Page 41 of Beautiful Prey

“Master code? You won’t need to take off the lock?” I asked, surprised.

“Nope. Just use the master code that comes with the safe number.”

Now, I was nervous if there would be anything in there at all.

I readied myself to leave and get to the warehouse by late afternoon. As I was walking out the door, Jamie called me.

“Lena is in the hospital,” he said.

I placed my hand on the door. “Why?” I said in a breath. “Was it…”

“No, not an overdose again. Thank fuck,” he said. “But she got in a bad accident. You should get here.” He gave me the address to the hospital.

Twenty minutes later, I was racing down the hall to her room. Some of her family was there and a few friends including Jamie. Across the hall I saw a sitting room where many of them sat. Liam was present too, but I hardly glanced at him.

I saw Lena lying there. She was on the bed, talking, but her legs were in braces and her feet wrapped.

“Eve…holy shit,” she said in a slow drawl, drugs clearly affecting her. Her arm went up slowly as if to reach for me. Jamie was on her other side along with Ben, talking quietly.

I went to her side and took her hand. “What the hell happened?”

“She was hit by a car,” Jamie answered when it took Lena too long to do so. “She was out drinking at the Tangerine Bar and was walking across the street. Some shithead in a corvette.”

My throat tightened. “Hit and run?”

“Nah, they caught them. Drunk driving,” Ben replied.

I squeezed Lena’s hand. “I’m so sorry.” I whispered.

She smiled and squeezed my hand back. “That’s what…I get for…going out to… that shit bar.”

“She needs surgery on her knee. They are trying to get her in as soon as possible,” Jamie said.

I sighed. “I’m just glad you're okay.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” she said, blinking at me sleepily.

“I’ll stay as long as you need me.”

CHAPTER TEN

I didn’t get back to my hotel room until late Sunday. The surgery went alright, and I stuck around, hanging out with Jamie.

If I was disappointed about the warehouse, I didn’t show it. I knew I would get back there in time. Now, I was too exhausted and needed to get back into therapy mode, reminding myself I needed to be ready for Emery’s next session. I hadn’t slept well again, the dreams only growing more weird and wild.

That next morning, I woke up late. I went out to a small library in town to do some work on my paper before returning to the hotel to dress in my usual blouse and skirt for my session. As the sun slipped away, I took the road to St. Agnes as usual, thinking more on what I could do for Emery. How I could help him before it was too late. It was only when I parked and made my way up the steps did I realize I hadn’t thought once about the confession I’d planned out since deciding to try and help him. I wondered whether I would now as I swung open the door, and the thought flew away and disappeared into nothing as I halted in the front lobby, my stomach dropping.

“Eve?”

The man before me looked at me, stunned. Black eyes that reminded me of a shark’s. His sandy-brown hair was shorterthan I remember it being back in high school. He grinned as he walked toward me and I could hardly move.

“Ethan,” I nearly choked. “What are you doing here?”

He laughed, raising his arms so I could see he was clearly wearing a security uniform. “I work here. But I had to switch shifts. I usually work the weekends and early mornings. Wow, it’s been years though, how are you?”

I didn’t know what to say. Ethan Asher was one of the infamous jocks. A star on the famed hockey team for my old school. But also a huge troublemaker who got himself nearly kicked out twice. He also had a thing for bullying me and my small group of friends. Even in a private school with mostly everyone having well-to-do families, the top brass still had to pick on someone.

“I’m fine. I work here too,” I said, trying to look around him for John.

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