Powerful (The Driven World) - Kathleen Kelly Page 0,31

one died in prison, and the other one is serving two consecutive life sentences. He’ll never get out. They got him for murder, kidnapping, and drug offenses.”

Todd leaves the bathroom, and I follow him out, holding the washcloth to the back of my neck. He sits in the chair, and I regain my position at the end of the bed.

“Why’d you tell me?”

Todd points at me. “You’re famous. If you want Athena, it has to be all of her. She may not be ready to tell you what happened to her, but we both know if a reporter starts sniffing around, they’ll find out, and all of Athena’s secrets that she’s spared her family from will come out. It’ll hurt her, hurt them, and I need to know you’re not going to run again. Athena will need you to be there for her, to have her back.”

There’s no anger in his voice, only concern. He genuinely cares for Athena, and he’s right, letting her back into my life will mean all her secrets will become fodder for the press.

“How did she keep this from her family?”

Todd shakes his head and lets out a breath. “She told them and everyone else she’d been mugged. That they beat her up and stabbed her.”

“How did she explain being missing for days?”

“They didn’t know. Athena gave her boss specific instructions that if anything happened to her, her family wasn’t to be notified. She constructed a story in the hospital, and everyone went along with it. Athena was emotionally traumatized, fragile, and she couldn’t deal with her family’s grief, let alone her own. She came home, she healed, but Kris, I need you to hear this…” Todd’s eyes bore into mine, “… Athena has never dealt with what happened to her. If you want her in your life, she’s going to have to, and, man, you’re going to have to be a better fucking person. You can’t cut and run because if you do, I swear, I’ll shoot you myself.”

There’s a conviction in his voice, and I know he means every word. For a moment, all I do is nod, then I stand and hold out my hand to him. Todd cocks his head to the side and grasps my hand.

“I swear I won’t run this time. I swear I’ll protect her.”

Todd stands. “No, Kris. No more protecting her. Athena needs to face this head-on. I’ve tried to get her to go into therapy, and she always says no. It’s like that time away from here never happened. She has it in a box and never opens it. Kris, you’ve got to get her to face it.”

“How?”

Todd shrugs. “I think the first course of action should be for you to get her to tell you. When you’ve done that, she needs to tell her family, and after that, lots of love and care.”

My suitcase is in the corner of the room. I walk to it, throw it on the bed, and then begin throwing my clothes into it.

“You’re leaving?”

“My dad. I need to take care of him.”

Todd smiles. “Something tells me your dad is perfectly capable of looking after himself, but it’s nice that you’re going to try.”

He opens the door and looks at me over his shoulder. “You know I meant it when I said I’d shoot you.”

I smile. “I know.”

Chapter Fourteen

Athena

It’s Wednesday morning, and I’m taking Ashlea to a spa, then we are having lunch. Ashlea and TB live together, so as of tonight, she’ll be moving into my cottage with me. I don’t think they’ve spent any time away from each other since their first date. It’ll be interesting to see how TB copes without her. We’re meeting at TB’s café. I’m walking along the road when Kris’ bright red car speeds past, he brakes sharply, sending smoke into the air and makes a U-turn.

Suddenly, self-conscious, I look down at my dress. It’s a simple floral pattern, mostly pinks, and I’m wearing white flip flops. My hair is up in a ponytail, and I have no makeup on as I didn’t see the point with it being a spa day. Kris pulls up alongside me, grinning, looking far too handsome.

He winds down the passenger window and pulls his sunglasses down so I can see his eyes. “Hey there, gorgeous, need a lift?”

I shake my head. “Nope. I’m only going to Small Delights. It’s not far.”

Kris pouts. “Come on, Athena, let me drive you, please?”

Reluctantly, I open the door. “Okay, but no speeding.”

Kris