Page 5 of Unbroken

Pressure built inside of me, and I had to get it over with. I turned to Luke. “Could I talk to you?”

Beside me, Amanda said something, but I didn’t hear her. It was like everything else around me was happening in another dimension. Like they were all background noise, and I couldn’t quite understand them through the thick fog that had surrounded my brain.

“What’s up?” Luke asked, and that urge to scream came back.

“I want to talk in private,” I said.

He huffed and hung his head. I was sure he had an idea of what I wanted to discuss. I’d already told him in so many words that Valerie was dangerous, but he didn’t know the full extent.

“You have five minutes.”

THREE

Blakely

With his agreement,I turned on my heels, walked down the hallway, and into his room. It was the farthest room away from everyone else. And what I was about to tell him, if everyone knew, I could only imagine the chaos it would cause.

I stopped in front of his window and wrapped my arms around myself. Only a few feet away was Hazel’s house, or her old house. And from Luke’s bedroom window, you could see directly into hers.

I wasn’t sure what had happened between Hazel and her now-ex-fiancé, but from the impression Luke gave us, it wasn’t good. And she was better off without him.

Lost in thoughts of the sweet woman I barely knew yet whose life I was bound to ruin, I didn’t hear Luke walk in or the door close. I felt him walk up beside me and was startled at his closeness.

“What’s going on, Blake?”

I didn’t turn to look at him as I braced myself and contemplated what to say. I should have done more preparation, maybemade a script or practiced the conversation. But there was no right way to tell him what I had to.

“You’re endangering Hazel by being with her.”

He scoffed, turning away and shaking his head. The frustration rolling off him was enough to fill all the empty spaces in the room. It was likely the wrong way to start, but it was the main point I’d wanted to make.

“Seriously? You still haven’t let this go?”

“No.” I turned and faced him straight on, dropping my arms and balling my hands into fists. I’d tried to talk to him not too long ago, but he hadn’t listened. He’d blown me off immediately and without a second thought. “Of course I haven’t let it go. Valerie is still out there, and you know as well as I do that she’s going to come back.”

“I talked to Hazel. We are prepared to deal with Valerie. I’ve already gotten the cops involved, but neither of us are going to hide because my vindictive ex thinks she still has some claim on me.”

“Luke, please think about?—”

“Think about what?” he yelled, and I reeled at the volume of his voice. Luke and I butted heads often, but he usually didn’t yell. He noted my wide eyes and startled reaction, so he quickly backpedaled. “I’m sorry. But this is insane, Blake. Why are you continuing to question this? I mean, after thethingwith us”—he motioned between us—“she gave up eventually. She’ll get bored.”

He turned around and paced to the other side of the room, hands gripping his black hair in frustration.

“You don’t really believe that,” I argued.

“If she doesn’t, we will find her.”

Done with arguing when I knew it wouldn’t get us anyway, I finally told the truth. “It didn’t happen the way I said it did.”

He turned back around, and some of the fight had vanished from his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Valerie,” I said, my voice shaking a little just saying hername. “Didn’t stop at texts and veiled threats. She…she…” I brushed a shaking hand over my mouth. “She broke into my apartment.”

“Blake, what?—”

I raised a hand and shook my head. “If you don’t let me finish, I’m never going to get it out.”

Luke leaned back against the edge of his bed and stayed quiet. His dark eyes softened, but the change didn’t do much to settle my nerves.

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