Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 155405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 777(@200wpm)___ 622(@250wpm)___ 518(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 777(@200wpm)___ 622(@250wpm)___ 518(@300wpm)
“Yikes. That’s diabolical, Hannah.”
“And maybe that’s not why, maybe he only wants Anae out to torture me and he just thinks he can control the chaos and keep Aubrey safe, but he’s definitely siccing her on me. There’s no other reason for him to do these things.”
“But what’s his end game?”
“I don’t know. I feel like he wants to kill me himself, but maybe he knows Aubrey would never forgive him, so he’s trying to outsource the job? The feeling isn’t a conveniently shared google doc; I can’t read his mind, I just have this sense that he wants to kill me. And I have these horrific dreams.” She shakes her head, probably not wanting to think about them right before we go to sleep. “I don’t know, Parker. But I know there’s violence in him, and I don’t think we’ve seen the worst of it yet. I think he’s capable of truly catastrophic damage, and I really don’t feel like he’s done with me.”
“Well, if you seriously think he would kill you, that’s even more incentive to stay out of it. I’m serious, Hannah. Just let him be gone. Block him. Block her if you have to. Sever all contact and just move on with your life. Maybe then he’ll… back off.”
“I’ve thought about it, but… I’m afraid he could hurt her, too. Aubrey believes him when he says he’d never hurt her, but I don’t. I think he lies to her. She doesn’t believe he does, but I don’t trust him. You’ve never encountered him. You don’t understand how scary he can be, how remorseless he is. He isn’t a normal guy, Parker. He does not have the limits a typical person has.”
This all makes me feel sick. The idea of anyone hurting Hannah literally makes me nauseous. “There has to be something we can do. He has done so much illegal shit. Isn’t there something we can nail him for?”
Hannah shakes her head sadly. “Aubrey would have to testify against him, and she’d never do it.”
“Maybe I could talk to Hayden and get some ideas.” I frown. “Oh. Never mind. Hayden is Dare’s lawyer, he can’t help.”
“Anae could testify, but she wouldn’t do it, either. He inspires this weird, boundless loyalty in his lovers even though I don’t believe he has any to them. It’s wild, but he’s very persuasive. It’s like he substitutes their reality with his own doctored version of it. He made a comment once about how he makes people sick. I don’t know, maybe it was more than his ego talking. Maybe he does corrupt people, but that just makes me even more scared for Aubrey. I love her to death, but she doesn’t have a strong enough mind to keep him out without help. Even with my help, I couldn’t get her to turn on him. Maybe I could have if I could have gotten her away from him for a while, but any clarity I give her, he fogs right back up as soon as he sees her again, and now they live together. There’s no way I can get a good enough grip on her, and there’s no way anyone else will, either. He won’t let her have any other friends. He keeps her isolated so no one else can get close enough to see what I saw and try to help her.”
I shake my head. “He is so toxic. I know you care about Aubrey, but you have to stay out of it, Hannah. I love you, and if this bastard murders you, I’ll have to go all Veronica Mars on his ass. It will really disrupt my future plans.”
She cracks a little smile. “I’m so sorry to be such an inconvenience.”
I nod with playful solemnity. “I appreciate that.”
Hannah sighs. “I guess we should try to get some sleep.”
“I’m sure we’ll both have amazing dreams now,” I say sarcastically.
“Sorry,” she says sheepishly.
Chapter Thirteen
Parker
As soon as I step through the front door of the Atwater mansion, I can tell something is wrong.
My mind goes to all the worst places, but I tell myself Mom would have reached out to me if something truly catastrophic had happened.
I look for Mom and Hayden out by the pool and in all the communal areas, but I don’t find them. I’m hesitant to check their bedroom, but since the door is closed, I knock to see if anyone answers.
Hayden’s voice calls back, “Who is it?”
“It’s Parker,” I answer uncertainly.
A moment later, the door opens.
Mom’s eyes are puffy, confirming the bad vibes in the house.
My stomach sinks. “What’s wrong?”
Mom hugs me, her tone wobbly when she asks, “Why didn’t you come home last night?”
I’m confused because I texted her to tell her I was staying over at Hannah’s to help her clean up after the party. Since it would be late, I told her it made the most sense to just sleep there and come home in the morning.