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“Then call the police.”
The phrase blindsided me, and I knew my face betrayed every ounce of it. “I can’t.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why not?”
“I just can’t.”
“Julian, I’m giving you one last chance to tell me everything.” When I refused to look at her, she kneeled in front of me, dropping defenses as she placed a palm against my chest. “This isn’t working.”
“What are you saying?”
“I don’t need your protection. I need your trust. If we’re going make it, we’ve got to trust each other. Right now, we don’t.”
My voice cracked as she shattered my world. “That’s not fair.”
She tumbled from her knees to a sitting position against the wall. “It’s not fair to either of us. I took a huge leap of faith moving here, and I don’t regret it. But if you can’t meet me halfway, we don’t have a chance in hell.”
A storm brewed behind my eyes. One that had been building for months. I raised my voice. “What are you saying? Do you want out? I wasn’t aware what we have is that easy to walk away from.”
“Don’t you dare put this on me,” she said calmly.
I needed the phone to ring. I needed verification before I broke what was left of her trust. I had to buy time, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how to do it.
Watching me closely, she took the upper hand. “I went to Griffith Park.”
Coming off the floor, I grabbed my hair. “You fucking did what?’
Squaring her chin, she repeated herself. “I went to the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round. There, it’s honesty time. Here’s my confession. The night I made up that shit about Ryker getting arrested, I waited until he fell asleep, then swiped the keys.”
“For the love of god, why?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The image of her alone where that girl had been found, stabbed and lifeless, tore at me until I could barely see.
“I had to see it for myself,” she whispered. “I knew, Julian. The minute I heard the broadcast, I knew he did it. I don’t have proof, but I know he’s here.”
There it was…the perfect lead-in. The perfect opportunity for me to confess. She’d handed it to me on a silver platter. All I had to do was dish out my dirty conspiracy secret with Jaxon Hough in hiding the truth of her father’s whereabouts.
“Phoebe—” My confession was interrupted as my eyes settled on a shiny object that caught the reflection from the dresser mirror. Bending to pick it up, I closed the blade and clamped my hand around it. “Motherfucker.”
“What’s wrong?”
I helped her up from the floor, retrieved her skirt, and guided her toward the stairs. “Go to the car and lock the doors. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“But, Julian…”
I tried as best as I could to not lose my shit. “Please, Phoebe…just do it. I promise I’ll explain in the car.” She finally nodded and descended the stairs. Once I heard the front door close, I pulled my phone out, hit redial, and waited for the same voice mail. “Forget calling me back. Unlock your fucking door, we’re on our way.”
Tearing out of the room, I flew down the stairs and slammed the front door behind me.
***
“Damn, stop knocking, I’m coming!” Turning the bolt, he swung the door open. Our eyes collided and he smirked. “What the hell, Jag?”
I shoved Zane’s shoulder, tearing into his living room, dragging Phoebe behind me. With her arm still caked in blood, he raised an eyebrow and called after her.
“Phoebe, what the hell happened to your arm?”
I let go of her hand and reached into my pocket, pulling out the piece of metal. Pressing the release button, a shiny blade appeared, and I held it up to his face for inspection. “Missing something?”
Zane stared at my hand. “I can explain, brother.”
