The One Place (16 page)

I looked up to see that, thank God, we were home. I hadn’t paid even an ounce of attention the whole way so thankfully we had made it here safe. I looked over at Talie to see she was literally falling apart. I had to get a handle on this and soon.

I opened my door and jumped out, rounded the hood, opened her door, and pulled her into my arms. I decided I would carry her inside because she didn’t look like she was makin’ any moves to get out of the truck on her own. I kicked the door shut and headed for the house. Going in the front door, I headed for the kitchen. I was gonna put her on the couch, but this would be easier if I could stand and she could still be at eye level with me.

When I got into the kitchen, I set her down on the island, pushed her legs apart, and stepped in between them. I put my hands on her cheeks and she started shaking her head. “I have to leave, Tuck! I have to leave!”

I held her head immobile and looked directly into her pretty blue eyes. “Babe, get it together. I know this is huge for you. It’s huge for fuckin’ both of us. But you aren’t goin’ anywhere. You are gonna stay here with me, and we are gonna fuckin’ work this out together. I am gonna protect you, Baby. He isn’t gonna hurt you. I promise.”

Tears started to wet her eyes and she whispered, “But my family, he’ll go after them.”

Fuck. Alright. “You call them. You tell them you are alive and that you’re here with me. Get them to come here. We’ll watch out for them.”

“They won’t come here! They’re gonna hate me!”

“Not possible, Babe.”

“Tuck, I cut them out! I haven’t talked to them in over a year and I let them think I was dead!”

They would forgive her. I knew I would if I were them. “They will forgive you. I would forgive you. And I would forgive Jenny.”

I could not believe she knew my sister! I shook my head as I said, “I can’t believe you know my sister.”

Her face contorted as she told me, “You said you called her Winniekins. You always referred to her as Winnie!”

Jesus, she was right. “My father called her Jenny Winniekins. I called her Winniekins or Winnie.” I shook my head when I realized what she must be thinking. “Babe, this isn’t your fault. You wouldn’t have known anyway. It was like a one in a million chance that she would be the same Jenny.”

I pulled my shit together and got back on track. “What about Jenny? Where is she? What happened to her?”

Talie burst out crying and I knew the answer wasn’t good. I fought the fuckin’ boa constrictor that was trying to choke my throat. I would break down later. There were too many other important things that had to be done and had to be done now. “Do I need to worry about her?”

She just shook her head and sobbed, “I’m so sorry, Tuck. Oh my God. I’m so so sorry.”

My mind centered on one thought. “Maybe it’s a good thing my parents aren’t alive. At least they won’t have to live with knowin’ what happened to her.”

We both sat in silence for a few seconds before Talie’s arm shot forward and grabbed the front of my shirt as she sucked in a huge gasp of air. “Holy shit, Tuck. Oh my God. Holy fucking shit. Please Jesus, no.”

Jesus. “Babe, what the fuck?”

“Shit. Tuck, when did you say your parents died?”

Jesus Christ, she wanted to do this now? “Talie, I can’t do this right now.” I was barely hanging on as it was.

She yanked the collar of my shirt and yelled, “When did your parents fucking die?”

Fuck! Didn’t she know I was already about a millimeter away from completely losing my shit? My voice broke as I screamed, “Like four years, two and a half months ago!”

Her faced paled and her hand twitched in my collar.

Her voice came out in barely a whisper, but I heard every fuckin’ word. There was no way to not hear what she said. “I think Andrew might have had something to do with it.”