He pinned her with his gaze. “My grandparents asked you to stay away, didn’t they?”
She gave a hesitant nod as she studied his reaction.
How could the two people who loved him the most betray him like that? For three years, Audrey had been actively avoiding him at the urging of his grandparents.
“Please don’t be mad at them,” she urged. “They were right. Seeing each other again would only lead to more pain.”
“Is that what you think?” he asked. “Because I’ve been over what happened in the past for a long time now. Haven’t you?” It was a lie that he wanted to be true.
Her face twisted, and he could read her expression. “We were kids back then. What did we know about true love?” She stood up and gripped the strap on her handbag. “This is probably a good time for me to say good-night.”
He fished his key fob out of his pocket again, but she was already shaking her head.
“No, thanks,” she said, stabbing her hand inside her purse before coming up with her cell phone. “I’ll figure out a ride on my own.”
“Hey,” he started as she turned her back toward him. “Don’t walk away like this.”
Audrey stopped, but she didn’t turn to face him.
“You’re welcome to stay,” he continued while he had her attention. “In fact, I would very much like the company.”
They were the only two in the waiting room on this floor. Audrey folded her arms across her chest.
“I would very much like your company,” he corrected. “We’ve grown up. We’re different people than we were at sixteen. Maybe we take tonight to get to know the people we’ve become.”
Had he ever really known her? Back then, he believed he did, especially after all those all-night-long talks and promises of a future together. And yet, she always held back. There was always this huge piece of her that was out of reach. He’d naively believed she would open up all the way at some point if he was patient enough. She’d been like a wild animal that had been deeply wounded. Approach too quickly, they panicked and attacked. A scared animal would claw your eyes out if you weren’t careful.
People were far more complicated, he’d learned. They could make you believe you’d broken past barriers when, in fact, you hadn’t even scratched the surface.
Duke had a bone to pick with his grandparents when they woke up from this nightmare. With his grandmother crashing today, she seemed the worst off of the two. It couldn’t have been a good sign, and he wasn’t ready to consider what that might do to her recovery.
“I’m going to go, Duke. I think it’s for the best.”
Before he could argue, Audrey rushed out of the room.
DUKE HAD BEEN right about one thing. It had been one helluva day. Audrey needed to go home and take a shower to wash the day off. It was late, and being near Duke probably wasn’t the best idea when she was feeling so vulnerable. He had a way of stripping her defenses without even trying.
Audrey wasn’t sure if she would be able to sleep after Jenson’s death, the visit to the Napier home and the prickly feeling of being followed that haunted her. She would replay the conversation in her mind dozens of times if she closed her eyes. That much was certain. If her visit got back to her boss, she might be in trouble.
No matter what else happened, a shower and pajamas would go a long way toward making her feel human again.
Right now, though, she needed to figure out a ride home. Maybe she should have accepted Duke’s truck offer. Except then she would be bound to see him tomorrow. His grandparents had one thing right. Seeing him again dredged up a painful past. The only part they’d been wrong about was that it affected her far more than it seemed to hurt him.
Duke came across as not being bothered at all. Good for him.
When she was rested and had a chance to process the fact someone had been watching her and that person was now dead, she might be able to get there, too.
Walking out the glass doors that swished open, she stepped into the night. Everyone she knew was most likely asleep. There weren’t exactly car services out here available at the tap of a screen like in Dallas or Austin. The slower pace came with fewer conveniences and was part of the charm of small-town living.
She should have brought her own vehicle, though. No buses ran this late, either. At this point, she might have to walk home. She pulled up the map feature on her phone to see how long she was about to be hoofing it home. Pride kept her from turning around and going back inside the hospital to ask for Duke’s key.
But the lake was far and the high beams from the parking lot a little while ago caused her to think twice.
Face turned down, she was caught off guard when the doors swished open behind her.
“Hey, don’t leave like this,” Duke said. His voice had matured to a deep timbre that stirred places deep inside her.
Audrey turned around to face him. “Would you give me a ride home? You can just slow down, and I’ll jump out. You don’t even have to stop.”
“I’ll stop,” he said, holding out his hand to reveal the key. “I wasn’t going to let you walk. As far as I remember, this town rolls up the streets past nine o’clock on a weeknight.”
“Thank you for not making me beg,” she said. “I would have, though.” She left out the part where she couldn’t bring herself to go back inside the hospital. At least this way her pride stayed intact.
“The nurses seem to think it’ll be a quiet night, and I sent out another update to everyone, so I’m good to leave for a bit.” Duke started toward his truck after splaying his hand on the small of her back.
He used to do that same move all the time when they were sixteen. His hand was large then and covered most of her lower back. His touch always brought a sense of calm over her as though he could reach the depths of her from this very spot.
“If you’re sure you don’t need to be here,” she said to him. She wouldn’t be able to stand the thought she’d dragged him away from the hospital if something bad happened while he was gone. He was the one in the family who’d agreed to take leave from work to be here for their grandparents.
“Trust me, I’m good,” he reassured her.
Audrey had seen that look on his face before. Arguing would do no good at this point, so she wouldn’t. Instead, she would let him take the lead and give her a ride home. She should be able to rest easy tonight, knowing the perp couldn’t repeat his crime. He couldn’t do anything to her or anyone else.
And yet her heart broke for the family. She had an unsettled feeling in her chest, a tightness that was probably residual from a traumatic past that never seemed to let go of her. It was the reason she’d gone into law enforcement. Every officer has a story, and she was no different.
For Audrey, the idea started as a seedling when she was young and felt helpless against her parents’ wrath. Their cruelty knew no bounds. Her younger sister had taken much of the brunt of their tempers. Making Audrey watch while helpless to stop them had given them an extra thrill. Disgusting.
They were pure evil. At some point, they shifted their focus despite her sister’s attempts to draw their attention away from Audrey. Her sister would pull a stunt like slamming a book closed or “accidentally” dropping a glass while doing dishes.
