Plain Sight

chapter fifty-six

Tom

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"What's wrong?" Juliette says to me as I speed up faster, pressing firmly on the gas pedal. So close to just flooring it.

Everything just has to keep screwing us over.

"Bill called," I sigh deeply, "People are looking for you." There's no other way I could have said it, people are coming after Juliette now for her ties to her dirty father.

After the truth of his business came out, all of the lies and scams, one-sided deals, people need someone to blame for it all now that Lucian—the man who actually committed these frauds—is dead.

So who do they come to? His daughter.

A breath escapes her mouth, "What? Tom, what do you mean? That's what Bill said?" She sits up in her seat, looking at me now for only one thing.

Answers.

I sigh deeply, I wish I didn't have to tell her this way, "People are coming after you now, because of your father. The people that he screwed over are coming after you now for redemption because of his schemes." I can hardly even speak.

This actually cannot be fucking happening right now. Can't we ever catch a break?

She doesn't say anything, she's silent. Almost as if she knew this was coming, like she had been expecting this.

"Juliette? Did you hear me?"

"Y-yes I heard you Tom." She says, "What do we do?" I look at her and I can already tell she's nervous.

She doesn't deserve any of this.

"We need to speak with the others first, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm not leaving your side. Nothing is going to happen to you baby, I'm gonna be right here." I reassure her.

Nothing is going to touch her.

She nods, but worry is all over her face. She's scared. And she's angry.

Everything that happens to her is always the fault of her father. Absolutely everything, he destroyed her life and he's still doing it from the fucking grave.

The worst part is that he had fun doing that; wrecking and toying with Juliette's life like it was nothing.

"Tom?" She breaks the heavy silence.

I look at her, "Yes, Juliette?"

"Promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Don't tell anyone what happened back at the apartment. They don't need to be stressing about me any more than they already are." Her voice was quiet yet still steady.

Oh, Juliette. I already know what she's thinking. She thinks she's some kind of burden on us, like she's constantly causing problems.

But she's not.

She's not any of that, at all.

I just wish she knew that. I wish she understood that no matter what happens, none of this is her fault.

"Yeah, I promise. I won't say a word as long as you don't want me to."

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It didn't take long for us to arrive back at the house to meet the others, as soon as we walked in from the garage, "Tom?!" Bill called out.

I felt Juliette's hand wrap into mine, I looked at her, "I'm gonna go upstairs..... for a moment." She says like she's asking for my permission or something.