Page 23 of Under Rusted Stars

“How do we move forward then?” he asks, looking at me with unshed tears in his eyes. “How do we move forward without me falling for you, because I will? I will fucking fall for you, and I won’t want to stop myself. I’ll wait forever for you because you are fucking worth it, Olivia.”

“I watched you,” I say. “Last night… I watched you. I listened to you moan my name, and you know what?”

“What?” he asks.

“I’ve never wanted anything more than I wanted you,” I tell him. “I was fucking jealous of that toy, because that’s what I want. I want to be the one making you feel good. I want to be the one you use because we both want it, not because someone wants to hurt me. Bodhi, I want you. I feel things physically before I do emotionally. I am undoing years of pain, and I’m trying to learn how to function again. If you fall, then do it. Fucking swan dive, if that’s what you want, but I need patience. I need you to understand that there are broken parts of me that will never be able to be repaired, and you have to be willing to learn to navigate those things with me.”

“Like I said, Liv. I’ll wait forever. It’s just who I am,” he says, stepping closer.

“I thought you said you would fall for me, Bodhi, not that you have,” I say with a sweet smile.

“Consider me fallen,” he says, gently taking my face between his hands. He pauses, but I lean into him and press my lips to his. Just like that, we melt. He deepens our kiss, and we get lost in this moment.

We jump apart when we hear someone clear their throat, but find that it’s only Dan and Jeramy. “Well, that’s not what I expected,” Dan chuckles. “You okay, Olivia?”

“Yeah,” I say. “I’m sorry if I scared anyone.”

“It’s alright,” he says with a smile.

“Can I tell you something off the record, Olivia?” Jeramy asks me, and I frown at him. “Jason is telling the judge that you were the ringleader of this operation. He’s got numerous people backing him up. None can be used as a credible witness, so that is the only reason you haven’t been arrested.”

“What?” I ask. “No… No, he can’t do that.”

“He did, and he has been since you disappeared,” Jeramy says simply. “So give me one good reason why I shouldn’t arrest you, because from his side, the marks on your body are self-harm, and him trying to kill you was an attempt at ending the violence once and for all.”

“I didn’t do anything,” I say tearfully. “He fucking tortured me…”

“Is there anyone credible who can testify on your behalf?” he asks.

“For what? That I don’t run a fucking trafficking ring?” I ask. “That he is the one who put all these scars on me? My character? What do you want from me?”

“Anything,” he says. “Client names, locations of parties, where money is kept. Anything that can help us find who he works for.”

“That makes me a target,” I say. “If it doesn’t work, I go to jail… If it does, Miguel fucking kills me.”

“What do you care more about, Olivia?” he asks. “Your safety or your pride?”

“Fine,” I say. “But I’ll only give the information to the judge.”

“Why?” he asks.

“Because I don’t trust you,” I tell him honestly. “Jason has too many connections to not be cautious.”

“Alright, but you must keep in constant communication with me. You may not up and disappear or leave the state. When you go to court, everything must be presented in front of the defendant and the prosecution before questioning begins. This will allow both sides to see what you have to say before they talk to you.”

“Yes, sir,” I say.

“Go on,” he says. “I’ll follow y’all back to town.”

I am silent as Bodhi takes me to his truck and sets me into the passenger seat. Once we are back on the road, I relax, but I’m still fidgeting.

“How much do you know?” he asks after a while.

“Everything,” I say quietly. “I know everything.”

Chapter Ten

Bodhi