Trust by Sherri Hayes Read Free Book Online Page B

happened, I’d screamed yellow at him as I’d backed myself up into the far corner of my bedroom. He’d looked at me as if I were speaking a foreign language. Luckily Jade was there and had understood. “I think it’s something Stephan taught her to say when things are getting to be too much. I think it means she needs space, Cal. You need to give her some space.” She’d been right, and he’d reluctantly backed off.
    After a similar thing happened two other times, Cal had taken to keeping his distance from me. He never came within three feet of me unless he asked first. If we were standing, it was more like five. I know the whole situation upset him, but I was grateful he was being such a good friend to me. He was letting me live here after all. I doubted I could ever repay him for everything he was doing.
    “Did you want a sandwich? I’ve got ham and turkey.”
    “No. Thank you.”
    He glanced in my direction once more and went back to what he was doing.
    “Emma called.”
    That got his attention, and he abandoned his sandwich to face me. “What did she say?”
    His voice was commanding, and I could see the muscles under his shirt flexing. My gaze fixated on his arms, his posture, and I swallowed, feeling my heart rate increase.
    “Anna. What did Emma say?”
    My gaze snapped to his, my eyes wide.
    He sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it like that. I’m just . . . I guess I’m anxious to hear what she had to say.”
    I closed my eyes and took in a slow, deep breath, trying to calm down. I spread my hands wide behind me, feeling the texture of the wall, allowing it to ground me just as Stephan had taught me. “She’s . . . coming over.”
    Cal didn’t speak for several long seconds. “When?”
    Before I could answer, we heard another car.
    “I guess that answers my question.” He abandoned his food and went to get the door. I stayed where I was.
    Muffled sounds from the front entry floated into the back of the house. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I could tell by Cal’s tone that he was questioning Emma. She’d said on the phone that she wanted to talk to us both together, so I doubted she would say anything to him without me in the room.
    Sure enough, less than a minute later, Cal came marching into the kitchen with Emma in tow. He didn’t look all that happy, but when he saw me, he made an effort to soften his features. I knew he was trying not to scare me, and he was probably as anxious to hear what Emma had to say as I was.
    “Hi, Anna.”
    “Hi.”
    “Can we get started?” Cal took a deep breath, causing his shoulders to rise and fall dramatically.
    “Of course.”
    Emma sat at the kitchen table with Cal. They both looked over at me, obviously wanting me to join them.
    I pushed myself away from the wall and walked slowly across the room. Once I was seated, Emma didn’t waste any time getting to the point of her visit. She looked to Cal first, then to me. “Did Cal tell you he came to see me, Anna?”
    “Yes.”
    “Good.” She seemed relieved. “I met with Stephan’s lawyer, as well as a criminal attorney from my firm. We’ve discussed the situation in detail and have concluded that the best thing for you to do, Anna, is nothing.”
    “What?”
    Emma’s focus turned to Cal, briefly acknowledging his outburst. “We still think it’s a good idea for you to publicly show support for Mr. Coleman, if you’re willing, but there should be no mention of what happened to Anna or his part in it.”
    “I don’t understand. Why not?”
    “Right now all the FBI has is a single transaction made to Ian Pierce by Mr. Coleman. They don’t have any evidence as to what it’s for, other than a small notation that is Anna’s name. And unless one of the parties involved speaks up, that’s all they have. We don’t want to give them reason to think there’s anything else there by coming forward and offering a deal. It wouldn’t look good.”
    “Wait a minute.