farther into Florence we drove, the wider her eyes got. And I couldn’t wait to see how she’d react when we finally got to The Vineyard. From all the pictures on their website, it was gorgeous property and secluded. Out in the middle of nowhere. Hardly any cell phone service. Perfect for hiding Rachel from this guy who Mason and I now knew was stalking her for reasons that made me want to hide Rachel forever, but I knew I couldn’t.

As soon as I’d heard Marvin Cross say the name
West
that day, I was done. Mason had continued to watch for him as I’d made countless calls, looked up dozens of secluded places close by that could easily be passed off as a romantic getaway, and then went about getting everything ready. It was one thing for the girl who meant everything to me to have been raped by someone she was close to. It was another thing entirely to have someone stalking her. But to have the guy who raped her hiring people to track and stalk her? That was crossing a line that was sure to blow my cover.

I was already pushing it with the department taking these three nights off, but Mason was picking up my slack, and I was thankful. Mase and I hoped by taking Rachel away for a little bit, this guy posing as her dad would cut back on hanging around the apartment and following her wherever she went, but only time would tell.

Slowing down when The Vineyard came into view, I turned onto the property and drove to the main building to check us in and grab the keys. As soon as I was in the car, Rachel started talking again.

“Are we going wine tasting? Kash, you told me I didn’t need to dress up!”

“We’re not going—”

“Oh my word!” She gasped. “This place is . . . oh . . . wow. Look at this.”

I leaned onto the steering wheel as we passed the gates and slowly drove down the dirt path. I had to agree with Rachel. Damn. Pictures didn’t do it justice. We began driving past the villas and pulled into a smaller one that we would be staying in for the next few days. As soon as I parked the car, I turned to look at her and couldn’t help but laugh through my smile. Her eyes were bigger than a kid’s on Christmas morning. Her hand was covering her mouth, which was still open from gasping at everything, and she was looking back and forth between the villa and me.

“Is this where we’re staying?” She spoke softly behind her hand, like she was in awe. I just nodded and enjoyed watching her take it in. “Kash, it’s beautiful. I can’t believe we’re staying here! This whole place is beautiful.”

“Well, do you want to see the inside, or do you want to sleep in the car and just admire it from out here?”

She smacked my arm and hopped out of the truck, bouncing up on the balls of her feet as she waited for me to join her. “When did you do this?”

“I told you, you were gone for a long time today.”

Her expression was deadpan for all of three seconds before brightening again. “Come on, I want to see the inside!”

Kissing the top of her head, I led her around to a side door and let us in. Even I was shocked by what we walked in on. I’d seen the pictures of our villa, but this was insane. The villa matched the vineyard, and it was as if we’d stepped into Italy, but out back was the best view of nothing but pure country.

I could get used to this.

Rachel was turning slowly, with her mouth still wide open, so I told her to go look around and went back out to the truck to start bringing everything in. I was finishing up putting all of the food on the kitchen counter when I heard her clear her throat behind me.

Looking over my shoulder, I shot a confused look at the face she was making. “Uh . . . do you not like the rest of it?”

Her blue eyes sparkled as she fought off a grin. “Oh no, I do. It’s gorgeous here. The bedroom’s my favorite.”

I couldn’t even come back with a suggestive remark like I wanted to. She was still looking at me weird. “Okay . . . ?”

“Good to know we’re on our honeymoon. Apparently I missed something.”

My head jerked back and my brow furrowed. “Uh, what?”

“Oh, so you didn’t know either? Go check the bedroom. I’ll wait here.”

I made my way to the bedroom and stopped short when I finally found it.
What . . . in the actual fuck?
On the bed were rose petals in the shape of a massive heart, and above the heart, spelled out in Hershey’s Kisses, were two words.
Just. Married.
Um. What?

There was a letter lying on the rose petals, as if Rachel hadn’t bothered to fold it back up, and I grabbed at it.