Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
“We still don’t know for sure.” Colt crouches in front of me, taking my hands and rubbing them briskly like he’s trying to rub life into me. “They could have gone somewhere. He could have set something up and taken her away to cover it up, you know? I wouldn’t put that past him. We still have to hope.”
It’s like I’ve never seen him before. Who is this person? Kind and helpful and sweet. “You don’t really believe that, do you?” I whisper. It’s the first thing I’ve said since we parted ways with the detectives, who promised they’d pay a visit as soon as they knew anything.
“I would believe just about anything right now because I would put nothing past him. I’m so sorry. You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to tell you everything all this time. I just couldn’t.”
I can’t even process that right now. Too much is going on, too many layers to pull back.
At the heart of it is the certainty I know I can’t make him understand. Deep inside, I know she’s gone. No way would he let her live, not after she found the truth. He must have decided it would be easier to kill both of them. After all, she had already called me. So he knew I was aware of what she’d found. No way was he going to be able to keep his secret much longer.
If only we had gotten there sooner. Then again, we could have been caught in the explosion if we had.
“I’m so tired,” I whisper. That doesn’t even begin to describe it. The total exhaustion, the weakness in my muscles. “I should go back to my place.”
“No, you should stay here. The police said they will come by as soon as they know more.”
“Is that the only reason you want me to stay?”
“No. I want you to stay because I want you here. I don’t want you to be alone, and I don’t want to either. Please stay. You can lie down in my bed.”
I nod. The truth is, I would rather stay here as well. He doesn’t say another word, helping me up, showing me to the bedroom. My clothes reek of smoke, and I pull them off and toss them in a heap on the floor before crawling into bed and curling up on my side. I hear Colt calling Nix again and leaving another message as I close my eyes, grateful sleep is already pulling me under. I can’t stand being awake anymore.
“You need to eat something.”
“I’m not hungry. I already told you.” I’ve already told him multiple times, but he is relentless. I curl up, burying my face in Colt’s fluffy pillow. It smells like him.
“This isn’t about being hungry. This is about you taking care of yourself. You have to put something in you.” Turning my head enough to see him, I catch Colt looking out the window, frowning. “It’s almost dark, and you haven’t left the room all day. You at least need to eat.”
“I said, I am not hungry. I don’t think I could eat a bite of anything.” I roll onto my other side, away from him, but that doesn’t spare me the sound of his heavy sigh. I can’t bring myself to care very much right now that I’m making life difficult for him. My mother is dead, and I’m too busy trying to make sense of everything to care either way about food. It seems so trivial when I know she’s out there somewhere in that wreck of what used to be a house, buried under all that tile and marble, granite and hardwood. All the luxuries she ever wanted. They’re now her tomb. I squeeze my eyes shut and tuck my chin against my chest, fighting back another wave of emotion that levels me flat no matter how I try.
She died knowing she let me down. We never even got the chance to work things out.
“It isn’t like I don’t know how you feel.” He sits on the bed, the mattress shifting under his weight. “I still can’t get ahold of Nix, either.”
I roll over, now sorry for glossing over what I know he’s going through. His back is to me, and I place a hand against it. “It could be a coincidence. I’m sure that’s what it is.”
I’m lying. It’s been twenty-four hours since the explosion—more than that, actually. Nix hasn’t so much as picked up his phone to send a quick text and let his brother know he’s okay. I can’t imagine why he would have been at the house, but anything is possible.
We both jump a little when the doorbell rings. Immediately, Colt hurries from the room, and I follow him with my heart in my throat. Who is it going to be? What will they have to tell us?