I Know Lucy (A Fugitive #1)(54)

“My parents are dead,” she whispered.

I whipped my head to look at her, taking in her pale skin and the haunted look in her eyes.

The truth. It fit and explained so much about her.

I squeezed her shoulder. “I thought you said you had a dad?”

“I lied.” Her voice was tiny.

I forgave her with another kiss to the forehead. “How’d they die?”

The pause was so long and pregnant I thought she wouldn’t answer me. Eventually a detached voice drifted into the room, “They were murdered.”

My lungs went dry, devoid of air, as I tried to take in what she was saying to me.

“When?”

“I was thirteen.”

“And, um, how old are you now?”

Her head shifted on my shoulder as she looked up at me. “Eighteen. Same as you. I never lied about that.”

Not this time anyway. I kept my thoughts to myself, trying to forget the fact she’d played an eighteen-year-old senior only last year when she was trying to con Miles Filmore.

I shut my eyes, forcing myself to focus back on the questions I had for her. She was talking the truth for once and I had to take advantage of it.

“Did you—were you there when they died?”

Her head moved on my shoulder again, snuggling into me as if trying to block out the images. I held her tight, knowing I wasn’t going to like what she had to say.

Yet again a detached voice relayed the information. “It was after dinner…on a school day. I’d just got the lead in the spring musical and we were celebrating. Mom sent me down to the basement to get ice cream from the chest freezer. As I was nearing the top of the stairs, this man showed up…” She sniffed and shook her head. “I watched it through a crack in the door…and then I ran.”

“Why didn’t you run to the police?”

She pushed off me, sitting up and facing the wall. I sat forward and ran my hand down her back, resting my chin on her shoulder.

“My parents were killed by a dirty cop. I couldn’t go to the police. So I ran. That’s what I do best. I run, Zach.” She turned to face me, our noses brushing against each other. “I never wanted to be a bad person. I never meant to steal, but I had to survive.” She let out a wry laugh. “I don’t know why. My life has been pretty shitty, but something in me needs to survive.” Her body began to tremble beneath my fingertips. “I don’t want to die like they did.” Her voice tripped and I could sense the tears returning.

“Shhhh. It’s okay,” I whispered.

“You can’t tell anybody you know me.” She turned in my arms, her eyes pleading as she reached for my face. “You have to stick with the Dani story, do you understand me?”

“Yes.” I nodded. “But we can trust—”

“No.” Her fingers gripped my skull. “We can’t trust…I can’t trust…” She licked her bottom lip and dropped her hands, looking away from me.

Gently placing my fingers under her chin, I pushed her head up. “I won’t tell anyone. I promise. You just keep being Dani. My Dani.” I grinned and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

When I pulled away she was smiling. “Thank you. I never meant to tell you about my parents. I’m sorry.”

I tipped my head and tucked her golden hair behind her ear. “I’m glad you did and I’m sorry for being such an * before.”

Her chuckle was dry and breathy. “You had every right to be. I lied to you. And you’re the only person who’s ever cared enough to figure out why.” She licked her bottom lip. “It worries me that you did, but it’s also nice to be with someone who doesn’t just settle for the shallow. Who doesn’t just ignore all the lies, because all they really want from me is sex or popularity.” Guilt crested over her features. I wondered if she was thinking of Tori, but before I could ask, she sniffed and shook her head. “I hope you understand why I’ve had to do what I’ve done.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I get it. I just can’t believe you’ve been living like this since you were 13.” I waved my hand around the apartment.

She ignored my sympathy, a thought occurring to her. A thought which made her forehead wrinkle and her body shift away from me. “How’d you find out all that stuff about me? Who’d you ask? Who’d you talk to? How did you know?”

I placed my finger on her lips, gently silencing her. I wasn’t sure how much to say. I didn’t want to scare her. She already looked like she was about to be hit by a bus.

I licked my lips and ran my hand through my hair. “I saw a picture of you in my cousin’s yearbook. He goes to Lowell High.” I glanced at her and watched the way her eyebrows flickered with an anguished frown.

“The yearbook? How’d they get a photo of me?”

“It was on one of those montage pages. You weren’t looking at the camera. You probably had no idea the photo was even being taken.”

Her features dented with worry as she rubbed her chin.

“Luke—”

“Who’s Luke?”

“My cousin.” My insides started to thrum as I watched her panic start to fester. Her whole body was tense and alert. She reminded me of a deer who’d just heard a twig snap behind her. She was getting ready to bolt. I kept my voice gentle and smooth. “Luke told me about how you dated Miles.”