“Yeah, I probably should’ve already told you about it, but with everything that’s been going on, it slipped my mind.”
He glanced over to the kitchen, and when he saw that Jasmine was getting ready to bring our food over, he asked, “Does it have something to do with Antonio?”
“Afraid so.”
“Then save it.” He waited as Jasmine placed our food down on the table, then added, “Let’s just enjoy our meal, and you can tell me later.”
“Okay, but soon.”
He nodded, then turned his attention to Jasmine. “This looks great.”
“I hope you enjoy it. Let me know if I can get you anything else.”
“Will do.”
Once she’d disappeared back into the kitchen, Billy picked up his burger and asked, “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“Not that I’m aware of. I’ve often wondered if Mom ever remarried and started a new family, but I have no way of knowing for sure. What about you?”
“No. Just me.” He gave a half-hearted shrug. “Guess that’s why it’s so easy for me to be alone.”
“Possibly.” I smiled as I told him, “You know, they say only children are more ambitious and stubborn than those with siblings. Do you agree with that?”
“Definitely stands true for you.”
“Me?” I gasped. “I was thinking about you.”
“I’m nowhere near as ambitious or stubborn as you.”
“Says the man who cleans for men like Antonio DeLuca. You have to be pretty ambitious to get into a career like that.”
“Ambition has nothing to do with it.”
“Then, what is it? Why do you do what you do?”
“I was hoping for a lighter topic for dinner.” He chuckled as he asked, “You sure you wanna dive into this?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
Billy spent the next half hour or so explaining how he’d become a cleaner, and the more I heard, the more I realized why he’d been hesitant to talk about it over dinner. It was a truly heartbreaking story. My chest literally ached as I listened to him describe what had happened with his wife and the awful things her doctor had done to his patients.
I understood his thirst for revenge.
I’d wanted the very same revenge when I heard that DeLuca had killed my father, and while I was conflicted over the method, I was pleased to hear that his wife’s doctor had gotten what was coming to him. It was easy to see how it had all changed him—just as my experience with Antonio had changed me.
He told me how he’d used his background in forensics to erase any evidence of the doctor’s death, and that was it. His story stopped there, but it wasn’t difficult to piece the rest together.
It felt good to know that my instincts were right. Billy wasn’t a bad man. He was damaged, but he had a good heart and good intentions. But I feared those good intentions might end up costing him more than he bargained for.
BILLY
I never intendedto tell Everleigh about my work. Nor had I planned to tell her about my past. Those were things I hadn’t shared with anyone, but my fuckup had her asking questions that had to be answered. While I was furious with myself for making such a rookie mistake, it felt good to finally open up to her. I needed her to understand why I’d done the things I’d done. Even though it wasn’t easy, I think I finally got through to her.
By the time we finished eating, she seemed more at ease with me, relaxed even, and I was the same with her. I paid for our dinner, then we went back out to the Harley and started home. The sun had set, and the cool night air nipped at my skin as we sped down the old, dark highway. However, with Everleigh nestled behind me, I’d never felt warmer.
Everleigh seemed to be enjoying the ride as much as I was—right up until the moment when it started to rain. At first, it was just a sprinkle, barely even noticeable, but it wasn’t long before it really started coming down. When the drops started to sting, I slowed down long enough to ask Everleigh, “You okay back there?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”