Burnout - Coralee June Page 0,38

I want you to take a step back. You seem too invested.”

The lines were blurred, and his words were seemingly innocent, but I heard the underlying interpretation: Stay away from Blakely. He placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed while peering intently in my eyes. Could he see the secrets in my gaze?

“You’ve always had my back, Decker Harris. Lord knows you’ve scared off enough of my shitty partners to create an army of exes. But this time, I’ve got it. I don’t need saving from my sister. I want you to keep your distance.”

“Why?” I blurted out, kicking myself the second that single syllable word escaped my lips.

“Because I’m a selfish asshole that wants to be the person she runs to. Our relationship is rocky, and I don’t want to feel like I’m competing for attention with you. She’s young, and I’m not stupid. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. It’s probably a crush that has her opening up.” I could feel the blood draining from my face. “I know you’d never do anything, but sometimes you don’t realize how much girls drool over you.” He chuckled.

I could feel every cell in my body screaming.

“I am hard to resist,” I replied with a playful laugh, trying to hide the panic in my chest. “And with school starting soon, it’s probably better. I don’t want any rumors starting. You’re right. She’s been through a lot and might misinterpret my kindness for something else.”

Lance placed a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to look at him. “I know you were getting close to her to help me, but I’ve got it. We can’t always fight each other’s battles for one another. Thank you, but tonight has brought me some clarity. I’ll do better about connecting with her and not using you as a buffer.”

I glanced out the window, staring at the night sky and trying to think of where she could have gone, guilt barreling through me once again. I was running through options when I spotted a white Toyota parked at a twenty-four hour diner nearby. “Wait, is that her car?” I asked while nudging Lance.

He leaned over me to get a better look, and I watched as his eyes widened. “Yes! That’s it. I’m going to park behind it so she can’t run. Let’s go drag her back to the apartment.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

10

Blakely

Frank Stewart looked good. Prison life suited him, I suppose. He had a few more tattoos, a few less pounds, and a ton more wrinkles. Bald and intimidating, Dad looked every bit the hardened criminal that he was.

I had my fingers wrapped around a hot coffee mug while I stared at him. I didn’t even know he was getting out, let alone driving all the way to Tennessee to see me.

I liked Dad. He’d made bad choices, but he wasn’t all bad.

“Thanks for meeting with me. I know it’s early, but my buddy got me a job at a shipping yard nearby, and I have to be there in two hours. I wanted to see you.” His voice was rough and sounded like he smoked a pack of cigarettes a day.

“Of course. I wish you would have told me you were coming sooner.”

“I wasn’t sure I could make it work. Had to coordinate with my parole officer. I figured you’ve had enough hope and disappointment to last you a lifetime.” I went silent, spinning my spoon in my cup. Unable to sleep, I’d spent all night tossing and turning; Dad’s call didn’t even wake me up. I was happy he was here, but I didn’t know what this meant for me—for us.

“You got out early,” I observed before smiling at him. “I’m proud of you. And you came here? Got a job? Found me, too.”

I reached out to grab his hand, squeezing a bit with sincerity. The world saw anger and a dark past when they looked in his eyes, but I saw a man that made one fatal mistake and had to pay ten years for it. I didn’t get to see him as often as I would have liked, but he wrote me emails and called when he could. We didn’t know much about one another, but we weren’t strangers either. We were just a couple of people bonded by blood and a mutual hatred for the woman that put him behind bars.

“I heard about Sharron. Sorry, kid. I’m sure that was hard for you to deal with on your