Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Ren lowered herself to the curb and put her head in her hands. She knew now that her mother had been wrong about some things, but she loved Ren, wanted what was best for her.
“We have three tickets to fly back tonight,” Gloria said, rubbing Ren’s back.
“What about Edward?”
Gloria gaped at her. “Ren, you can’t be serious. I—I thought—” Gloria swallowed hard, frowning. “Please tell me that boy was just your ride out here.”
“It started that way,” Ren told her. “But it turned into more. He’s a good person, Gloria.”
“A good—” Gloria laughed, a single, harsh sound. “He’s a criminal, Ren. A con man.” She shook her head. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. I guess we were both bound to make the same mistakes, get mixed up with the wrong kinds of men.” Gloria sat on the curb next to her. “Thank God I got here in time.”
“You don’t understand. He made some mistakes back when he was younger, but…He’s a scholarship student just like me.”
“So you know he’s not really that rich man’s kid?”
“I know. He told me everything.”
Gloria swallowed, gazing at her with part concern, part pity. “Everything? Did he tell you about the trouble he’s been in?”
Suddenly, Ren wasn’t sure. Edward had given her pieces of his life, like bread crumbs. Maybe he hadn’t told her everything yet. But no, Ren knew him. Lifting her chin, defensive heat flashed through Ren’s chest. “Yes, I know there’s a lot in his past, but he’s a good person.” He was, even if he didn’t always believe it. She met her mother’s eyes, willing her voice not to shake when she said, “He’s my boyfriend, and I trust him.”
“Well, then.” Gloria stared at her for a long beat and then blinked away, reaching into her purse and pulling out an envelope. “I’m glad to hear none of this will surprise you.”
Ren opened it, pulling the single sheet free. At the top was a photo of a younger Edward—scruffy, filthy, long haired, eyes wild. The fury in his gaze was disorienting.
It listed what she assumed was his legal name—Edward Pryce Fallon—his date of birth, and a few other numbers Ren assumed were record numbers in the Washington State Child Welfare system. Below all that was a list about fifteen lines long. She scanned it quickly:
9A.56.065………Theft of a motor vehicle
9A.56.068………Possession of a stolen vehicle
9A.56.330………Possession of another’s identification
9A.56.340………Theft with the intent to resell
9A.56.310………Possessing a stolen firearm
9A.56.346………Robbery in the first degree
There was more, but Ren stopped, a quiet moan escaping. “This isn’t right. This can’t be—How did you…”
Her heart thundering, Ren thought back to their conversation in the lake, both naked, both vulnerable. He’d been trying to tell her something, had started by saying he’d done bad things, and she’d asked him if he’d ever been in trouble with the police, fully expecting him to say no. But what had he said? He’d looked in her eyes and said—
Define trouble.
Ren’s heart sank. He hadn’t admitted to anything, but only because she hadn’t asked the right questions. He knew Ren wanted to see the best in him, and he let her.
“It’s him, Ren.” Gloria put her arm around Ren’s shoulders. “Baby, it’s him. Men like him are good at fooling women like us. Of taking advantage.”
Ren felt like she might throw up. The father she came here to find had been an abusive husband, and the boy she’d fallen for was a criminal.
She turned Ren to face her, expression soft as she read Ren’s silent spiral. “Now, you listen to me. You can’t blame yourself for this. This is just what I did—met a boy, fell in love in a matter of days. You’re human. But this boy is bad news. He’s a criminal and knows how to tell you what you want to hear, how to get you to trust him. Look at that rap sheet. Robbery? Possession of a stolen firearm? This boy didn’t just steal a pack of gum. Who knows what he would have done to you. Or us.”
Ren didn’t know what to think. She’d assumed Edward had been a foolish kid and his troubles were over something trivial, not something dangerous. Certainly not something involving a firearm. How did she not see this coming? Ren hadn’t learned an ounce of judgment in her time away from the homestead. She was just as naive and ignorant as ever.
Reeling, she remembered the Polaroid. He’d been cheating. She’d caught him cheating, and somehow, over the past few days, she allowed herself to forget all about it. Miriam had warned Ren that very first day, hadn’t she? She was right; everyone was right. Edward was Fitz, and Fitz was a liar.
“You didn’t tell him anything about us, now, did you?” Gloria asked gently. “Nothing about where we live? We don’t want him to find us.”