Change of Heart - By S.E. Edwards Page 0,36
me for a loop. “Why?” I repeat. “I don’t know why, Rich.” I make my voice as calm and soothing as I can. “You got me out of that bar. You might have put me in the situation in the first place, but you came back and rescued me. You risked your life doing so. You probably saved mine when you tackled Victor to the ground. That counts for something.” I pause to take a breath, choosing my next words carefully. “I don’t know why you did any of it, Rich. But I know you’re not a bad person.”
“You’re wrong,” he says. “What I did to you at the gas station—”
“Was unforgiveable,” I pick up. “And me staying is not the same thing as me forgiving you. But I can still be grateful for what you did after. Now, I don’t know half of what’s going on. Hell, I don’t even know a tenth! But, I know that you do. I’m not going to leave until you tell me. If you don’t, I’m going to work hard to piece it together myself.”
I continue after taking a breath. “A person can’t just go through what I did and simply forget about it. I need answers, Rich—whether you want to give them to me or not. So? What’ll it be? Will you tell me?” I hesitate, and then add in a quieter voice, “Because maybe then, I can help you.”
Rich stares at me like he’s never seen me before the entire time I speak. His mouth works for a few moments, but no words come out. Finally, he just shakes his head. “You’re crazy,” he says. “You are absolutely, bat-shit crazy, you know that?” He leans over the table, picks up the keys, and examines them. “For any other person, these would represent the path to freedom.” He lobs them into the air, toward me. They make a high arc so I have plenty of time to react. I catch them, then simply set them down on the bed.
Rich shakes his head again. “But not for you. Why, Penny? Why do you want to stay?”
“I told you why.”
“No. You gave me an explanation you want me to believe. Something plausible you think might make sense. It sounds good in theory, sure, but I know it’s not the half of it. Not by a long shot. So, Penny… why?”
I give a nervous laugh. I don’t like how easily he’d seen through me. “I don’t really know why,” I admit. “It’s just… something I feel. Leaving now isn’t the right thing to do.”
Rich grunts. “Fair enough. But I warn you: If you stick around, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
“I think we’re well past that point, anyway,” I comment dryly.
Rich snickers. “Right. But if you stay, you have to know we’re both going to be in danger. Real danger. After Tam sees what we did to Victor, it’ll become personal. Both of us are going to be wanted. Hunted. We’re going to have to hide—”
“Hold on. You still haven’t explained anything. Who are Tam and Victor? How do they relate to you? Are they the same men who broke into your apartment? And what on earth did they want with me?” A new thought occurs. “Victor called me your sister. Twice. Is that who they think I am?”
Rich exhales audibly. “Listen, Penny, that’s a long story. If you’re really going to stay, I can tell you what I know in the morning.” He gives a sly look. “The truth this time. None of the half-baked lies from before.”
“Of course I’m going to stay. I told you so, didn’t I?”
Rich shrugs. “I expect you might change your mind through the night. You know where the keys are, if you do.” He smiles weakly. “I won’t hold it against you if I wake up to find you gone.”
I take the keys, walk over to Rich, and place them firmly in his hand. “Keep them,” I say. “I’m not going to change my mind.”
***
Despite Rich’s insistence that we try to get some sleep, I think both of us are too amped up for any real rest. He’d given me the entire bed, while he’d taken the couch. It was a strange, gentlemanly gesture. But after going through the hell that was today, I don’t think either of us are ready to bring our undefined relationship into the mix.
I toss and turn for what seems like hours. When I finally give up and open my eyes, I see that