Page 29 of Beautiful Prey

After I got to his place and we talked till morning, Jamie convinced me to attend her party.

“Come and just hang, get your mind off things,” he said.

It worked for a little while. Later, though, the dark thoughts drew in, like a shadowy figure reaching just at the corner of my eye, becoming more and more visible.

I couldn’t tell Jamie everything. Not yet. For his own safety. I told him why I went to the city, what I worried I might find. I told him I discovered some evidence of some disturbing work in the warehouse that might lead to foul play but didn’t go into detail.

“There’s a safe in the office but I can’t get into it yet,” I told him as we sat in his living area with nothing but a few candles lit.

“You think it will have records of what they were doing?” he asked.

“I think so. Emery plays into this. What they did…”

Jamie took my hand. “You don’t know anything yet. You don’t know for sure.”

The image of the classroom and the little bedrooms flashed in my head. In some way, I felt I did but still I needed more. “That’s why I need to get into that safe.”

“Do you think Wes hid the passcode for it somewhere?”

I shrugged, shifting the blanket on my shoulders. The steam from my tea curled in the air, hypnotizing me. “Maybe. Or it could be in the storage unit. I’ll have to look.”

“So, what about your sessions with Emery?”

I glanced at him. “Still on. I see him Monday actually. I…I wish I could tell him but…”

“If you mention it, he’ll suspect—”

“I know.”

“I get you were going to do that anyway.”

My revenge-fueled dream felt so meaningless now in comparison to what I had discovered. If Emery was to be believed, he and his sister were ruined by someone involved in my father’s company. Yes, even by someone close, though it was hard to believe.

I wish I could believe it was someone else, and maybe it was, maybe another employee had gotten access to the warehouse. It didn’t have to be my father or uncle, or brother…

But then why else would Emery have a cause to go after them?

“Maybe because he found out it was their company?” Jamie theorized when I asked the question aloud. “It could be possible,Eve, it could have been some shithead manager going behind your dad’s back to perform fucked-up tests.”

I wanted to believe that.

Regardless, I couldn’t escape my thoughts. Couldn’t escape…him. My eyes drew over the courtyard, to the groups of people. Lena was popular at school even though she considered me and Jamie her close friends. I felt bad not keeping in touch.

“Hey, Eveeee.”

Lena grinned at me, her gem-black eyes shining with happiness as she put her arms around me. “Damn, you're smart to get out of there. I needed some air. Marcus smoked out the place… that idiot.” She flipped one of her dark green locks out of her face, making me catch the moth tattoo on her hand. She had a few on her other arm as well, beautiful ink on her warm brown skin. “You okay?”

I smiled. “Yeah, just getting air like you said.”

She came to lean on the rail beside me. “He didn’t make you come here, did he?”

“Who?”

“Jamie.”

I turned to face her. “No, I really wanted to come. I’m sorry I’ve been distant.”

Lena waved my comment off. “Nah, I get it, I really do. For once, I wish I could sit in a quiet place alone and just think for myself for once. But then once I get to thinking too much, I start freaking out or something. It’s weird. Being around people helps. Even dead ones. To each their own medicine.”

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