Renegade_C. Reilly by Reilly C. & Reilly Cora

Author:Reilly, C. & Reilly, Cora
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Rules of Deception #2
Publisher: C. Reilly
Published: 2022-05-30T16:00:00+00:00

After driving for almost an hour, Devon pulled onto a narrow forest road. The Acura jolted over the uneven pavement and my stiff legs and back protested painfully. Devon zigzagged to avoid the myriad of potholes filled with muddy water. I could see the tension in his body, the way he held the tightness of his back and stomach. The car groaned every time we encountered a bump. It definitely wasn’t made for crossroad trips. The clouds broke open and heavy raindrops pelted down on us. In that moment a charming house came into view: gray stucco façade, white shutters and a porch with lilac flowers cascading almost to the ground.

When Devon brought us to a stop beside the three cars parked in the driveway, pebbles flew everywhere. The white door flew open and Aunt Celia, dressed in a bright orange dress and a yellow apron, peeked out, frowning. Of course she wouldn’t recognize us as long as we were hidden behind the dirty windshield.

She doesn’t know you at all, I reminded myself. After all, I didn’t look like Devon’s sister, Madison, anymore.

Devon tried to smooth his hair. He’d nervously run his hands through it so often in the last hour that it was all over the place. I could only imagine what a mess I looked like. The ringlets that had fallen out of my ponytail clung to my neck and forehead. The moment Aunt Celia saw Devon, her face lit up. She glanced at me curiously as we walked up the porch before pulling Devon into a hug and kissing his cheek.

“Devon, sweetheart, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, we’re just doing a bit of a road trip. And we thought we’d stop by,” Devon said lightly.

“And who is this young lady?” She smiled at me.

She was paler than I remembered her, and slightly older looking. Her blond hair was up in a messy bun and she looked like someone who hadn’t slept in a while. Just like Devon, she’d recently lost someone she cared deeply about. That wasn’t the kind of thing you forgot quickly.

“Hi, I’m Tessa.” I shook her hand with a smile. “I’m a friend of Devon’s.”

“How lovely,” she said, but her voice was hollow and she cast a nervous glance at Devon. “Come on in. Your uncle is inside.”

The wall to our left was plastered with family photos. A stab of jealousy jolted through me at the sight of them. Devon had a loving family, he didn’t have to steal his own family photos from a forbidden file; they were displayed in the open for everyone to see. I reached for the folded photos in my jeans pocket. Just feeling them beneath my fingertips gave me a sense of belonging.

Devon’s hand on my lower back urged me to move on. I hurried on through the house, but every step felt more like returning to a happy family. As we entered the living room, Uncle Scott looked away from the baseball game on TV. The spicy scent of cigars wafted over to me and burned in my nose.

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