Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

LILY

I hurry into the building, his touch lingering on my arm like a warm phantom kiss. He was staring down at me like he was going to kiss me again. I swear, the silver in his hair was glistening, shining , as though drawing attention to our age gap. The crazy part is, I think it was hot, somehow, the glint of maturity.

Then I remembered Mom's voice after she sobered up, and I genuinely began listening to her. "Your father knew what he was doing, Lily. An older man knew all the right buttons to push and how to twist me around his finger. It's not an excuse for the mother I've been, but the truth is, I stood no chance against him."

I need to be careful with Landon. I regret that knight in shining armor comment. It was so dorky. It revealed too much of myself. I shouldn't care, but …

Carter is glaring at me as I walk across the office. His usually resigned expression is uncharacteristically pissed.

"Is something wrong?" I ask.

"Who was that you were just with?"

"Excuse me?" I reply coldly. "Somebody who gave me a ride."

"Who is he to you? That's what I'm asking."

"You're being weird, Carter," I say, sitting at my desk.

Carter leans forward, leaning on his desk and staring at me. It's more like he's searching inside of me.

"Is there a problem?"

"I don't know. Is there?"

"Carter, will you just cut the crap?" I tell him.

"That was Landon Cross," he says after a pause.

"Yeah, so what? Do you know him?" When Carter stares at me, I feel obligated to explain. That isn't fair, but he's leaving me no choice and seems serious about it. "He helped me when I was a kid, and he was?—"

Helping me with the bar, but Carter cuts me off.

"Helping people," Carter grunts. "Yeah, some hero he was, swooping in on the right cases, choosing his moment, getting the right photo ops, and articles in the newspapers. Yes, he's so selfless, and where is he now? What is he doing? Still helping people?"

I feel my cheeks burning red. There's no reason for me to care this much, but—"That's not fair, Carter. He did help me. I would've gotten split from my mom if it wasn't for him. He gave her a chance. He got my dad to back off. He's a good person."

"Yeah, when he wants to be," Carter grunts. "I used to know him. Not much, but everyone in our line of work did. Landon Cross with his slick suits and his habit of picking cases that make him look good."

"How is that fair?" I snap. "So you think he should've just let the city tear me away from my mom? You think he should've let my dad keep harassing us?"

"I'm not saying that," he says, "but the fact is, we do the work—everybody here, in the trenches, for shit pay, without the photo ops. Sure, he helped, but not as much as anyone in this building. He still got all the praise."

"He was raising awareness," I say. "A few journalists interviewed Mom, and maybe there was a photo, but what was the harm? He didn't make any money off it."

"Yeah, almost like he had ulterior motives."

"So what if he wanted to look like the good guy? Is that such a bad thing?"

Carter gets that searching expression. I don't like it because it feels as if he will find something in me. "You're defending him pretty enthusiastically. Why was he dropping you off, anyway? You kept in touch after he helped you?"

"No," I snap. "He's …" But hearing Carter's opinion of Landon stops me from revealing the truth. "We reconnected recently by chance."

"Reconnected," Carter says, nodding.

"You can wipe that look off your face. You shouldn't be taking such an interest in my personal life, anyway."

"He's not the person you think he is," Carter grumbles.

"What does that mean? Do you know something I don't?"

"Yeah, but I can't tell you."

"How convenient."

"It would breach confidentiality, but if you care so much, ask him about the case with the apple trees. He'll know what I'm talking about. He plays the nice guy, but there's a demon in him, Lily. He hides it well, but it's there."

"What am I working on today?" I hiss.

"We'll be together today," Carter replies. "These solo projects are landing us in trouble. It's time we played by the rules for a while."

"I thought this was all about helping people."

"Yeah, but you can't help anyone if you're dead."

I look down at my desk so that Carter can't see the rage in my eyes. It's not fair that I'm being punished for trying to do the right thing. Deep down, I know Carter's doing this because he wants to keep me safe. Still, it feels wrong, forgetting about that bar and those kids. It feels like a betrayal.

I want to ask Carter about that case, the demons in Landon. I haven't seen any demon in him: passion and intensity, but nothing bad.

Not yet , a small voice whispers.