Page 92 of Don't Let Go

“Are you crazy?” Tyler put his ear to the door. “No one is out there. I’ll go to the bathroom first, and it won’t seem so strange. Okay?”

I guess it was a berserk idea to make him crawl through the window again, especially after blowing his mind with my family’s dirty secret.

“Fine,” I finally said, sitting on my bed. “Be quick.”

He opened the door a crack and peeked out. “Coast is clear,” he whispered before leaving and closing the door softly behind him.

I laid back across my bed.

Tyler was just in my bed with me. I slept like a baby curled up next to him. He knew my family was a part of the mafia. He knew too much about me.

I felt too many conflicting emotions about him and wanted to hide from the horrified look on his face when he learned thetruth. Another part of me wanted to punch him for making me feel like I could trust him with anything. And my damn heart wanted me to grab him by the collar of his shirt and kiss his stupid lips.

After taking a few moments to collect myself, I stood and got ready for school. My gut twisted, and it was hard to breathe. I felt like the other shoe was about to drop.

I had no idea how fast my life could go from bad to worse, but I was about to find out.

My phone rang as soon as I stepped out of my last class for the day. I didn’t recognize the number, but I accepted the call anyway.

“Hello?”

“Am I speaking with a Miss Aurora Giordano?” the male voice on the other end of the phone asked.

I looked around. No one seemed to be acting out of the ordinary. My fellow classmates pushed past me, rushing to their lockers or out the doors so they could begin their weekend.

“Yes, I’m Aurora,” I said, leaning one shoulder on the wall next to my classroom.

“I’m Detective McMann. We met briefly at your house after—”

“Yes. I remember.” I vaguely remembered, but that didn’t matter. “Do you have news about Lizzy’s case?” I bit my bottom lip too hard in anticipation, and blood coated my mouth.

“I do. We have recovered a security video, and I’d like you to come down to the station as soon as possible to review it.”

I pushed off the wall and made a beeline for my car in the student parking lot. “I just got out of my last class and can drive to the station now.”

“Okay, great. See you soon.”

The call ended, and I shoved my phone into my back pocket. I pushed the metal door open and almost ran into Tyler as I raced toward my car.

“What’s the emergency?” he asked, tucking a loose piece of hair behind my ear.

“The detective on Lizzy’s case called. He has new info. I gotta go,” I replied, shouldering past him.

Tyler jogged to catch up to me. “Do you need some company?”

I unlocked the car with my key fob. “Thanks, but no thanks. I can handle this on my own.”

A look of disappointment flashed through his eyes as he took my hand. “You can call me. I’ll come running.”

I swallowed, still tasting blood. “I’ll remember that. See you at home.”

Butterflies attacked my insides. I wasn’t sure what I was about to walk into.

Did I want to know the reason why I lost Lizzy? Could I handle who pulled the trigger? It didn’t matter. I’d never rest without answers. God willing, I’d be tough enough to handle whatever the detective threw at me.

I said a silent prayer before entering the police station. A thin male officer sat at the front desk. He was on the phone and held up a finger, telling me to wait to be helped. I sighed and looked around. I vaguely recalled what Detective McMann looked like,but I didn’t recognize anyone walking around in uniform. The police visit after losing Lizzy was all a blur.

The officer at the desk hung up and looked at me. “Can I help you, miss?” he asked, clicking the pen in his hand over and over with his thumb.

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