Page 20 of Power Play

She sits up and hugs her knees to her chest, nodding.

“Where did you tell him you were last night?” she asks.

I swallow and scratch the back of my head.

“I, uh… I told him I ran into an old friend. And that I was catching up with her,” I say, trying to keep it as G-rated as possible.

“Oh,” she says. “Well, thank you. So much.”

I smile.

“Of course, Lo,” I say. “Listen, uh… I don’t know if you’re still—”

“I am,” she says. “Nothing has changed. You swore, and I need you to keep it.”

I nod, hanging my head.

“And I will,” I say, drawing the last of the dagger into my heart.

I hug her goodbye and walk out the door and down the stairs. I pull the front door open, turning back one more time to look up at her, standing at the railing. I want to run back to her and hold her. Tell her I’ll make sure he will never hurt her again. That no one will. Snatch back the innocence that fucking asshole took from her last night.

But she doesn’t want me to.

And it’s her choice.

And I promised I would protect it.

So, as much as I hate myself for it, I walk out the door, get in the car, and drive off.

present day

CHAPTEREIGHT

lo

“I will let this go,”he says, looking right into my eyes, “if you tell me that Thad Dietrich is not Harper’s dad.”

My whole body goes numb. I feel this tingling feeling in my fingertips. I see black spots, and my chest tightens, squeezing the last breath I have out of my lungs. My eyes widen.

“Fuck you, Levi,” I whisper, my lip starting to tremble. “Fuck. You.”

I spin on my foot, grabbing the doorknob and pulling it open. I run through the door, storming out into the yard toward the house. I have gone over four years not having to address this. I’ve gone four years without it ever coming up. To plan my story, my alibi. To get everyone around me to believe I truly had no idea. That it was useless to try to find him. And it would have worked if Levi Buck hadn’t shown back up.

I almost reach the deck steps when I feel him grab hold of my arm and pull me back.

“Wait, wait, Lo,” he says. I freeze as he pulls me back to him. He looks down at me, and when we make eye contact, I burst into tears. He pulls me into his chest, hugging me tight and stroking my hair. He presses a soft kiss to the top of my head. “I’m sorry, sweet girl,” he whispers. “I’m sorry.” He turns me around and leads me back into the guest house, closing the door behind us. I cry onto his shirt a little more, like I’d done four years ago, until I finally gain some composure again. I pull off his chest and tilt my head to his. He uses his thumbs to wipe away my tears as he cups my face in his hands.

“I’m sorry, Lo,” he says again. He lowers his head to mine, closing his eyes. “I just…I think about him and you. Him having you like that when you didn’t want him to. Him just…takingwhat wasn’t his to take. And I fuckinghatehim for it. I wouldn’t give him water if he was on fire, I swear to fucking God, Lo,” he says. I grip onto his wrists as he holds me. “But I hate myself even more.”

I open my eyes, looking at him, my eyebrows knit together.

“Why?” I ask.

He closes his eyes tight and sticks his tongue out to wet his lips. And I realize, after a moment, that he’s trying not to cry. I squeeze his wrists harder, imploring him to look at me. Finally, he does, and his eyes are glassy. “Why?” I ask him again.

“Because you told me he didn’t, Lo. You told me he didn’t, and I knew he did. I knew the truth. I knew exactly what he’d done to you. I knew, and I didn’t do anything. I just…I just left. I just left you there. And now, you…your life was derailed, and it wasn’t even your fault.”

I loosen my grip on him and pull out of his grasp. I put my finger under his chin and tilt it up, forcing him to look at me.

---