Page 70 of Blood Sport

I lean back in my seat, my mind racing with so many questions and not enough answers.

Aunt Jas sits up straighter, her eyes brightening as if she has just remembered something. “Actually, there was one thing your mom told me about the mystery man.”

“What was it?”

“She said that when she met him, she instantly fell for his kind smile and how safe she felt with him.”

I smile, my heart warming at her words. I can picture my mom smiling from ear to ear while telling Aunt Jas about this man. But I don’t understand why she would keep this man a secret right up to her death, essentially taking his name to the grave with her. Learning who this guy is will feel like an impossible task if I attempt to look into him.

Where the fuck would I even start?

“I thought I knew my mom, but it seems there was so much about her I didn’t know.”

Aunt Jas must hear the sadness in my voice because she reaches across the table to hold my hand, squeezing gently. “Evie, don’t dwell on that fact. Your mom wanted to be the best version of herself for you and Miles and that’s what you got. What happened in her past before she had you both doesn’t matter anymore. Whoever that guy was is no longer important in the grand scheme of things, okay?”

I nod, although I can’t shake the feeling that he is important to the narrative. Was he the man standing over their bodies in my nightmares? I don’t know many details about his features, but it is a possibility, right? Unless my brain is just telling me what I want to hear so I can finally gain some closure.

“We need to let the investigators handle the case, okay?” Aunt Jas says, breaking through my thoughts. “They say they’re close to finding an answer as to what happened, so we just have to trust the process.” She lets go of my hand and stands, peering down at me through her long lashes. “Now, how about I whip you up something for lunch, hmm? I’m sure you’re hungry.”

I watch as she walks toward the refrigerator and looks inside for the ingredients to make sandwiches. As I watch the back of her head, all I can think about is the mystery man my mom dated and how, or if, he plays some type of role in what happened to her.

I have so many questions and not enough fucking answers.

24

Evie

I haven’t had one of my nightmares for a little while, and it’s starting to put me on edge not knowing when I’ll have the next one. There was a pattern being formed where I would have one every few days, so I knew when to expect it. But now, I haven’t had one in just over a week and it’s starting to make me nervous.

Is that it? Is that everything my subconscious has to show me? A man with piercing blue eyes standing over my parent’s bodies? Surely, there has to be more than that, but my mind isn’t allowing anything new to slip past the seals of the vault which has the memories hidden away.

It’s frustrating, to say the least. I feel closer than ever to learning more about what happened to my parents but my mind is stopping me from taking any more steps closer, leaving me confused and annoyed. I so badly want to know who did this to them so I can bring some justice down on their asses, but that result feels far out of my reach.

Who is the man my mom dated before Dad? And what other details about their deaths can’t I remember? The visit with Aunt Jas two days ago helped, but not enough.

The murders in Pullman now and the ones from the ‘70s are giving me motivation to figure this thing out. I wish I could say my parent’s murders are connected, but they weren’t vampires, so that wouldn’t make any sense. It’s just wishful thinking.

Unless… the copycat killer is taking inspiration from the serial killer in the ‘70s by using their exact MO to draw suspicion elsewhere. It’s certainly a plausible idea, but still doesn’t help answer the question of who killed my parents.

I sigh, flopping down onto my bed, my eyes trained on the ceiling. My mind has been a jumbled mess the past few weeks—always running and never slowing down. Between digging up information on my parents, school, my friends, and navigating whatever the hell is going on between me and Jaylen, I haven’t had a chance to sit down and just fucking breathe for a minute. It’s exhausting.

The vibration of my phone on my chest makes me groan. Who the hell is that now? I was looking forward to lying in my bed today and doing nothing since it’s a Friday night. Thankfully, I have no plans, so I can just lounge around in my pajamas and eat as much junk food as I want.

Jaylen: Can I see you tonight?

I read his message at least ten times before I type a response. I haven’t seen Jaylen since the game last weekend. I’m not sure what he’s been doing, but my heart skipped a little beat when I saw his name on my screen.

Evie: It depends.

Jaylen: On what?

Evie: What we’re doing.

I sit up and press my back into the mound of pillows behind me, waiting for his response. I know I just said I don’t want to do anything tonight besides eat junk food and rot away in bed, but the giddy and excited feeling in my chest is telling me to go out with Jaylen.

For the past few weeks, I have been trying to fight the attraction between us, not wanting to get involved with him for fear of getting hurt. But something tells me that he’s not going to hurt me. Maybe it’s the possessiveness or constantly referring to me as his girl, but I don’t think he’s out to hurt me. In fact, I think the opposite, and it has me jittery with excitement.

I never thought I’d see the day when Jaylen Black was chasing one girl, let alone that girl being me. He’s used to having all the girls in his life falling at his feet, not the other way around. I don’t want to get my hopes up or think too much about it. I’m just going to go with the flow and see where it takes me because I could be looking at this all wrong.

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