All I Need: Rod & Daisy (All Of Me Duet Book 2) by A.D. Justice (electric book reader txt) 📕

doesn’t advertise it. In fact, she rarely tells anyone what she does for a living. She won’t admit it, but I think it’s because her parents don’t approve.”

“They don’t approve of her being a successful lawyer?” His brows furrow. “How does that make sense?”

“They don’t approve of her prosecuting people. They see the flaws in the justice system every day, so they don’t support her being part of the organization that sends people to prison. That’s a long, sordid story that’s best left for another day. For now, let’s set up a good time for the PI to go with us and share what he dug up on my attacker so we only have to make one trip to Athens.”

We agree to meet at my favorite Mexican restaurant and leave my darkened house behind us. Once I’m in my car, I make a mental note to talk to Rod about keeping it for our foundation rather than selling it. Another place to live for those in need would come in handy.

“I just heard back from Justin, our PI. He wants to move on this as fast as possible. He asked if we could meet him at the police station tomorrow afternoon. He has a friend there who will be in his office and can take down all the information. Are you up for that?”

“Absolutely.” I’m unpacking the boxes I’ll need tonight and tomorrow for work and leaving the rest for the weekend. I’ve never been so ready for a Friday afternoon in my entire life. “If Louise can pick up Isa and Landen, we can leave a little earlier than usual. My class will be at a pep rally in the gym at the end of the day.”

“Perfect. I’ll pick you up and we’ll head to Athens to start the process. You know, you’ve avoided mentioning anything about this, so I’m forced to bring it up. I’ve made more than enough money to support you, Landen, the babies, and me. You don’t have to keep working if you’d rather not. I’m more than happy to have you home with me all the time.” Rod takes items out of the box and puts them away. “And I want you to feel comfortable in our home. If you want to change anything, you don’t have to ask. Just do it.”

“How about I start with Landen’s room and the nursery? Then we’ll go from there. God knows you have enough bedrooms in this mansion.” I grin at him while making room for my clothes in the enormous walk-in closet.

“We have enough bedrooms in our home. Get used to saying that.” He playfully smacks me on the ass before taking more items out of the box. “In fact, one is right next to the master suite. We could knock this wall down and make the whole thing one big closet.”

“Slow down. We have enough on our plate as it is. Let’s get through what we’ve already committed to finishing first.”

The next day comes all too soon, and Rod and I are on our way back to the scene of the crime. The drive is only slightly more than an hour, but today it feels as if it’s taking forever. I’m so ready to get this over and behind me for good. Justin is already meeting with the detective when we arrive, giving the information he’s found to help speed up the process.

“Have a seat.” The detective is an older man, in his late fifties by the looks of his gray hair and the lines on his face. His no-nonsense tone conveys he’s been there, done that, and doesn’t want to waste time with any of the niceties. Straight to the point and all business. “Tell me why you’re interested in pursuing charges when this assault happened basically eight years ago. Why now?”

“I’ve never known my attacker’s name, much less how to find him, until recently. He drugged and raped me when I was still in college. He deserves to pay for what he did. When my son is old enough to understand all that happened, he will see his mother did the right thing, regardless of the personal cost to her. I’m a survivor—not a victim.”

He nods his head and makes notes on his legal pad. “Your son. Is he a product of the rape?”

“Yes.”

Another stone-faced nod. “So, you’ve had no recent contact with the alleged perpetrator? Nothing happened recently that upset you, hurt you, made you mad at him? You didn’t try to reconnect on social media only to be spurned? No coming across photos of him and his new girlfriend, making you feel like the jilted party?”

“No, nothing like that. Like I said, I don’t even know his name to this day. Rod and Justin know, but I’ve purposely chosen not to know who he is. That was the worst day of my life, and all I want is to have justice served at last. Why are you asking me these questions? Do you think I’m here to file a false report against an old boyfriend or something?”

“Are you?”

“No.” My emphatic one-word statement borders on yelling.

“I have to make sure of your intentions before committing resource hours and presenting evidence to the judge to get warrants issued. Not that I don’t trust Justin, I’ve known him for years. But neither of us knows you. Now, please start from the beginning and tell me everything you remember. Walk me through that day and night, and don’t leave out any detail no matter how insignificant you think it is.”

Before I begin, the detective asks Rod to step out of the room. As a witness to the assault, he wants to hear Rod’s story separately. In other words, he wants to compare our recollections of that night for any discrepancies and pick apart anything that sounds too similar or too inconsistent. I’m grateful he’s taking this seriously, but this process makes me feel as if I’m the culprit.

With Rod waiting outside, I recount