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Chapter One

Tristan

"I thought you understood how this had to end"

Looking down the hall at Nina's hospital room, I eyed with suspicion every person alked in and out Pressing the phone to my ear, I listened as the iven you h time, Tristan This has to end"

"I won't do it I told you that She's no threat to you, Karl"

"You're not thinking with the right head, son If anyone finds out about the evidence she has, everything your father worked so hard to attain will be gone Are you prepared to let that happen? We aren't Take care of this Or ill"

"She has nothing I've checked everything she owns and there's nothing Let her live in peace"

"With you, happily ever after, like so? I told you that we can't afford to have any loose ends There's proof somewhere Those of us who supported your father all those years won't be taken down by your schoolboy romantic ideas"

"And I told you there's nothing to prove whateverHe's dead and Nina's father is dead Let whatever happened end with them"

Karl was silent for a long ti to happen Or ill"

I pressed End Call and stuffed usted with Karl butfar?

All I had to do was find the papers Karl was sure her father had shohat my father had done I was still in the dark about what exactly Joseph Edwards thought he'd caught , but I didn't care anyone bad, it didn'tNina safe froht of nothing but protecting their own hides

"Mr Stone?"

I shook off my phone call and saw one of Nina's nurses at my side "Yes?"

"It's tiht be a little sore at first when she gets back to her daily activity, but that's to be expected I've told her to just listen to what her body's telling her and she should be fine Noe just have to wait for her memory to come back"

Nina appeared in the doorway of the hospital room where she'd spent the last five weeks Seated in a wheelchair, she wore her black yoga pants and white sweatshirt and had the pink roses I'd given her thatin her lap Her blue eyes lit up when I stepped out from behind the wall

"Hey! The doctor said I'm ready to roll"

Bowing deeply, I looked up at her and smiled "Your chariot awaits, my lady"

The press was out in full force when I pulled the Jag in through the gate at the bottom of the driveway I'd had installed the week before Ca Nina bury her head in the space between our seats Snaking my arm around her to hold her close, I hoped this first introduction to o

I leaned my head down and whispered next to her ear, "Don't worry We'll be hoain, Nina"

The gates closed behind us and I raced up the driveanting all that bullshit with the paparazzi left back there in the past Fucking vultures Like anyone should want to see pictures splattered all over the gossip pages of aa woman home from the hospital after a car accident

Nina lifted her head and sat up straight in her seat to look at the house as I stopped the car "This is where you live?"

"Where we live," I said, gently correcting her

She turned her head and the look on her face was a mix of uncertainty and disbelief

As I shut off the car, I flashed her a smile "Don't worry It's cozier than it looks"

"Uh huh" She looked unconvinced

I grabbed her coat and walked around the car to help her out, watching her crane her neck to take in all of the house as I placedup at entle blue eyes, she asked, "I really live here? With you?"

Nodding, I smiled "You do In fact, you like this house more than the other one"

She stopped walking and stared straight ahead "There's another one?"