Page 19 of Until the End

I smile at Daren. “Thank you for having my back.”

“My pleasure, Miss Ginny. Unfortunately, I’ve got some bad news. The LAPD told me someone broke into your house in California.”

“What?” I gasp.

“They’re going through it, and I’ve got our guys combing the security footage.”

“What are the chances they’ll find anything?” Carson asks.

“It’s not likely.” Daren sighs. “It was probably a thief looking to make a quick buck.”

“You’ll keep me updated?” My hand shakes as I take a sip of water.

“I will.” Daren nods and says goodnight before heading back out to the security house.

“Out of the fire and into the frying pan,” Carson murmurs, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “Daren will take care of it.”

I lean into Carson’s hug and pray he’s right.

Chapter 11

Carson

“You going over to Ginny’s again tonight?” Michael asks from in front of the stove.

“Yeah, I thought I’d make her dinner. It’s been a few days since the girls left. She’s probably out of food by now.”

“Just…be careful, okay?”

“Be careful?”

“Ah, fuck. Never mind. Have fun.”

I frown at Michael’s back but turn and leave the house anyway. What did that mean? I’m not physically in danger with Ginny. If anything, my heart is most at risk. It’s too late to do anything about it now, though.

Could he have meant that? He’s never said anything about it before.

I shake off my questions and drive to the Mango Mart for groceries. I already gave Ginny the heads-up that I’m coming over. She requested lemon chicken for dinner. I replied with,Yes, Your Majesty.

It only takes me ten minutes to get the groceries, and I’m pulling into Ginny’s driveway soon after. Somehow, this house has become like a second home to me. It used to feelobnoxious every time we had a family gathering here. I’d never equated Ginny with this kind of wealth—it just didn’t match with what I had imagined for our lives.

Looking back, I resented her a little for going out and finding a path without me. Then, when she came back with the Weasel, it was like a slap in the face. Once I got over myself, logic kicked in to remind me that I was the one who let her go. I could’ve told her how I felt a number of times. Instead, I kept my mouth shut. Now I have to lie in the bed I made and watch her get over the Weasel with someone new.

You could be that someone.

I shut that thought down fast. I can’t be a rebound. It would kill me to help Ginny get over her ex and then watch her walk away from me again.

The weight of the grocery bag in my hand brings me back to reality. Going down that line of thinking is a one-way ticket to hell. I may not be book smart, but I’ve got enough intelligence to know letting a small spark of hope ignite will only lead to my heart shattering into irreparable pieces. False hope is the killer of all dreams.

“Your servant has arrived,” I call out as I walk through Ginny’s front door.

“It’s about time. Get to work, peasant.”

I bark out a laugh when I get a good look at Ginny. She’s got a hastily colored paper crown on her head, and she’s wearing a bathrobe around her shoulders like a cape. In her hand is a long metal stick I can’t identify until she drops her arm. The telescoping mechanism fails, causing the end to thunk against the wooden floor. “Is that a shower curtain rod?”

Ginny giggles, an embarrassed smile filling her face. “Yeah. It was the best I could do on short notice.”

I close the distance between us while I shake my head at her. Before I can stop myself, I kiss her on the cheek. It’sbecoming increasingly difficult to keep my actions in check. I’ve hugged, cuddled, and kissed Ginny more often in the past couple of weeks than I have in years. It’s as if the doorway cracked open that night in the hotel, and I haven’t been able to close it again.

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