Before he could answer, I glimpsed a large sign in my peripheral. “Sunset Bay,” I read aloud. My curiosity piqued when I recalled the name of the town Wren visited every Sunday. Suddenly, everything came flooding back—the Hendersons, my stupid determination to track Wren down and beg him not to let me go, and the brutal slaying I’d witnessed in the mountains. Everything that happened after that was completely shrouded. “Why are we here?”
“You need to lie low until I can convince Fox not to kill you.”
I returned to staring out the window as my entire body went numb. I watched but didn’t really see any of the shops and people we passed as we drove through the small town. “We both know that’s not going to happen.”
“It might if you tell me why he’s after you.”
My head whipped back around. “You mean you don’t know?”
When his only response was to clutch the steering wheel tighter, I shook my head, pulled my camera from my bag, and after popping the memory card back in, I searched through the last photos I’d taken.
The last photos I’d ever take.
This particular memory had ruined all ‘memories’ for me. “This is what the man whose orders you so blindly follow is capable of.”
Wren glanced over, and what he saw made him slam on the brakes, angering the driver behind him who honked their horn loudly. Wren didn’t seem to notice the commotion he had caused as he swiftly pulled into the parking lot of a Wawa and snatched the camera from me.
“I know this guy,” he said while inspecting the photo closely. “He’s a cop. One of the only good ones left in the city.” There was respect in Wren’s tone and…sadness? Had Wren truly not known?
“And do you know the woman lying next to him?” Before he could answer, I said, “What about the two children next to her?” I took a deep breath, and it shuddered out of me. “He killed them, Wren. He set them on fire and watched them burn.”
“Jesus, Lou.” He reached out for me, but at the last minute, I pulled away. I saw the hurt he wasn’t quick enough to conceal, and my pain mounted. Any other time, I would jump at the chance to be held by him, but it felt wrong for him to comfort me when he was one of them.
“So no,” I continued, sniffling, “you can’t convince Fox not to kill me because I’m not going to let him get away with this.”
Compassion fled as he stared back at me in disbelief. “You can’t be serious. Fox won’t just kill you. He’ll go after everyone you care about.”
“Then there’s no reason to worry because there’s no one I care about.”
“Really?” he scoffed. “Cathleen? Dan? Eliza?” he questioned, referring to the Hendersons. “What about Miles and Leo?” There was a pause, and I knew he was ready to ask if I cared about him, but then his nostrils flared, and he looked away. “I refuse to believe you’re as heartless as you pretend,” he said when my silence stretched too long.
“Heartless?” I echoed. “Your boss tortured that family, and you think I’m cruel?” Of course, he didn’t respond, and I swiped at my tears as I released a bitter laugh. “Maybe I am heartless, but I never took you for a coward.” I grabbed my bag and was out of the car before he knew what was happening. I made it two or three steps before he grabbed, spun, and sat my ass on the hood. “You’ll smudge the paint.”
When he stepped between my legs and cradled my face in his hands, I forgot to be mad. “You’re fucking right I’m afraid, Lou, but you’re dead wrong if you think I’m afraid of Fox for my sake.”
I wanted to melt, but I couldn’t be weak. Not now. Not even for Wren. “I’m not backing down.”
His forehead touched mine, and he closed his eyes before inhaling deeply. I could feel him pleading with me even before he said, “Is this really worth your life?”
“Am I worth yours?” Afraid of the answer, my voice trembled.
I felt him flinch. “Are you asking me if I’d die for you?”
“I’m asking if I can trust you.”
He froze at the same time I did. I wanted to take back the words, but I knew I never could. Wren treated my trust as a precious gift, and I’d just callously taken it back from him.
He lifted his head and met my