To the Stars (Thatch #2)(88)

“Where is it?” Knox asked.

“Three houses that way,” Deacon said, and pointed in the direction behind Knox and me.

“Back to your earlier question,” Graham said, and his eyes darted to me. “There were two cars in the driveway when I drove past at one this morning. Two BMWs.”

It took me a second to understand what he was saying, and then all the blood drained from my face. “You went—you went. Why!”

Knox squeezed my hand as Graham continued. “I already knew what those two cars looked like, but I didn’t know if maybe the car on our street was some other—anyway, you already answered about that. But all the lights were on in the house, and I mean all of the lights. It was lit up bright and the blinds were open. It was weird for how late it was.”

“I never opened the curtains or blinds yesterday,” I mumbled. “That was dangerous going there.”

“I didn’t even slow down as I passed your house,” he assured me.

“Deacon?” Knox murmured.

“Is Collin’s dad like this, too? I don’t just mean with the abuse, but with the money and paying people off.”

“No,” I responded, at first surprised he would ask, but then I understood and continued. “No, he’s just a very rich man who thinks his son can do no wrong. He thinks he and Collin can rule the world, and that’s his only downfall. Everything Flynn does is by the book, other than pulling a few strings to get Collin into the treasury office. Collin’s parents are the nicest people, but they both came from money, grew into even more of it after they married, and I think it’s intoxicating to them and they might be insecure without it. They want the best because they want people to think they are the best, so they made sure Collin grew up that way, too. And it shows; we have everything he wants and thinks I could ever want. But I don’t know how my monster came from those people. Still, I think Flynn would do anything to keep Collin out of trouble, no matter what Collin did.”

The guys accepted that answer.

Deacon took a deep breath and looked to Knox, his expression somber. “Okay. You need to take Harlow somewhere safe while you do this. There’s no way around it. With who Collin is . . . who his dad is—even if he is an okay guy—and knowing that Collin has police receiving kickbacks from him, that means they could have people pretty much anywhere. Once you get her somewhere we’re all positive is safe, then we’ll start working on a way to expose Collin and get him arrested,” he said, gesturing to the guys.

I shot up from my chair, but Knox quickly pulled me into his lap. “No,” I said sternly. “No, absolutely not.”

“Low,” Knox growled.

I twisted in his lap to look at him. “I’m not letting you put all of your lives on the line because of this!”

“Babe, what do you think we were planning on doing? Nothing?”

“No, of course not. I know you’d be there—but just to keep me safe, not to be the ones who put everything they have in danger.” I leaned closer to him so it felt like it was a conversation between only us, though I was sure the others could still hear. “Do you remember how hard I tried to push you away? How I constantly told you not to help me? I knew that coming to you last night was me giving that up and letting you help, but that’s all it is, Knox. Help. Not do everything for me while I hide away.”

His dark eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I can’t let you near him.”

“Do you think I can stomach the thought of you near him?”

“I have spent the past two weeks dying every day thinking of what you could be going through while I paced around here doing nothing,” he said. “Only to find out my fears didn’t skim the surface of what you’d actually been enduring. And then last night? I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if he ever got close enough to touch you again.”

I placed both hands against his cheeks and kissed him softly. When I pulled back, it was all over his face that he knew what I was about to say. “I did not spend the last two and a half years living with him, and living with what he was doing to me, just to let someone else finish things for me. He’s my problem. I need you, Knox. But I need you to help me stay strong in this, okay?”

He wouldn’t respond to me, because he and I both knew he didn’t plan on letting me do this my way.

After a minute passed, Knox’s eyes went past me, and Deacon cleared his throat before he started talking. “Right, so. I have nothing then.” When Knox’s eyes narrowed, Deacon said, “I was going to say we needed to start thinking of safe places. Maybe the fire department, unless you think Collin has people there, too.”

“It’s doubtful,” Knox said.

“Not that it matters, but the treasury is in control of the fire department’s money,” I added, but Knox shook his head.

“I still don’t think—”

“But we can’t know,” Graham interjected.

“Well, she can’t stay with friends or family. He’ll know to look there first,” Deacon said with a sigh, and sank into his chair.

“But if he does find out that she’s with me, he would quickly find out that I’m a firefighter,” Knox argued.

“Yeah, but I doubt he’d think you’d hide her with a bunch of them.”