I feel guilty the next day and Julia and I head down to her father’s house for another short visit. I was insistent that we keep this one as quick as possible, because I’m worried about what Evan might do.

Julia, of course, doesn’t seem worried at all.

“I wish you would let me bring some guys with us,” I say to her as we pull into the long drive.

“Nonsense,” she says. “He’s just trying to scare us.”

“He wrote ‘Liar’ in what looks like blood on your front door.”

She frowns at that. “You can’t know it’s blood.”

“I’m pretty sure it is. Animal probably, but still blood.”

“That’s something a crazy person does. My brother may be vindictive and cruel, but he’s not crazy.”

“He’s trying to scare you,” I say. “And it should be working. Plus, why did he write that word in particular?”

She shrugs as she pulls the car up front. “Who knows the inner workings of a mad man’s mind?”

I sigh, shaking my head, and she smiles at me. “I wish you took this more seriously,” I say. “What if he knows about this fake marriage?”

“He doesn’t,” she says simply. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”

I grumble as she climbs out of the car and heads inside. I glance back over my shoulder and spot the car that was following us. I nod at the driver and he nods back before turning around and circling the property.

After I calmed down Sydney and told her about my arrangement with her mother, I cleaned up the front walk, and then I made some calls. Despite what Julia wants, I decided to take matters into my own hands and hired a few guys to watch over us. Not all day and night, since I can’t afford that, but enough that I feel relatively secure. She doesn’t need to know about it, since I’m sure she wouldn’t be happy.

I follow Julia inside, hurrying to catch up. We march through the familiar empty halls and all their grandeur until I end up at the bedside of her father again.

He looks worse off than he did the first time I met him. His eyes seem less clear, a bit cloudier, though Julia says it’s because of his medication. It makes him tired around this time of day.

“Julia,” he says softly. “Nice of you to visit.”

“Hello, father.” She kisses his cheek.

“And Connor. The husband.” He smiles, a frail speck of a man. “The military man.” We shake hands and his grip is much weaker.

“Good to see you, sir.”

He smiles at me. “How are you acclimating to civilian life?”

I frown slightly but Julia nods at me, encouraging me to go on.

“Good, sir,” I say. “I did several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Did some things I can’t exactly talk about, but now I’m home. I like it here better.”

He laughs, a raspy cough of a thing. “Surely you miss the excitement.”

“Sometimes, sir,” I say. “But being married to your daughter is all the excitement I need or want these days.”

“Crap,” he mumbles. “Total crap. You, married to her? She’s never loved a day in her life.”

“That’s not true, father,” she says softly.

“True, what’s true? What’s it matter?” He looks at me, his eyes suddenly startlingly clear. “My son hates you. Hates the both of you. Why does Evan hate so much?”

I go to respond but his eyes slowly close. Julia looks at me and nods at the door. We walk back there slowly.

“No good,” she says.

“He seems worse.”

“Some days are like this, some are better. He doesn’t have much time left, either way.”

“We should visit more often.”

She looks slightly surprised. “Really?”

“Really,” I say. “He has this big house but it’s so empty. I mean, he’s in his last days. He should see his family.”

She smiles slightly. “You don’t know my father, Connor. If you did, you wouldn’t want to visit him.”

“Maybe,” I say. “But what’s it matter now? He’s a frail old man dying in a bed. Whatever he did, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

She watches me for a second, a curious look on her face. I don’t know why I’m sticking up for that man in there, but I just hate to see an old man dying alone. Even if he was a shitty father, he’s not an evil person. Just because we’re tricking him doesn’t mean we can’t show him a bit of kindness by seeing him as often as we can.

Julia smiles slightly and we stop in the foyer. She steps toward me, backing me into a corner. “Don’t get too close to my family,” she warns.

I raise an eyebrow. “What?”

“You heard me.” She speaks slowly and softly, forcing me to come closer to her. “I know the way you look at my daughter. Do you think I’m blind?”

I rear back, surprised, like she burned me. “What are you saying?”

“She’s nineteen. Twenty years younger than you. She could be your daughter, you know.”

I stare back at her and quickly get my shit together. “She’s not my daughter,” I say.

“Be careful,” Julia warns. “Don’t get too close. Don’t forget what you really are.”

“And what’s that?” I ask.

“A pretend husband and nothing more.” She turns and leaves the house, letting the door shut behind her.

I stand there for a second, taken aback and shaken slightly. I knew Julia had noticed the way I look at Sydney, but I didn’t know how she felt about it.

Now I do. She’s against it, unequivocal. There was serious menace in her eyes as she spoke to me just then, and although she doesn’t frighten me, the idea of her finding out about what I want with Sydney does.

She can’t do much to me, but she could send Sydney away. Or maybe she could do worse, I’m not sure, but I do know that I need to keep the fact that I told Sydney the truth away from her. I can’t let her get more suspicious and fuck all of this up.

And that’s for her sake as much as for my own. I want to keep Sydney around for my own selfish reasons, but I also need to stay around to keep them both safe. Julia isn’t prepared to handle her brother, won’t even take him seriously. I’m the only thing standing between them and serious danger, and Julia doesn’t even realize it.

I head back toward the car, getting some of my resolve back. Julia is already sitting in the passenger seat, waiting for me. I climb into the driver’s seat and smile at her like nothing happened before starting the engine and heading home.

The man I hired to follow us pulls in behind, keeping a close tail, helping to keep us safe.