Page 72 of Since the Day We Kissed

“Where are you going?”

“After her.”

Whitaker reached for her arm. “Kara, wait—”

Kara pulled out of her father’s grasp, intent on meaning what she said, when a flash of movement caught her eye. The strange man was still there—standing unnaturally still by the front counter, dangerously close to—Charlotte ...

He wasn’t browsing, wasn’t leaving. He was just ... standing.

Their eyes met for the briefest moment, and the chill Kara had felt earlier now exploded into full-blown, paralyzing dread.

“Dad?” she whispered, but Whitaker didn’t respond.

Kara turned to him.

Whitaker had stopped in his tracks, his usual brisk confidence having vanished. His face pale, hands trembling at his sides, eyes wide and dead ahead with something she hadn’t seen in years—fear. This wasn’t the father she knew, who always had control.

Her heart hammered in her chest as the man shifted. One step closer to Charlotte. Then another.

“Charlotte ...” Kara’s voice came out as a strangled whisper, her legs rooted to the spot.

She could do nothing more but watch the man’s hand emerge from his jacket, and feel the weight of her heart drop as her daughter’s pleading eyes met the terror of her own.

26

Ethan

Thestreetlaystillas Ethan and Hero stepped from the truck and onto the curb in front of Walker’s Pharmacy. A faint buzz came from a nearby streetlamp, its flickering light sputtering like the last gasp of a dying star. As they reached the entrance, Ethan’s hand hovered over the door handle, but his feet stalled—right where he had last spoken to Whitaker.

The memory surged through his mind once more ...

Mr. Walker’s voice cracked as he grabbed Ethan by the front of his shirt and slammed him against the brick wall. His fist twisted in the fabric, pinning Ethan in place. “It’s your fault! You killed her! If you hadn’t been out with my daughter all night, none of this would’ve happened!”

“Killed who?” Ethan stammered, struggling to catch his breath. “What are you talking about?”

“Sarah,” he choked out, loosening his grip. “My wife ... she’s ... she’s gone. Forever.”

Ethan’s knees buckled. “What? No ... that can’t be. What happened?”

“Drunk driver. Last night. While we were out searching for you two ...” He paused. “And now Sarah’s gone ... because of your little overnight date.”

Ethan’s heart plummeted.

Sarah? Gone?

She had been like a second mother, always welcoming him, even when it felt like most of the world hadn’t. His voice cracked. “Where’s Kara?”

Whitaker’s face tightened. “After this? Kara doesn’t want to see you. She told me it’s over between you two.”

Ethan shook his head. “No ... no, she wouldn’t say that.”

“Oh, but she did.” Whitaker’s eyes narrowed. “And you don’t even know the half of it, do you, boy? That drunk driver who killed my wife? It was your stupid, lowlife father.”

Ethan felt the world tilt beneath him.

No, that can’t be right. He has his issues, but he wouldn’t have ... Would he?

“My dad’s at work. He’s still working.”

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