Page 109 of The Complete Truth Duet
He paused before exiting. “You’re free to go, Ms. Guerrero. Do take care of yourself.”
Then he was gone.
And I was alone.
So. Utterly. Alone.
Cora
It was just before midnight when I walked out of the police station. Penn’s truck was sitting out front and the sight of Drew climbing out of the driver’s door equally felt like the sweetest relief and salt to a wound.
He was a friendly face.
And a liar.
But, sad as it was, he was also the only person I had left.
The tears finally breached my eyes as he jogged over and wrapped me into a tight hug that paled in comparison to his brother’s.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Nope. Not even close.”
Using my shoulders, he shifted me away from him. “What’s going on? What are they charging you with?”
I swiped at the moisture dripping down my face. “Being a Guerrero.” Starting toward the truck, I asked, “Did you bring my phone?”
He fell into step at my side. “Yeah. It’s on the seat. Did you hear anything about River? Can we go pick her up?”
The rusty knife twisted inside me. “No. Social Services has her until my court date next week.”
“What the hell? You didn’t do anything wrong. They can’t charge you with child endangerment and not follow it up with proof.”
“If you’re Thomas Lyons, you can.”
Drew came to a dead stop. “What did you say?”
I kept walking, too focused on calling Catalina to worry about his reaction.
After beelining straight to the passenger door, I leaned in to grab my phone. “I need a minute,” I said, searching through my contacts for her number. I made it exactly one step before I face-planted against Drew’s chest.
“Repeat it,” he growled. “What did you say?”
I craned my head back, and the streetlight in the parking lot illuminated the fury etched in his face.
When his anger leveled on me, his eyes flared wide as he boomed, “And what the hell happened to your face?”
I rubbed my aching jaw. I could already feel the bruises from Thomas’s fingertips forming on my face and neck—a not-so-subtle reminder that I had something to do.
“Move. I need to make a call.”
He grabbed my arm, pulling me toward him. “No. Start talking. Did Thomas Lyons do that to you?”
“Yes!” I snapped, my voice echoing off cars parked on either side of us. “And if you don’t get out of my way and let me make this call, he’s going to do a lot worse.” I snatched my arm out of his hold.
His eyes got dark, his lips got tight, and his lean body became murderous. “Get in the truck,” he ordered on a low grumble.
“Get out of my—hey!” It wasn’t rough nor was it gentle, but one second later, I found myself inside Penn’s truck, the door slammed behind me, and Drew storming around the hood.
“He did not just manhandle me,” I whispered to myself, the trauma of the day finally manifesting in violent rage.
He opened the door and climbed in, which was when I screamed at a decibel that should never be used in an enclosed vehicle. “You did not just manhandle me!”
“I sure as fuck did.” He cranked the truck, threw it in reverse, and then hit the gas, all but peeling out of the parking spot.
“Are you kidding me right now?” I grabbed my seat belt and clicked it on. “Because clearly my day hasn’t been bad enough—you need to go psychotic on me too?”
His jaw ticked as he jumped the curb to get on to the road. “What the fuck do you mean he’s going to do a lot worse? Start at the beginning. I want to hear every goddamn detail that involves Thomas Lyons.”
“Oh, suddenly, I’m supposed to be answering your questions now? When you’ve been lying to me for a fucking week?”
He tore his gaze off the road long enough to glance over at me. “The hell are you talking about? I haven’t been lying to you.”
“Bullshit!” I yelled, hooking my leg up on the seat so I could face him. “You’ve been lying to me about everything since the night of the fire. I don’t know why. And I don’t know what you’re hiding. But don’t you dare sit there and demand an explanation from me when you’ve never given one to me.”
He sucked in a shaky breath as though he were searching for patience. “Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I’m trying to protect you?”
“Has it ever occurred to you that I don’t want to be protected? I want the truth. I’ve spent my entire life being lied to, manipulated, and controlled, and now, you want me to just shut up and swallow more of it from you?”
He opened his mouth, but I didn’t have time for any more bullshit explanations. They weren’t going to contain anything but smoke and mirrors anyway.
