Page 86 of Hard to Hold
“When I got to her house last night, she seemed upset,” Reagan explained, her face etched with worry. “I heard her leave really early this mornin’. I guess I got concerned.”
“It’s … complicated. When I got here, she was waitin’ in her car.”
Reagan seemed to process that information, and I suspected she was waiting for me to say something more.
Finally, she met my gaze, held it. “Please don’t make me leave,” she pleaded. “She needs a friend and I … I want to be there for her.”
Amy did need a friend, but whether or not Reagan stayed was not my decision to make. “That’s up to her.”
Reagan nodded, glancing at the door briefly, twisting her hands in her shirt. She seemed to come to a decision because she headed back inside. She walked right over to Amy, sitting in the chair beside her, and reaching for her hand.
“I was worried when I heard you leave so early,” Reagan explained.
To my surprise, Amy clutched her hand, watching the woman intently. “I’m…” Amy shook her head. “No. I’m not okay.”
I moved farther into the room, coming to stand beside Rhys and petting Copenhagen when the dog trotted over to me.
When Amy met my eyes again, I nodded. “Lynx and Rhys are right, Amy. The people in this room have your back. Keep goin’.”
She swallowed hard, her attention on Copenhagen when the dog came and put his head in her lap again. “Like I said, my uncle didn’t like him. At first, he said it was because he was so much older than me. I tried to tell him that age didn’t matter. That we were happy together. My uncle didn’t care. He held his ground.
“One night, when he came to pick me up for dinner, my uncle met him at the door. They had a conversation that resulted in my uncle slamming the door and telling me that if I went out with him again, I wouldn’t be able to stay under their roof. He wouldn’t put up with it.”
Tears welled in Amy’s eyes. Reagan reached for her hand again, holding it tightly.
“Did you ever find out why he didn’t like him?” Lynx inquired.
Amy nodded. “My uncle was a 9-1-1 operator. Apparently, he’d heard some things about him. He didn’t know him personally, but he said he had a reputation.”
I didn’t need her to explain. If the man had a reputation and the uncle didn’t like him, he hadn’t been a choir boy, that was for damn sure.
“I rebelled.” She sniffed, a tear falling down her cheek. “Told him I didn’t care. That I loved this man and I was gonna be with him no matter what. I went out to dinner anyway, and that night, he convinced me to stay at his house for the first time.” Amy seemed to fold in on herself as a sob broke up her words.
Unable to help myself, I was instantly at her side. Reagan took the hint and moved, giving me space. I dropped into the chair beside her, then pulled Amy against my chest as she broke down, her body jerking from the strength of her sobs.
It took inhuman effort to relax my arms, to not squeeze too tight. The thought of this bastard taking her virginity made every cell in my body gear up for a fight.
While I consoled Amy, Lynx moved across the room to the coffeepot, Reagan right behind him. The sink ran, which meant they were making coffee as they spoke in hushed tones. I couldn’t make out everything Lynx was saying, but I figured he was giving her the CliffsNotes version of the story thus far.
I made eye contact with Rhys. I had no idea what the man was thinking. He was angry, there was no doubt about that. But he was patiently waiting for Amy to continue. I knew he was keeping his distance because Lynx and Reagan were there. Evidently, he wasn’t interested in anyone finding out about our relationship. If what we had could even be called that.
When Lynx and Reagan returned, they passed out coffee cups. Lynx resumed his position on the table, and Reagan pulled another chair over near me and sat. I was reluctant to release Amy, but when she pulled away, I didn’t hold on.
Resting my elbows on my knees, I dropped my head, staring down into my coffee cup. I got the feeling this story was going to get a lot worse, and probably never better.
Amy hiccuped. “I’m sorry … I…”
“Don’t be sorry,” Rhys said, coming to stand in front of her before dropping to his haunches. “We need to know what happened.”
Setting my coffee cup on the floor, I watched them.
Amy nodded, squeezing his hand as she stared into his eyes. Her words came out on a tortured sob. “That night, my aunt and uncle died.”
Once again, Amy cried, her hands covering her face.
I saw Rhys’s face harden, the no-nonsense sheriff replacing the laid-back country boy. I knew he couldn’t disconnect himself from his job. He’d taken an oath to protect people, and he took it seriously. No matter what he told Amy, Rhys would have to look into this. Whether he did it officially or off the books, it wouldn’t matter. He’d do it, regardless.
Rhys waited until Amy calmed down.
