Page 145 of Finding Our Reality

I question my own memory. Has it been trapped in my brain this whole time? Did I see Kristie at my brother’s parties? Did I know her before I actually met her? I wade through my memories, trying not to drown in the sewage of my past.

I can’t produce one single memory of Kristie.

Somehow, that doesn’t make me feel any better.

When she doesn’t answer, I press on, raising my voice. “Who was the supplier, Kristie?”

She sniffles, shaking her head. Her eyes are lazy and droopy again. I pray she doesn’t pass out. “I didn’t know she was pregnant, not until you and Ella started investigating everythingagain. I promise. He told me to never ask any questions, so I didn’t. But it would’ve been different if I had known she was pregnant. I swear, it would’ve been different.”

A sense of doom travels through my body, pinning me to the couch. I’m afraid. Fucking terrified. I’m afraid to breathe. I’m afraid to even blink. I feel like one wrong move could cause my whole world to come crashing down around me. “Who was the fucking supplier?!”

Her whisper rips terror through my heart. “My father.”

***

I know that I’ve never really deserved this happiness. Lulu coming back into my life? It’s more than I deserve. I left her. I forced her into the arms of another man. I abandoned Reality.

I built a life for her. A house for her. I always said that I would reach back out to her, at some point. But is that the truth? If she hadn’t walked into the station that day, would I have searched for her? Or would I have just lived my miserable life, screwing faceless woman after faceless woman, trying to claim some portion of intimacy, all the while feeding my soul on the memories of my love for her?

I know I don’t deserve this happiness, but the thought of having it ripped away from me now? It crushes me to dust.

I can’t live withoutMy Lulu.

I refuse to.

I pull out my phone for the hundredth time, trying her cell number again. Just as with the other hundred times, it goes unanswered. I called the venue and they said that everyone had left. So that means she’s with him.

Phillip. The supplier. The rapist.

The man who murdered Carrie.

At least that’s what I assume. I didn’t stick around to find out. I ran from the house the second Kristie muttered the word‘father’.I’ve already called a patrol unit to Lulu’s house to take Kristie into custody, and I’ve called Marcum for backup. He’s on his way and was calling Leary, Colson, and Wilson for additional support.

He told me to wait. He told me to be rational.

When it comes to My Lulu, I’m anything but rational.

Kristie’s vehicle is parked in the back of the driveway when I pull up. Fortunately, Lulu and I took my truck tonight instead of her SUV, and I always have an off-duty weapon in my vehicle. It’s secured in a lock box, tucked away in a hidden console behind my back seat. It’s also where I store my extra vest when I’m not on duty. I try to keep a weapon on my person when I’m off-duty, but who the hell thought I would need a weapon at a gala for doctors. Grabbing my vest from the back of the truck, I quickly slide it over my head and activate the camera. I’m going in by myself, so I have to do this right.

Well, somewhat right. Going in alone breaks all normal protocol.

Drawing my weapon, I look through the driver-side window of Kristie’s car. I see Lulu’s handbag and phone on the console. Nothing seems out of the ordinary in the way of a struggle. I don’t know why she would’ve gone into his house, though. Lulu can’t stand Phillip. I can’t imagine her even going inside to use his restroom. She would’ve rather peed in the street.

The garage is open and Phillip’s collection of expensive sports cars glisten underneath the fluorescent lights. Nothing seems to be amiss, so I quickly head for the door leading into his house. Carefully twisting the knob, I hold my breath, praying the door is unlocked and that it doesn’t squeak.

The door opens into a small hallway. I stand and listen, trying to gauge what’s happening in the house. It’s hard to hear past the beating heart echoing in my ears. I begin to quickly sweep through the house, clearing a laundry room, pantry, andstorage room. It’s then I hear things I shouldn’t be hearing. Things I wish I weren’t hearing. Loud voices, screams, grunts, a scuffle. I take off in a sprint, passing a huge kitchen, before entering the living room.

And what I see scares the shit out of me.

I’m trained for this. I’ve been through just about every scenario possible. Between the Marines and the sheriff’s department, I’ve seen a lot of bad things. Things that haunt you, things that give you nightmares. Hell, I nearly had my arm blown off.

Still, I’ve never been more terrified than I am right now.

Lulu is sprawled on the floor, trying to scramble away from the maniac grabbing at her ankles and legs, trying to pull her underneath his body. Her eyes are drawn wide in fear. Her beautiful honey and caramel-colored hair is a tangled mess. Her neck is red and spotted with trapped blood, looming just under the surface of her bronzed skin. Did he cover her in hickeys? A coffee table has been turned over and shards of glass litter the shiny floor.

Phillip’s face contorts in anger. His face is covered in scratches. One is bleeding. The crisp white collar of his suit is marred with crimson. “Why couldn’t you just move on?” he screams.

“Because she’s my sister!” Lulu’s shrill scream shatters my fear.

---