Recluse (Wolfes of Manhattan 2)

He opened his eyes and turned onto his side, meeting my gaze. “Where else would you be?”

A night with the girls. The words hovered on my tongue. They were a lie, but they would be an easy out.

Roy would know. There was no night with the girls. There were no girls. As the Cosmo quiz said, I put my work above my social life. Which basically meant I had no social life.

I sighed. “Blaine says he has more information for me, but he won’t give it to me unless I go to dinner with him tonight.”

“He doesn’t have anything.”

“He may not, but I can’t take that chance.”

“Fine, then I’ll go with you.”

“There’s nothing I would love more than for you to come,” I said. “But you can’t miss your session, Roy. This is too important.”

He wouldn’t disagree with me.

Would he?

Though he’d told me little, the first session had been pretty successful as far as I knew.

He cleared his throat. “I won’t miss my session. But I need you there with me, silver. Please.”

“But—” I stopped quickly. No buts. I loved this man, and if he needed me there, I’d be there. “I’ll call Blaine and cancel.”

Roy nodded. He didn’t look thrilled, but he looked a tad happier than he had a moment ago.

I quickly texted Blaine to let him know I wouldn’t make dinner.

Lunch then? he texted back.

I thought it over for a few seconds. I had to go home anyway to change.

Okay. Noon at Luigi’s.

He texted back a thumb’s up, and then I sighed. Luigi’s was Italian. He’d order lasagna Bolognese for me. Again.

I glanced at the time on my phone. It was already ten.

“I need to go,” I said. “I want to change clothes. Plus, that red shirt… It’s not that flattering.”

“Are you kidding? You look amazing? Every curve is accented.”

I laughed. “Yeah. That’s the problem. It wasn’t the most professional outfit in the world to be wearing yesterday. You want to meet for dinner before your session?”

“Sure. Just come here. I’ll order something.”

“Roy, we can actually go out in public.”

“I’m not a real public person, silver. I prefer to stay in, keep my lovely lady to myself.”

His words were like a warm and comforting hug. He wanted me all to himself. I liked that.

Of course, he was a classic introvert as well, so he didn’t particularly enjoy being around crowds of people. Still, it was nice to hear.

“Okay. You want to pick me up at my place?”

“Of course. I’m a gentleman. I’ll be happy to pick you up.”

I lived in a studio apartment—tiny, but a small price to pay for actually having my own place. Now that I was making more money, I should look for something bigger. I would, but not yet. Not until I’d had this position for more than a week.

I kissed Roy goodbye—a long, lingering kiss—and went home.

Feeling kind of shady for not telling him about lunch with Blaine.48RoyCharlie.

I missed her already.

I took a quick shower and returned to my bedroom to hear my phone ringing.

Hmm. I didn’t recognize the area code or number.

“Yeah?” I said into the smartphone.

“Roy?”

“Shit, Riley? Where are you?”

“I’m…I don’t want to say.”

“I can trace this number, you know.”

“By the time you do that, I’ll be gone.”

I couldn’t trace the location anyway. Not without hanging up and making another call. I had a landline, but—

“I didn’t know who else to call,” my sister said.

“You can call any of us anytime.”

“I hardly know Rock, and Reid… Well, he always hated me.”

“That’s not true.” Though Reid did have a huge envy of Riley and all those trips our father took her on. He always felt, as the one who was interested in the business, that he should have been the favorite.

Now that we knew the truth, he was probably damned glad he hadn’t been the favorite.

“Reid doesn’t hate you. We just never knew—”

“Shit. You know now, don’t you?”

“Riley, why didn’t you tell us? We could have helped you. Protected you.”

A pause. Then she cleared her throat. “No one could protect me. No one.”

“He’s gone now.”

Another pause. Then, “I didn’t do it, Roy.”

“God, of course not,” I said. “None of us think that.”

“I sure had one heck of a motive, though. The cops were asking so many questions. I had to take off.”

“This isn’t the first time you’ve taken off,” I said.

“I know. But the other times…”

“What about them? Why have we never been able to find you?”

“Because,” she said, “Dad didn’t want me found.”

“But Dad was always here.”

“Was he? How would you know, Roy?”

She had a point. “But Riley, you’re a grown woman. You could—”

“Stop right there. Please. I’ve said it to myself more often than you could ever say it to me. I don’t know why I let it continue. I’ll never know why.”

My sweet little sister needed help. So much help. Help like I was getting now. “Riley, come home. I want to help you. I’ve been seeing a doctor.”