ALL THINGS PRETTY PART TWO by M. Leighton Read Free Book Online Page B

But maybe one
day, after all this is over, I can be
worth your love.”
    I sink into his eyes, into the deep, rich color, into the
warmth that’s like a cozy fire welcoming me in from the cold.   Part of me wants to tell him that I’m
already there, and that’s why it hurt so much to find out he’d lied to me.   But part of me, the part that has
survived all this time and done things that no self-respecting girl would ever
do, keeps those words to myself.   They come at too high a cost. And at the moment, I’m broke.
    As if sensing that he’ll get no confessions from me right
now, Sig presses his lips to my forehead and then crushes me against his
chest.   “Sit tight. I’ll take care
of Travis.   No matter what, just
remember that you’re not alone.   I’ll fix this.   I promise
you, I’ll fix this.”
    When he releases me, he turns and walks right out the door
without a backward glance, closing it softly behind him. Despite his warning, I
feel more alone than ever before.
     

CHAPTER THIRTY- SIG
     
    There are times when things have to be done a certain way,
when schmoozing has to happen and egos have to be stroked.   But there are also times when etiquette
needs a kick in the ass.   Now is one of those times. Just as soon as I make one stop first.
    I poke my head into the lounge where Travis has been keeping
company with Dorothy, the staff child psychologist at the county hospital.   Travis is slouched down in a seat on the
couch with his hood pulled up and tugged down low over his eyes.   So low, in fact, I can hardly see them
at all.   But I can see the pinched line of his mouth,
though, and the pale face that surrounds it.  
    I knock on the door’s frame before speaking.   At the sound, Travis’s head jerks up so
that I can get a better look at his eyes.   I can tell he’s pissed, but there’s relief in them, too. I mean, I may
be on his shit list right now, but at least I’m a friendly face. “Can I have a
minute?” I ask Dorothy.
    She smiles, dimples appearing in both cheeks, making her
round face look like that of an overstuffed doll.   “Sure,” she says kindly, winking one
brown eye at me as she breezes by in a cloud of syrupy perfume.   “Take your time. I’ll be right down the
hall.”
    I wait for her to leave and I close the door behind
her.   I stuff my hands in my front
pockets, a non-threatening gesture, and I walk slowly to the chair Dorothy
vacated, sitting across from Travis.   I let the quiet settle around us before I speak.
    “How you holding up, lil man?”
    He shrugs one shoulder.
    “Need anything?”
    For at least two minutes, Travis says nothing, just stares a
hole through me.   I’m pretty sure
that if hate had hands, he’d be strangling me with it right this minute. I let
him do it.   He probably needs to let
it out.
    “Yeah, I need something.   My sister.   Bring her to me and let us go home.”
    Of course he’d say
that.
    I sigh. “You know I can’t do that.”
    “You can.   You just won’t.   There’s a
difference.”   I can’t help
smiling.   I had this conversation
with his sister not so long ago.  
    “You’re right.   There is.   And in this case,
I can’t and I won’t.   I’m a cop, Travis.   I have to let this play out the right
way.”   He stands up and storms to
the other end of the room. He stands facing the wall, kicking the rubber
molding with the toe of his shoe.  
    “There’s always something
more important than us,” he mutters angrily.
    “I didn’t say it was more important.   I’m letting this play out for two
reasons.   Number one, I know that
your sister did what she had to do and I know that I can make the DA see
that.   She was just a kid and both
your lives were in danger.   And
number two, getting this wrapped up through the proper channels is the only way
you two will ever be able to lead a normal, happy life.”
    “She had a plan,” he pouts.  
    “Both of you may think that her plan of