daughter turning up, especially now. I suspect he has concerns about how much incriminating evidence you have against him. And they’re still watching our investigation.”
I blew out a frustrated breath. I had no doubt the judge was worried about what I’d tell the authorities. Deep inside, I knew the reason for the scars on my arms had something to do with punishing me into silence. I’d heard things he didn’t want me to tell. But there was still a piece missing.
“They’re still watching?” Cassidy asked. “How do you know?”
“Their lawyer called the station this morning. He said he’d gotten word that we might have discovered a new witness. He was clearly referring to Gibson.”
Gibson made a low noise in this throat. A sick feeling spread through my stomach and I took a sip of water to wash down the taste of bile.
“The whole town knows you brought him in, and why,” Cassidy said. “They could have heard it from anyone.”
“They could have,” Harlan said. “But it’s a reminder that we need to tread carefully. This is a man who’s avoided the law for a very long time. We might only get one shot at him. That’s why I don’t think we should have Callie come forward yet. Child abuse is serious, but after all this time, it’ll be hard to prove. Especially against a man like him, who knows how to work the system.”
“So what do we do?” I asked.
“For now, we keep your secret,” he said. “You’re Maya Davis. You keep doing what you’re doing, and we’ll keep doing our job, looking for enough evidence to get the right people involved.”
“I wish there was something more I could give you,” I said.
“It’s all right,” Harlan said. “You were just a child. I’ll tell you one thing, it’s a pleasure to no longer be investigating your disappearance. Now we’re finally focused on bringing down the monster who hurt you.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
“All right, everyone, we need to clear out all this bad juju,” Nadine said, getting up from the table. “How about some pie?”
“Bad juju, Mom?” Cassidy asked with a laugh, and got up to follow Nadine into the kitchen.
“Y’all know what I mean,” Nadine said with a wave of her hand.
I glanced at Gibson and he met my eyes. There was a softness there—reassurance. It sent a warm, tingly feeling through me, chasing away the fear. I was still worried—about him, the judge, whether we could find enough proof. But when he looked at me like that, his gaze gentle, the corner of his mouth turned up in the barest hint of a smile, it was easier to feel brave.
And harder to keep from feeling a whole mess of other things.
17
GIBSON
Still blinking the sleep from my eyes, I poured myself a cup of coffee. I heard soft footsteps coming down the hall and my back prickled, like a cool breeze had brushed my neck.
Callie came into the kitchen, showing way too much skin in a little tank top and shorts. She gave me a sleepy smile, but it was hard to know where to look. The soft lines of her neck curved into her shoulders and a tendril of hair hung across her collarbone. Without really meaning to, my eyes dipped to her chest, to the tempting roundness of her tits.
I tore my eyes away, hoping she hadn’t noticed. Damn it, Gibson.
“Morning.” She grabbed a mug out of the cupboard and poured herself a cup. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Fine,” I muttered.
“Are you sure? Because I keep telling you, I’ll take the couch and you can have your bedroom back.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
She’d been here a little over a week, and she said that every morning. But I wasn’t having it. I couldn’t do much for her, but keeping her comfortable was something.
Besides, I kind of liked having her in my bed, even if I wasn’t in it with her. Made no sense, but a lot of things didn’t make sense since she’d reappeared. Like why I couldn’t stop seeing her every time I closed my eyes. And why those images kept turning to her getting naked.
I sat down with my coffee, but it was hard to be still. I had too much adrenaline in my system lately. Made me edgy. Truth be told, I was itching for a fight. A good fuck would do it, too, but that certainly wasn’t happening. I needed something to take the edge off. I had too much on my mind, too many feelings