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“This is not the end of this,” Dad said as he stomped out, madder than I’d ever seen him.
I’d broken free, but at what cost?
After Dad left, I pointed a finger Duke’s way. “This is only temporary. I’m moving back here after it’s cleaned up.” My most important truth was that from now on, I decided my destiny.
He growled deliciously.
Duke
Terry and Lieutenant Marcus Wellbourneapproached after my interview with the detective. “This place is a mess,” Wellbourne said. “The guy was either very thorough in his search or very angry.”
“Or both. I’m going to take Serena to my place for tonight.”
Terry cocked a brow. “She could stay with me. I’ve got more space than you.”
I glared at him, and a growl may have escaped. No way was I letting her go with him.
He raised his hands. “It was just an offer.”
Wellbourne smirked. “I’ll keep the crime scene guys here as long as it takes.”
“Thanks.” I left them and found Constance watching over our charge upstairs.
Serena was going through clothing on the floor of her closet. “He sure has an anger issue. He ruined all my purses. I hate him.”
“Why do you think Spinelli hates you so much?” Constance prodded.
I stepped back out of sight to hear her opinion and see if she mentioned Fox.
When half a minute went by, and Serena didn’t answer, I rounded the corner. “There you are, my pretty.”
She threw up her arms, with tears escaping her eyes. “He ruined everything.”
“Remember what I said.”
She sighed and put the purse down. “Yeah, things are replaceable.”
Constance smiled. “Don’t you think they can be repaired?”
Serena shook her head and stood. “I don’t want them anymore. They’ll only remind me of this, of what he did. You can have them.”
Constance’s face lit up. “Really?”
I suppressed a smile. Men went for flashy cars, and women for purses—and God forbid, shoes.
Serena kicked the closest one. “Help yourself. I don’t want to see them again.”
It was time to break this up. “Constance, I need a few minutes with Serena.”
After Constance closed the door behind her, I sat on the bed. “We need to talk.” I held out my hand for Serena’s, and she came to sit next to me.
She hung her head. “About being my boyfriend… I hope I didn’t pressure you too much.”
I placed my hand over hers. “That’s not a problem.” It was both cute and annoying that she didn’t see how strongly I felt about her, but that could wait. “What is a problem, though, is Harvey Fox.”
Her head shook violently as she looked down at our joined hands. “I can’t talk about it. I can’t.”
With a finger, I pulled her chin up to look at me. “That’s not good enough.”
