Chapter 40

Holly woke to an empty bed—again.

Dammit! Why couldn’t that man sleep in and give her a little morning nookie?

She rolled over and stretched, her body aching in all the right places. Last night had been magnificent.

Justice hadn’t seemed as hesitant this time, and during their second time making love, he’d become the aggressor, which had totally turned her on. She loved a man who took charge but didn’t totally dominate her and also allowed her to have her time on top, so to speak.

Making love. She grinned at the words. Is that what they’d done? Her feelings ran deep for Justice, and she tried to sort them out. Could it be that she’d really fallen for him in such a short period of time, or did she feel the hero complex? She didn’t know, and right now, she didn’t care. Since they’d found the evidence to convict her brother’s killer and to set her free, she’d had a sense of liberation, like a weight had been lifted from her. Yes, she still felt incredible loss at Billy’s death, but it became more manageable with each day.

She wondered again what would become of her and Justice. Would there be a future for them? Last night, it had seemed as though all his layers had been stripped away and he’d come to her raw and open. However, she couldn’t help but feel there was something he didn’t tell her, and she wanted to know all of him.

Reluctantly, she got out of bed and used the bathroom. She pulled on a clean pair of yoga pants and a tank top. As she moved through the downstairs, the house held a sense of emptiness, but she shook it off. She climbed the stairs and reached the kitchen, but didn’t see Justice. Continuing her journey, she walked into the formal living room and paused to gaze into the Solarium. It looked so different with the sunlight streaming through the windows, her reflection nowhere in sight. Her core warmed at the memories of what had taken place there.

“Stop it,” she said, and looked in the upstairs master bedroom, finding it empty. A brief flash of worry passed through her.

“Justice?” she yelled.

Her voice seemed to echo over the tile and space as she waited for an answer. Turning, she hurried back to the kitchen and gazed out the window to the pool, expecting to see him swimming laps.

Empty.

She decided to check again on the second level and headed for the staircase when a sheet of paper on the counter caught her eye. She sighed in relief, thinking he’d left her a note on where he’d gone.

As she opened the note, she noticed a thick envelope next to it, but ignored it and read the letter.

 

Holly,

The killer has been caught and you are safe. Here’s ten thousand dollars to help you rebuild your life. Your boss has been contacted, and you have your job back. Your car is out front. Please vacate this house by 5pm.

 

“What?” she murmured. She must not have understood it.

Reading it again, her throat constricted.

The third time, tears formed in her eyes.

The forth, they spilled over and she sank to the cold, stone floor.

Well, at least, she had her answer. She’d meant nothing to Justice. Absolutely nothing. He’d left in the middle of the night without even so much as a goodbye. That showed a distinct lack of respect for her, so she’d totally misread him. Everything they’d shared had been a lie.

“You fucking bastard!” she screamed at the top of her lungs into the empty kitchen.

She wanted to burn the place down, to erase her time in the mansion, but she didn’t have it in her.

Instead, she went to the front door and opened it. Her car sat in the driveway, just as the note said.

She wiped her eyes, returned to the kitchen, and picked up the envelope. Taking out the bills, she counted ten thousand dollars.

He’d given her the chance to start her life over, and to do it well. As she reread the note again, there didn’t seem to be anything he hadn’t covered, no point in her life where she’d be in danger or needing anything.

He’d gifted her everything, except his heart.

As the tears stained the ink on the paper, she whispered, “But that’s the only thing I wanted, you cold bastard.”