Among the Echoes (Wrecked and Ruined #2.5)(48)

He clears his throat and continues. "Then I found out who he was and realized that he not only had the time, money, and resources to protect you, but that he could give you something I never could. He could repair you from the inside out. I've always made sure you were safe, be he can truly fix things for you—give you back all the things I stole."

The tears are streaming down my face as I whimper, "You didn’t steal anything from me. You saved me."

"I love you, but I hope, one day, he fixes that mentality too."

"Leo, you did the best you could."

"I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I just wanted to tell you I’ll figure it out. You talk to Slate. Make him stop searching or we will have no choice but to leave. We may have to move. I’m not really sure what to do at this point, but I won’t make you give him up. Just make him stop asking questions." He gives me a weak smile.

"Okay."

He turns to walk away and pauses at the door. "When’s Slate getting back?"

"Couple of hours."

"Is it cool if I take off for a bit? I need a drink and I think you need some privacy."

"Yeah. Privacy sounds good." I try to dry my eyes, but the tears won’t stop flowing. Leo James is an amazing man. What I wouldn't give to have met him under different circumstances. I can only imagine how incredible it would be to have a friendship with him that wasn't based on guilt and pain.

"See ya later, babe."

"Night, Leo." I purposely use his name once again. He needs to hear it as much as I need to say it.





Fucking weather. My flight was delayed for two hours, and worse than that, Riley isn’t answering her phone. It’s killing me not being able to get back to her and away from the craziness of Slate The Silent Storm Andrews yet.

I announced my official retirement a few days ago, and you would have thought the world had imploded. I know it was unexpected. I was at the top of my game, and a rematch was already in the works, but I’m done. The media went nuts, and it took a lot longer than I’d thought it would to escape the attention. My plan is to see if I can convince Riley to go on an extended vacation with me. Get away for a while, somewhere we can escape until the attention dies down. Maybe even see if I can get her to open up and stop hiding.

I learned quite a bit about Riley while I was gone. The biggest part being that her real name is Jessica Lynn. I had a sneaking suspicion for a while that Riley wasn’t really her name, mainly because she insists that I call her beautiful in bed. But also because, if she is reading late at night or watching TV, she never answers you immediately when you call her. And then there is the whole Dave/Leo thing from when I first met them. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that something is going on with them.

My guys have never found this ex of hers, and by all accounts, Jessica was a hermit, never leaving the house. If she did, she was always accompanied by her cousin. The good news is neither she nor Dave seems to have a criminal history. My agent, Mitch, spent hours trying to convince me she was some sort of con-woman. Obviously, they have never met Riley. She is a terrible liar.

"Riley, it’s me!" I shout when I get to her door. I don’t bother knocking. It will only scare her.

But as I swing open her door, it appears I’m too late for that. She’s standing with her hands knotted in front of her and her eyes are red and puffy as if she has been crying all day.

"Jesus, are you okay?" I quickly glance around the room, but nothing seems out of place.

"We can be together but only if you stop asking questions."

"What the hell are you talking about? What’s going on, Riley?" I drop my bags and slowly walk towards her, but for the first time in months, she backs away.

"I know you hired investigators to look into my past. You swore you wouldn’t ask, Slate. You promised me." Her face crumbles.

"I wasn’t trying to find out what happened to you. I was only searching for that * ex of yours who made you this way. But yeah, I found out a lot more than I bargained for, Jessica," I say, lifting my brows knowingly. I’m not trying to be a dick, but I want her to know that she can stop hiding.

"Beautiful," she corrects on a heartfelt cry. "Slate, please. You can’t look into me anymore. I’ll have to leave if you do. Please don’t make me disappear again." She pauses and her lips begin to quiver. I try to take another step forward, but once again, she retreats. "You’re the only one who truly sees me," she whispers.

"What's going on? You have to give me something here, beautiful. Tell me something true!"

"You. Can’t. Ask. Questions," she repeats very slowly, but it's not out of anger. She's desperate.

"Damn it, Riley! You have to trust me. What are you hiding?" I’m barely holding it together. I’m frustrated and angry and on the cusp of losing it all.

Her eyes are frantic and her entire body shakes as she pleads, "Stop. This is the whole problem. You’re asking questions. They will take you away from me."

A cold chill of rage slides through my body at the very idea. "I won’t let anyone take you away from me. Ever."

Her brown eyes light just before she drops her chin to her chest. "You won’t even know it’s happening until I'm gone," she whispers, and her shoulders shake with sobs.