Page 56 of You'll Be Sorry

“Family legacy,” she dismissed lightly.

“I didn’t know you had any family.”

The essence of a good lie was sticking as close as possible to the truth. “We’re not in touch.”

“But you kept a run-down shack?”

She waved her hand around their current abode. “Clearly I have a fondness for old things.”

Theo holding her gaze. Theo, staring, staring, staring. She loved those eyes, their deep blue color. She loved the lines of his face, the feel of his whiskers against her fingertips. For a second, she was temptedto lean forward and bring her lips to his. A nip of her teeth, a delicate brush of her tongue, and she could make him forget these silly questions. She’d lure him upstairs, for the kind of exchange they did best.

But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. He was too smart not to recognize the distraction, and in the end, it would just cheapen something they both valued.

“You weren’t born with the name Raquel. Will you grant me that much?”

Faint nod. The moment she’d heard “private investigator,” she’d known that jig was up. Despite what people might think, a legal name change was no magic cover. The change itself became a matter of public record, not to mention the new name remained tied to the same old Social Security number—hence people couldn’t use a new moniker to avoid criminal charges or escape financial debts. You could change your identity, move to a new state, and start a whole new life, but the paperwork would still find you in the end.

“I never liked my birth name,” she allowed.

The dog settled onto its haunches and tilted his head slightly, as if to encourage further disclosure. Honestly, she was beginning to wonder if the damn thing wasn’t wired with some kind of recording device.

“My mother used to call me Bunny,” she continued. And then, because she couldn’t help it: “But don’t. Not even as a term of endearment. I hated it. Bunny is what you name a baby doll or family pet. Not a person. When I turned eighteen, first thing I did was correct her mistake. Raquel sounded like a woman who could take care of herself. So Raquel is who I became.”

“What about your father?”

“Never knew him.”

“So just your mother?”

“Who’s dead. See, no family.”

Her hands were shaking slightly. She set down the bowl.

“Bunny, I’m scared.”

“Shhh…It’ll all be over soon. We just have to kill her first.”

Something must’ve rippled across her face, because suddenly Theo’s hand was warm and firm on her arm.

“You lie to me,” he stated gently. “You think I don’t know it, but I do. I simply accept it. It’s part of who you are. Like your need for space and to never mention something like owning a property in Pennsylvania.”

The dog whined uneasily.

“Sometimes, you talk in your sleep,” Theo continued. “Or maybe, more like cry out. Do you know how many nights you’ve told me you just have to kill her first?”

Raquel froze, her chest locking up tight. “Nightmares,” she whispered. “Everyone has them.”

“I love you, Raquel. I’ve loved you since the moment I first saw you. And I’ll tell you exactly what I told my mother: I don’t care. About background reports or investigative findings. I don’t care about anything except who you are right now. My wife. The love of my life. The woman I will protect till my dying day.”

Her eyes prickled. She blinked them several times rapidly, a betrayal of emotion that embittered her. Why couldn’t she make all these weak, pitiful emotions go away?

“My mother might’ve focused on what was in the PI’s report,” Theo continued. “What I found more interesting was what was lacking. You don’t exist before the age of eighteen. Not a driver’s license, first job, tax filing. Nothing. From what I can tell, you didn’t just take on a new name when you came of age, you finally came alive. And because I do know you, who you are now, the woman you’ve become, I figure there’s a good reason for that.” He shrugged. “If you choose to never speak of your childhood or your family, so be it. What I want most is for you to be you.And, if that just happens to result in me being the only man on the planet who knows therealRaquel Hathaway…What can I say. Lucky me.”

A slow curve of his lips, followed by a mischievous wink. Leave it to Theo to strip her bare one moment, then offer her solace the next. What must it be like, she often wondered, to stride through the world with his level of confidence? To love so hard and so easily, without ever fearing the consequences?

She would never ever be the kind of person who went all in. But she was the one who’d do whatever it took to keep her loved one safe, including burying a shiv into the nearest threat; there was something to be said for that.

“Your parents…” she began. As long as they were going there, talking of all the things they both studiously avoided. “How much do they know? Of…of recent events.” She couldn’t say the words. A tremor rippled through her. The dog got up, placed his boxy head upon her knee. She stroked one long, silky ear.