Page 11 of Penn

“I… went to college,” I say, thrown by the sudden shift in conversation. “University of Central Florida. Got my degree ingraphic design. I work remotely, so I can live wherever.” I force a small, dry smile. “Turns out designing book covers doesn’t require much social interaction.”

Penn doesn’t return the smile. “Sounds like you got your shit together.”

I hesitate before answering. “Well, I thought I had.”

A silence stretches between us, thick and suffocating. Penn leans against the counter, arms crossed over his chest.

“I told you to stay out of it,” he finally says. His voice is flat, but there’s an edge beneath it.

The blame game.

I stiffen. “I didn’t have a choice.”

Penn’s eyes flash. “Bullshit. You could have walked away. You could have kept your mouth shut. If you had, you wouldn’t be in this mess right now.”

Anger flares in my chest, pushing back the cold dread that’s been weighing me down. “And Nathan wouldn’t have gotten justice,” I snap. “If I had done nothing, they would have gotten away with it.”

Penn looks away, jaw tight.

I soften. “You went to the police first, Penn. You told them what you heard. But they couldn’t act on it until I backed you up.”

If I hadn’t corroborated his testimony, the police wouldn’t have had enough to move forward. But it also meant the team knew. Peter and Jace made sure of that. They told anyone who would listen that Penn and I were the reason their lives were destroyed.

That’s why we both got the same label.

Traitor.

I straighten, gripping the edge of the counter. “I have nowhere else to go.” I meet his gaze, willing him to see the truth.“I don’t want to put my aunt in danger. And you—” I gesture to the house. “You live in a goddamn fortress.”

Penn exhales sharply, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Mila…”

“Let me stay… just for a little while,” I press. “Please. Until we can figure this out. It’s happening to you too, isn’t it?”

He’s quiet for so long I think he’s going to tell me to leave. He doesn’t admit or deny if he’s getting the same threats I am.

But then, with a slow, reluctant sigh, he mutters, “Fine.”

Relief floods through me, weakening my knees.

“But just until we figure this out,” he warns. “This isn’t permanent.”

I nod quickly. “Of course.”

Penn jerks his chin toward the garage. “Let’s get your bags and pull your car into one of the bays. Then I’ll show you to a guest room.”

I don’t argue.

Because for the first time in weeks, I don’t feel entirely alone.

CHAPTER 5

Penn

The soft humof the refrigerator fills the kitchen, the only sound breaking the heavy silence of the early-morning hour. I managed a few hours of sleep, but I was too wired by Mila’s arrival, the things I’d learned and my invitation for her to stay in my home. The house feels different with someone else in it. It’s been a long time since I’ve shared my space with anyone—since back in my junior hockey days—and even though Mila is only one other person in ten thousand square feet of living space, it feels suffocating.

There’s no sense in bemoaning it now, though. She asked to stay and I agreed, so I’ll stand by it. That’s the way I’m built. Apparently, I’m also built with a bit of a sentimental conscience, because once I heard that Mila’s family had disowned her and taken Peter’s side, I knew I couldn’t let her flounder alone. That’s what kept me awake the most… the way Mila had looked last night standing at my gate, half-frozen, desperate and terrified.

I scrub a hand through my hair, clicking my laptop open on the kitchen island, and sink onto a high-back stool. Steam curls from the coffee mug beside me, the bitterness of it settling on my tongue as I take a slow sip.

---