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choice. It was an accident, Claire. He wouldn’t have willingly done so.”
    “What the hell do you know about it? What the hell do you know about him?”
    I smiled as gently as I could. “I know everything about him from you. He loved you, too, didn’t he? Let him go. Forgive him.”
    “Fuck you.”
    “Later, yes.”
    “How dare…” She shook her head. “How dare you,” she whispered through her choking sobs.
    “Yes.” I reached across the expanse of leather between us and slid my palm down her hair in long, soothing strokes. More than her hair needed stroking. Her body, her mind, her heart. Her entire being needed stroking. “How dare I, Claire,” I agreed softly. “How dare I.”
    She was out of the truck before I realized what she was about. I’d barely gotten to the ground myself before she dashed across the street. She stood panting outside the doors of The Club . They weren’t open yet and wouldn’t be for several more hours. It was only the second time I’d been inside when it wasn’t officially open. The first was when I was approved for membership.
    “What if I can’t get beyond it?” she asked.
    “What if you can?” I countered. I pounded on the doors. They might not be open, but there was always someone inside.
    Claire took one step backward. Then, another one. “What am I doing?” Fear laced her voice, no longer monotone, but full of more emotion than I knew it was possible for one person to feel.
    I put my hand at her back and prevented her from running. “Facing yourself. Who you were. Who you are.”
    “I don’t want to.”
    “Liar,” I said affectionately. I lifted my hand to pound on the doors again, but one swung open and Jet stood there, annoyance on his face. The second his eyes lit on Claire, the annoyance gave way to surprise, then tenderness. I’d only seen that emotion on his features when he looked at his wife, Lucy.
    “Claire,” he said. A rare smile pulled his lips up. “Little one, it is so good to see you. Come on in.”
    “I can’t.” She gave her head a quick shake. “I shouldn’t have… No. This was a mistake.”
    Jet held his hand out toward her. “Was it?”

 
     
     
     
    Chapter Five
     
     
    Claire
     
    “This isn’t…” I started, but stopped. I didn’t know what I wanted to say or even what I should say. I’d said it was a mistake and it probably was. I felt sick to my stomach and hot all over. Panicked. I felt I needed to explain myself only, I didn’t know why or even how. “Okay, so maybe it sort of is, but, coming here was my idea,” I finished, knowing nothing I was saying made any sense.
    I struggled with every word, every emotion clogged my throat and much as I wanted to run like hell, I knew I couldn’t. I needed to do this. If nothing else, Jared was right. I needed to face who I was and who I had become... I didn’t have to do it alone, but even with him there, I didn’t know how to do it at all.
    “Come on,” Jet coaxed again, his voice soft, but with an edge that jolted me out of my head long enough for me to take his hand. He closed his fingers around mine and led me inside the building.
    “It hasn’t changed,” I whispered, huddled by the doors. Fear of going further paralyzed me. I didn’t want to see the stairs that led below. I didn’t want to see the places we’d played. I didn’t want to remember anymore. I wanted to go back to my life, the one that was numb and didn’t feel like I’d been asleep for years and blood was finally rushing in and waking me the fuck up. It hurt too much.
    Move forward .
    Jet let go of my hand when I refused to move from my spot. “Take your time,” he said gently to me. “I’ll be in the office if you need anything.”
    Seeing familiar faces would bring it all back and I didn’t think I could handle it.
    You can .
    I didn’t want to handle it. But that voice inside my head, his voice, Tim’s voice, was there, telling me, urging me, and I never could deny him