Gross guilt fills my stomach for thinking he might be a part of this.
I open the texts and scroll through them with shaking hands.
King: Come back.
King: Are you okay?
King: Why were you crying?
King: Answer your phone.
King: I’m sorry if I was harsh.
King: Val, answer me.
King: Please reply to me.
King: I’m going to tell Savannah.
King: Don’t make me tell her.
King: I’m sorry I didn’t stop him.
King: Just tell me you’re okay.
New tears, real tears, start to fall from my eyes.
Because King wasn’t lying.
But none of it scrapes away the ugly doubt clinging to my ribs. Because King is an honorable man. And he’s probably reacting this way because of familial obligation.
And I’m so fucking sick of being an obligation. A burden. The relative who doesn’t fit. The one who gets a chair at the table out of pity. Because she has nowhere else to go.
I sniff, the tears still falling.
And that’s not fair.
It’s not fair to King or Savannah or Aspen. Because maybe they are trying. But it doesn’t change the facts. And it doesn’t change history.
I wipe at my cheeks.
It’s nice that King called me.
But I’ll get myself out of this situation. Just like I’ve gotten myself out of all the ones before it.
I type a reply to King.
Me: Sorry, my—
Delete.
Me: My phone was off. I’ll call you later. I’m okay—
Delete.
Me: My phone was off. I’ll be okay.
Send.
I won’t be anyone’s burden anymore.
CHAPTER 18
Dom
I’m trying to keep my attention on the road so I don’t kill us, but I can’t stop looking at Valentine.
Did King have anything to do with this? With you and me?
Why the fuck would she ask something like that?
Were we not standing in front of the same King just a few hours ago? That man was ready to rip my fucking head off. His anger today rivaled his anger from those months ago when he thought I was being shady with his wife.
I don’t know why Val would be doubting him, but based on the amount of scrolling she did on her phone, I think King was telling the truth about trying to reach her.
But she doesn’t call him back. And after she sends a text, I glance over and see her turning her phone off.
What the hell?
I tap my fingers on the steering wheel.
I really felt like I had a good idea of who Valentine was, but her reaction to all of this has me second-guessing some things.
Deciding we could both use a little air, I flip on my blinker and move across the scattered traffic to take the next exit. The car behind us follows.
Val doesn’t say anything as I take a series of turns toward a large, well-lit gas station, but that’s not a surprise.
I pull up in front of an open pump and turn off the vehicle.
Val holds her phone out toward me.
“You want me to hold that for you?” I ask.
For the first time since standing in King’s entryway, Valentine raises her eyes to meet mine. They’re red rimmed and dull and have me gritting my teeth.
She looks between me and the phone still in her hand, then slowly lowers it. “You aren’t going to take it from me?”
I turn in my seat to look at her better. “I’m not taking away your phone.”
“Oh.” She sounds confused, then looks out the windshield. “Can I use the bathroom?”
What?
“Yeah, Valentine. You can use the bathroom.” My confusion matches her own. “You’re not a prisoner.”
She sets the phone back on her lap. “Can I go home, then?”
There it is.
I shake my head. “You have a new home now.”
“But I don’t want to go with you anymore.”
Her words shouldn’t sting. Obviously, she doesn’t want to go with me anymore. I can’t blame her. But I still don’t like to hear it.
“That’s too bad, Shorty.” I purposefully use one of my nicknames for her just to piss her off. “You already emailed your boss and told him you were moving to Chicago. It probably wouldn’t look good if you changed your mind on such a big decision twenty-four hours later.”
Anger blooms in her cheeks, and it’s so much better than the despair.
“I have my own income,” she argues. “I can get my own place. I won’t even tell King. You can still keep your precious deal.”
“That’s not how this works.”
Seeing one of my men at the back of my SUV, I hit the button under the steering wheel to unlock the little door over the gas tank.