Page 94 of Audiophile

“Reed?” Amanda asks. “Oh, crap, this is awful. And the girls’ tablets are gone. I gotta call Ethan. Thank God we all have our wallets.”

I nod. “You should call your insurance company. Damn it, myphone. I can’t call anyone. I don’t even know Petra’s number.”

Amanda purses her lips, already calling Ethan. “Is it backed up to the cloud? They’ll download it all and put it on your new phone.”

“What a nightmare.” I’m already resigning myself to five hours at the store to replace my phone. When they say it’s less than two hours, they’re lying. Amanda’s right, though, and I can get most of that information back. On top of that, my laptop is still in my hotel room, safe and sound.

My rental car is a complete afterthought, but the windows on it are smashed, too. “We’re going to need copies of the police report,” I mention to Amanda, who is quickly breaking into tears while on the phone with Ethan. “This is not how I envisioned my afternoon going.”

An officer joins us to take photos and add our information to their report. “Any luck finding the stolen items?” Amanda asks. “I can track the girls’ tablets.”

“Definitely try it,” the officer says, “but all the electronics from the other vehicles have been wiped. They moved fast.”

It’s disheartening, for sure. I could try to ping it from my laptop, but the chances are, it’s gone.Thank God for the cloud.It’s a long time before all the police forms are filled out and insurance is called. Ethan takes everyone back to Amanda’s house, except me. I drive the forty minutes to exchange my rental car and buy a new phone—which does, in fact, take forever.

When I get back in the car, it’s dark out. I’m both exhausted and immensely relieved to have my phone back in my hands. I send a quick text to update Mom and Amanda and then call the person I want to talk to most. She doesn’t answer, but when I try her again, she picks up.

“Hey, Pet, how was your day? Better than mine, I hope… Pet?”

But what she says makes my whole world blur out of focus and drop out from underneath me.

“What?” I ask, stunned. My stomach goes into freefall, and bile rises in my throat.

Chapter thirty-six

Petra

I’m exhausted after coveringNancy’s ungodly opening shift, and my bed is calling my name, but the world of Galin is, too. I’ve spent the last month meticulously editing and rewriting my first two books. It’s a completely different process from writing a first draft, and I find myself sorely missing that last year of schooling. Maybe Papa was right, and I should go back to finish my degree.

I sleepily research how long my college credits are good for and if they’re transferable to Lewis and Clark or Portland State University, when my email pings.

Oh. My. God.Three weeks. It’s only been three weeks of sending out letters to agents and I already have my first request to view my manuscript. Sometimes it takes months,yearsfor an answer. It’s a million times faster than I expected, and for the first time, I wish I’d done this sooner.

There’s one person I want to share this with, but Reed doesn’t even know I started looking for agents. I wanted to tell him in person, but I can’t wait four more days. My heart races as it rings, and all my words pour out as soon as he picks up.

“Hi. I miss you, I woke up missing you, but I need to tell you something before we get distracted and off topic.” I plow on before he can even say hello. “When you left, I needed to—”

“Sorry, who is this?” a voice that’s not Reed’s asks. I blink, confused, as I obviously hit the wrong name. But my screen shows Reed’s, bright and clear.

“Uh, is Reed there?”

There’s a pause before the woman answers. “How do you know my husband?”

“No, sorry. Reed Alexander.”

“And I’m asking what the hell you’re doing calling him,” she answers, tone frosty.

The ice of it sinks into my clothes, my skin, my bones. My smile drops right off my face, and I go numb. “No. What? No.” My brain overloads with information that doesn’t compute. “He just bought a house to be close to me.”

“That asshole,” she swears. “Portland is because of you? Look, we’re getting back together and this thing between you is over.I’m not going anywhere.”

It’s sonotReed. It doesn’t matter how long I’ve known him. Nothing about him screams cheating asshole, especially not with his history. He’s too sensitive to be a liar. Too tender to have made up his wounds. And I stupidly love him enough that I’m not easily swayed.

“Kinley?” It’s a shot in the dark, but she’s the only one I can imagine overstepping this many boundaries. Brazenly lying to get her way.

There’s a sharp inhale before she speaks, triumphant. “He talks about me? I knew it.”

My stomach sinks. I could lie, and worsen the situation, or feed her delusions. She’s completely unstable. She drugged him, tattooed him. Is there a line she wouldn’t cross? Panic climbs up my throat like I’ve swallowed a hive of bees. “Where is he, Kinley? Is he hurt?”

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