He sat there, quiet for a beat too long, and I almost told him to forget it, but he finally spoke. “She insists that it’s real. Her and Trevor. I know she’s lying—I’m not stupid, son—but I don’t know why. Before you came in here today, I figured she was protecting you. And since I heard hide nor hair from you since this engagement, I assumed you knew exactly why it was happening.”

  All this time, he’d thought this was somehow about me.

  And he hadn’t even considered trying to talk Dove out of it? Of course he hadn’t. He would have known that if I was involved, there would be no reasoning with her.

  “It’s not me, Bob. And if it’s not me, then …” I paused for dramatic effect, knowing that he could put two and two together without me having to spell it out for him.

  “I’ll be in touch,” he said, and it sounded so cold.

  I started thinking that he might be mad at me before realizing that his head had to be spinning, searching for whatever it could be that Trevor had on him if Dove wasn’t protecting me.

  “We have to save her,” I breathed out.

  He rose to his feet, stormed around the desk, and pulled me in for a hug.

  A couple slaps to the back, and I pulled away, more emotional than I wanted to be when I left his office and walked into a room filled with watchful eyes and gossiping mouths, who would no doubt be focused on me. This entire town had been talking about me for months, but I’d done my best to block it out.

  I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d be able to pretend like what they said didn’t matter.

  DINNER WITH DAD

  DOVE

  I wasn’t in the state of mind to play the dutiful and doting fiancée tonight, so I called Trevor and told him that I started my period unexpectedly. The kind that bled through tampons minutes after putting them in. I overly exaggerated, hoping to sufficiently gross him out enough that he’d keep his distance from me for at least a couple of nights. I needed to buy myself a little time.

  “Dove, don’t tell me things like that,” he complained, his tone disgusted.

  Even though he was pissed, he accepted my excuse. After, of course, he told me to take some Midol. Guys were so fucking clueless sometimes. Talk about a little blood and cramps, and they got all squeamish. Well, most guys anyway. Not Dominic … of course. He was always attentive and caring if I was ever in any kind of pain. It was like he couldn’t bear to watch me hurting.

  God, I miss him.

  Picking up my cell, I stared at it for a second before double-checking all of my settings, like the kid at the phone store had shown me. He’d informed me that my location sharing had been turned on and that some of my apps had been set to share with Trevor only. I’d turned them all off and only allowed my location to be shared with two people—Dominic and my dad. I was pushing my luck whenever Trevor eventually found out, but this was one fight I wasn’t giving in on. My being tracked twenty-four hours a day had not been part of the agreement.

  I fired off a text to my dad, asking if he was home and if I could stop by. He always took too long to respond, and I should have just called him instead, but this time, his reply was instant.

  Was going to see what you were up to tonight, kiddo. Come on by.

  Responding that I’d be on my way soon, I changed quickly into more casual and comfortable clothes. I walked out to my Range Rover before wondering if it had a tracking device on it as well. I’d ask my dad to check for one once I got over there. I knew that he had some type of scanning tool that could tell us if there was anything on it.

  My thoughts had been a tangled-up mess even more than usual. Seeing Dominic today had pushed me over the edge. I’d been able to pretend like keeping him at a distance was easy as long as there was no communication between us. But once I’d looked at him, all of those half-truths had been shot to hell.

  When I pulled into the driveway, the garage door opened, and I saw my dad standing inside with a smile on his face. I smiled back, wishing he didn’t look so old and tired. Cutting the engine, I stepped out, and he was right there, pulling me in for a hug.

  “Is there any way to check if there’s a tracking device on my car?” I asked, cutting right to the chase.

  He pulled away from me, his eyes narrowing. “Do you think there might be?”

  Nodding, I answered, “It’s possible. I just want to be safe.”

  “Dove,” he cautioned, “what’s going on? Are you in some sort of trouble?”

  “I’m not.” I emphasized the word I’m. “Can you check? It’s just me being overly cautious and paranoid. Trevor’s getting higher in the political circuit. It’s not out of the question that his opponents might do something like that, right? Maybe bug my car to listen in?”

  Once I started spinning the lie, the rest kept coming easily. It sounded plausible to me that Trevor’s line of work might lead to some not-so-legal things happening to those he cared about. As his fiancée, I’d top that list.

  “I guess not. I’ll check. You go inside and make sure the food’s not burning.”

  “You cooked?” I asked through my surprise, and he let out a deep laugh.

  I walked through the garage door and into the house I’d grown up in. Two pizza boxes sat on top of the kitchen counter, and I shook my head. I knew he hadn’t cooked! The man hadn’t used anything other than the microwave since I’d moved out.

  Opening up the cupboard, I pulled out two plates and set them on the table, where I’d moved the pizzas to as well. I was almost shocked the man still had any dishes left in the house. He was always eating off of paper plates or out of those horrible microwave meal containers.

  My dad walked in and shook his head in my direction. “Car’s all clean.”

  That was a relief, but not really unexpected. Pinging my phone had been the smarter move on Trevor’s part. My phone was always with me, in my pocket or in my purse, and I didn’t always take my car when I went places. Sometimes, I actually walked.

  “Thank you for checking.”

  “Anytime, sweet pea,” he said as he sat down at the table. “You pulled out the real plates, huh?”

  “Yes. And you’ll like it.”

  “You’re washing them.”

  “Oh, washing two plates will be super challenging. Probably take me all night,” I mocked.

  “Don’t sass me.” He pointed a finger in my direction, but his mouth couldn’t hide the grin that started forming.

  I loved this man. Would do anything to protect him, and honestly, I wasn’t even mad at him for putting me in this position. I could have been. Had every right to blame him for my predicament, but something inside me wouldn’t allow it. It downright refused.

  The scent of cheese and olive oil–baked crust hit my nose, and my stomach actually growled. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d allowed myself to pig out on pizza. And it wasn’t because I was trying to look svelte in my wedding dress. I couldn’t care less what the hell I looked like on that day. It would be a miracle if my legs held me up at the altar if I wasn’t standing next to Dominic. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they gave out and refused to work when it came right down to it. My mind could do its best to resist, but my body refused to betray him.

  I’d barely had an appetite since breaking up with Dominic. I had to force myself to eat on a daily basis. Every bite was a struggle, each swallow threatening to give it all back before it even hit my empty stomach. Dominic had noticed the weight loss. I had seen him take every inch of me in with his eyes, the look on his face not happy.

  “I had an unexpected visitor at the station today,” my dad said, bringing my thoughts back to the present.

  “Oh yeah? Who?” I asked.

  “Dominic.”

  I had not been prepared for his answer even though I should have expected it, and I started choking. Had to reach for my glass of water and down the entire thing. How many times had I choked today? This was becoming an annoying trend.

  “What did he want?” I tried to ask with as little emotion in my voice as possible, but it was a futile attempt at best.

  “Well, he told me something interesting.” He reached for a napkin and wiped at the corners of his mouth.

  What could Dominic have said? I wondered as my body tensed. “What did he tell you?”

  “You see, sweet pea, I always thought this whole you and Trevor thing was bullshit,” he started, and I let out a gasp as he continued. “But I figured there was a reason you were going along with it. A reason I couldn’t help with or talk you out of. Otherwise, you would have asked me.”

  He was getting too close. If my dad figured out why I was doing what I was, he wouldn’t allow it. Bob Tryst always put me first even if it was to his detriment, and this would be no exception. I couldn’t have him turning himself in and still be expected to live with myself after.

  I started shaking my head vehemently. I needed him to stop asking questions. “No. It’s not like that. Maybe you don’t know Dominic as well as you think you do. Maybe he’s not a good guy. Maybe he did something horrible to me and hurt me. Do you think I’d tell you if he had?”

  Lies. Lies. Lies. They tasted so sour and vile in my mouth, and I wanted to spit them out and stomp all over them until they couldn’t ever be spoken again.

  “I can see that you’re not ready to tell me the truth. But how am I supposed to stand by and watch you marry this guy when I know you don’t want to?”

  My dad had initially questioned it all when I first told him that I was engaged to Trevor. Granted, the dating, engagement, and wedding date all happened incredibly quickly. Trevor had said he had to rush it or else we’d be giving Dominic too much time to figure out a way to save me even though he hinted that doing so was impossible. Trevor was still worried. Dominic had always been too big of a threat to him.

  Trevor had told everyone else, “When you know who you are meant to be with, you don’t see the sense in waiting to make them yours.”

  It was a slight at my and Dominic’s courtship. From the outside, looking in, no one could understand why we weren’t married already—or at least engaged. But neither one of us understood how a piece of paper was supposed to change anything between us. We weren’t in a rush. We were committed and both focusing on growing our businesses. I wasn’t ready to have kids yet.

  Soon … but not quite yet.

  If only we’d known what was headed straight for us, we would have rushed to the justice of the peace and made my marrying someone else not an option.

  Again, my dad never believed any of it, even when I put on my best acting skills and brought Trevor home to formally meet him. I realized now that my dad had done me a kindness in letting it go at the time. I’d stupidly thought he’d bought what I was selling, but now, I knew that he never had.

  “I do want to.” I tried to sound resolved, but my voice shook. “I need to.”

  “Need isn’t the same as want.”

  “Dad,” I pleaded, “please let this go. If you don’t, you’ll only make it worse.”

  “How am I supposed to accept that? It’s my job to keep you safe, Dove. I’m not doing my job.”

  “Listen to me,” I implored, reaching across the table and taking his hand in mine.

  His eyes looked even more tired now than they had when I first arrived, if that was even possible.

  “I know what I’m doing, okay? Trust me that I’m figuring it out. But in the meantime, I need you to go along with it and not make any waves.”

  “At least tell me that Dominic has a plan,” he said, sounding hopeful. Like if Dominic was involved somehow, then it would be easier for him to swallow what I was asking him to do.

  I shook my head. “There can’t be one. Especially not one involving him.”

  My dad leaned back in the chair and blew out a breath toward the ceiling. “I don’t feel good about this.”

  “Do you trust me?” I asked. It was the only way to hopefully, maybe—dear God, please—get him to listen to me. “Dad. Do. You. Trust. Me?” I emphasized every word.

  “Of course, I do.”

  “Then, you have to let me do this. Believe me, the second I can, I’ll tell you everything.”

  “And in the meantime, what am I supposed to do?”

  Pray that I figure a way out of this before the damn wedding day, was what I wanted to say, but I couldn’t.

  “Nothing.”

  OPERATION OBJECT

  DOMINIC

  I hated being home … in our bedroom, lying in our bed. The pillowcases still smelled like Dove’s shampoo. I couldn’t tell you the number of times I’d pressed them to my face and inhaled, wishing she would be here when I opened my eyes. But she never was. And I was terrified that she might never be again. No matter how impossible the idea seemed to be, the truth was that she was slipping further and further away by the minute.

  I should have called my father and asked him just what the hell was going on, and I’d debated doing it no less than a thousand times. Even showing up at the house and confronting him in person had crossed my mind, but there was no point to any of it. I knew he’d lie to me. As long as it benefited him—and this deal with Dove had to somehow—I’d never know the truth.

  Thank God for my job. It was the only thing that even remotely kept my mind off of what I’d lost, what I was attempting to live without. Burying myself in work had proven to only be somewhat distracting. The problem was that I always ended up online, searching for articles on Trevor or my father, trying to figure out what exactly they were up to. I was never any closer than when I’d started.

  My phone vibrated, and I reluctantly reached for it, knowing that it wouldn’t be Dove on the other end so I struggled to care. I figured it might be Michael, asking me what the plan was. He was one hundred percent in on Operation Object—that was what we’d named it. At least it made me smile every time he mentioned it in a text.

  I noticed Bob’s name on the screen, and I pressed Answer as quickly as I could.

  “Morning,” I breathed into the line.

  “Come over.”

  “Station or house?” I asked, knowing that just because it was the weekend, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be at work.

  “House,” he said before ending the call.

  It was abrupt and not at all like Bob, so I knew it had to be important. Throwing the covers off my body, I hopped out of bed like a madman and got dressed, trying to ignore the dresser drawers that were empty of Dove’s things. They used to be so full that she could hardly close them. I’d promised to build her the closet of her dreams one day.

  Just like I’d promised I’d propose.

  And marry her.

  And make her the mother of my children.

  Now, that day was being threatened. Over my dead body.

  I parked my car on the curb in front of Bob’s house and felt my chest tighten. This house had always been a second home to me, and now … now, I didn’t know what it was. The front door opened before I reached it, and Bob stood on the other side, a serious expression on his face. He looked around, almost like he was checking if I’d been followed. Funny thing was, I’d done the same thing when I headed over here, glancing in the rearview mirror nonstop and taking an out-of-the-way route.

  “I wasn’t followed,” I said, and he gave me a nod before throwing an arm around my shoulders and practically forcing me inside. “What’s going on?”

  “I saw Dove last night.”

  “Okay.”

  The house was still dark. He hadn’t opened up any of the shades or curtains, and it almost made me forget that the sun was shining outside.

  “Sit.” He waved a hand toward the couch while he took a seat in his favorite worn-out recliner.

  No matter how old I got, I’d always feel like a kid around Dove’s dad.

  “What’d she say? How’d she look? She’s getting too thin.”

  He ran a hand down his face. “She ate pizza last night, so that was good.”

  I actually felt relieved, hearing that. It wasn’t like my girl to not eat, but she looked like she hadn’t been eating in who knew how long? Stress did that to a person.

  “That is good.”

  “Yeah,” he agreed before jumping into the rest. “She’s lying. About everything. But she won’t tell me why. Trevor definitely has something on one of us.” He wagged his finger between our two bodies. “You’re sure it’s not you?”

  From applying for permits to getting loans and acquiring properties, I’d done it all legally and to the letter. A part of me had always known that if I skirted my way through any of the steps, it could be used against me somewhere down the line. People could always be turned against you, no matter who they were or how many times they insisted they wouldn’t. Which was why I was never tempted to use my name, my father’s stature, or ask for help along the way. What I’d created and done for the people in town was of my own accord and hard work.

  Leaning forward, I put my elbows on my knees and looked him in the eyes. “I honestly can’t think of anything. I’ve done everything by the books. Never asked for any favors. Never done anything illegal. I really don’t think it’s me. I don’t see how it could be.”

  “Which leaves me, right? I mean, that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “That’s my thought, yes. But what have you done? Is there something?”

  I wondered, if Bob Tryst had done something that would get him in serious trouble, would he even admit it to me? He was a proud man.

  “I’m not sure.”

  That was as good of an answer as I was going to get. And in truth, it didn’t matter anyway. It changed nothing. Dove was being coerced somehow, and I needed to stop it.

  “I asked Dove last night if you had a plan, and she said that you couldn’t have one.”

  That surprised me. “Really? Because when I saw her, she basically asked me to stop the wedding.”