Page 20 of Night Watch
Erik dropped to the floor and urged Pong to step nearer to Kennedy.
She held out her hand. “Hey, fella. Good to meet you. I’m Kennedy.”
Pong shoved his head under her fingers, and the silky smooth hair tickled her skin. She’d had a dog growing up, and she couldn’t resist kneeling next to this one, even though she should be telling her story. “Is it okay to hug him?”
“He’s a big old softie and loves hugs.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he scooted closer. She inhaled his pungent earthy dog smell. She relished the warm unconditional affection he was offering and used it to gain the strength to share her story.
She looked at Erik over Pong’s head and decided to launch right into things. “My dad was once an accountant. He fell in with a really bad person named Harrison Waldron. He was running a pyramid scam, and my dad fudged the books for Waldron, which helped him scam thousands of people.”
She paused for a breath and to wash away the thought of her dad being the man who could do something so callous. “My dad was arrested, and to keep from going to prison, he testified against Waldron. This guy had a violent rap sheet and threatened to get back at my dad, plus he was running one of the largest pyramid scams in history, which is why they let us into WITSEC.”
“That’s crazy.” Erik leaned forward, bringing him closer. “You never mentioned it.”
“I didn’t know. Not until right before we broke up. I’ve been in the program since I was two, but my parents kept it a secret.” Her mind flashed back to the day she’d confronted her father. Her emotions were raw, and she felt too close to Erik so she moved to the couch. “I was looking for something in boxes in the garage, and I found a hidden bin. It contained legal documents with my mom’s and dad’s pictures but under different names. I asked him about it and that’s when he told me we were all in WITSEC.”
“Witness protection. Wow.” Erik shook his head as Pong settled at his feet. “Just wow. That’s a surprise.”
She nodded. “It’s something I couldn’t tell anyone. Not even you.”
“No. Of course not.” He got up to sit next to her, and Pong trailed and rested his head on Erik’s foot. “That’s how the program works.”
“But when I saw you after Dad told me, I couldn’t look you in the eyes. I felt like I was lying to you. I tried to make it work for a few days, but I just couldn’t.”
His fingers curled into fists on his knees. “That’s why you ended things with me.”
She started to reach for his hands to smooth them out and relieve his tension but stopped and wedged her uninjured fingers under her legs. “I didn’t want to do it. You deserved the truth, and I couldn’t give it to you. But now that both my parents are gone, I figure the threat to me and Finley is reduced, and we can share with select people.”
Erik massaged his temples and narrowed his eyes. “Are you still in WITSEC or did you leave the program?”
“Finley and I are still in the program. But I just violated my family’s agreement by telling you, and I’ll need to call the deputy and let him know.” She crossed her arms like a hug to protect herself from everything that was happening. “Finley and I haven’t even talked about this, so I’m not sure if she wants to stay in the program or not. Or even if there is enough danger for us to remain.”
Erik arched a thick eyebrow. “After all this time, you decided to violate the rules and tell me. Why?”
“I think you deserve to know. I really do, so don’t take offense when I say this, but I wouldn’t violate the rules today to tell you any more than I would have years ago. I’m telling you because maybe the person who killed my mom or who broke in tonight could be related to my dad’s past.”
“Yeah.” He went silent for a long, uncomfortable moment. “Could be.”
“If it’s a possibility that they killed my mom, I needed you to know so you can investigate.”
“I’ll have to tell my brothers. You know that, right?”
“Yes.”
He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling, tapping his thumb on the armrests before dropping his gaze back to her. “You had a good reason for breaking things off, but it doesn’t change anything between us.”
“No. No. I didn’t think it would, and that’s not my intent in telling you at all. But maybe, now that you know why I did it…I hope you can forgive me.”
“Sure…yeah…yeah, sure. I can do that.” He picked at the cuticle on his thumb, his eyes the color of coffee darkening.
Pong perked up, his eyes alert, likely knowing his owner needed protection.
“But the pain of the breakup is still there,” Erik said, lifting his tormented gaze to her. “If it hasn’t gone away in six years, I doubt it ever will.”
Kennedy sipped on a bottle of water and tried to act casual. Even with the drink quenching her thirst, it was hard to relax with three strapping guys looking at her with varying degrees of interest and tension. She assumed she was responsible for the unease in the room as they waited for Aiden to arrive to start their meeting.
Maybe they wanted to know why she and Erik had broken up. Or maybe they were just tired. It was nearing midnight, after all. She couldn’t imagine being called out for a meeting at this time of night, but these guys acted as if it was no big deal.
