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Evan ran a nervous hand through his hair, messing it up further.  I m not
going to lie to you some of my friends will probably drink tonight. But you
have my word that I won t touch a drop. I want Willa safe, too.
She appreciated his honesty and smiled to let him know.  Okay, then. We
understand each other.
 Ginger, can I come out now? Willa called impatiently from her bedroom.
 I suppose.
The bedroom door opened and Ginger snapped Evan s reaction shot on her
cell phone. He looked like he d been struck dumb at the sight of Willa coming
toward him. She saved the photo of Evan with the intention of showing it to
Willa the next time she felt unsure of his feelings for her. The poor kid looked
two seconds away from throwing himself at her feet.
 Whoa.
 Hey. Willa shifted from side to side, looking uneasy under Evan s scrutiny.
She pretended to adjust the bracelet Ginger lent her to avoid his eyes.
 Willa, stop.
Both sisters gaped at Evan.
 Stop what? Willa managed.
 I can tell you re freaking out. He held out his hand to her.  Stop.
Ginger watched, fascinated, as Willa s eyes glassed over and she bit her
bottom lip. Nodding, she reached out and took his hand.
 You look beautiful, he breathed.
Willa s face transformed with her smile. Safely tucked into Evan s side, they
walked to the door. Ginger stood rooted to her spot, unable to believe the
exchange she d just witnessed. How had Evan come to understand Willa so
well in such a short period of time?
Letting Willa live her own life without interference had always seemed like the
best approach, but now Ginger wasn t so sure. Of course, she provided support
whenever necessary and she liked to think they were best friends. But maybe
she d chosen to remain at a distance because it was easier for her, not Willa.
By ignoring their mutual past and making light of the horrors they d
experienced, she d set a horrible example. Pretend your problems don t exist
and push through had always been her philosophy. She never stopped to think
it might be the wrong one. Willa had been given no choice but to follow suit.
It was time she fixed the mess she d made.
Before they could walk out the door, Ginger stopped the couple.  Wait up,
Wip. Evan, can I just have one minute with my sister?
 Sure. He walked out into the hallway to wait, throwing one more glance at
her over his shoulder as he went.
Willa searched her face.  What s up?
Ginger fought to maintain her composure so as not to alarm Willa. She
needed to find the right words to express her regret without giving herself
away entirely.
 I just need to tell you that I m going to do better. Okay? I want you to be as
proud of me as I am of you right now. I m going to do the right thing from now
on.
Smiling, Willa shook her head.  Ginger, you re just emotional because I m
wearing a dress.
 You re right. That must be it, she lied.
 I promise I ll be back in a hoodie by tomorrow.
 Okay. Ginger opened the door and pushed her out.  Have fun, you two.
Ginger closed the door behind them and blew out a shaky breath. Then she
turned and walked to the Dolly statue. With a small twist to the right, the
blonde s head dislodged. She reached inside and pulled out the canvas bag.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Derek walked into his apartment and flipped on the lights. He set down the
bottle of wine he d picked up on the drive home and unstrapped his shoulder
holster, laying it on the kitchen table. After finally wrapping up the paperwork
and briefings pertaining to the Modesto case, he looked forward to a couple of
much-needed days off. As soon as he took a shower and changed out of his
wrinkled work clothes, he planned on dragging Ginger out of her apartment
and into his bed. He d see to her pleasure and then he d damn well sleep for at
least ten straight hours.
Tomorrow night, when he felt semi-human, he planned on taking Ginger out
on an actual date. She d been patient with his demanding work schedule.
Almost too patient, as if she didn t expect anything from him. That shit would
come to an end this weekend. He wanted Ginger to expect everything from
him.
Derek refused to put off their conversation about the stolen money any
longer. She d been on the verge of telling him as they d lain in bed together a
few days ago, he was sure of it, but she d balked at the last minute. Although
he d wanted to push, she d already looked so damn vulnerable after his
confession that he d researched her past, Derek didn t have the heart. This
weekend, he would come clean that he already knew. And there would no
longer be any secrets between them. He wouldn t allow it to fester. Not when
she meant so much to him.
Additionally, Derek hated having the loose end. So he d tied it up. As long as
Ginger remained in possession of the money, her safety would be in question.
It made him crazed to think what could happen if a shady character such as
Haywood Devon learned of her whereabouts. But with the help of his contact
in Nashville and the national criminal database, Derek had found something he
could use to put Devon behind bars for a long time, if not for good.
It had been his experience that, in most criminal enterprises, members
tended to branch out when the well dried up. Which is exactly what happened
a few years back for Devon when his then-partner left Nashville in search of
greener pastures.
Thankfully, the partner in question had branched out to Chicago, bringing a
wealth of information about his shady Nashville past, inclu ing valuable dirt on [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]