Page 88 of When I'm Gone

The walk home is peaceful enough, but the empty house waiting on me when I get there is most certainly not. I text Chase to tell him that I made it back and that the results should be available within the next couple days, but the message won’t send.

Huh. That’s weird. He must have bad signal at the hospital or something.

Oh well, he should get it when he heads back to his parent’s house.

I toss my backpack into the laundry room so I’ll remember to double check the clothes I packed this morning. It slides down in between the washer and dryer but that’s for future me to deal with.

I have bigger problems for the time being, mainly that I haven’t eaten real food today, and now that my stomach isn’t in my throat from nerves, I’m starving.

The worry for Chase never goes away. Out of control situations like this aren’t his strong suit which is why I’m gonna get Brady to help me get a flight out to Chicago as soon as possible. He’s my boyfriend. Now that this fucking test is over at last, all I want is to be there for him while he tries to navigate this. Show him the same kind of compassion he’s always shown me.

I hum off-key to myself while grabbing what I need for a grilled cheese and wonder how Margeaux is doing. Or Logan and the boys. Poor little Sage must be so confused. My heart aches for them and the baby that should have been.

Last I saw, they were thinking of the name Finley.

I can’t even think of it without my eyes burning. A knock sounds on the door, so I shut off the burner so I can answer it. Brady probably is coming over with an arm-load of junk food or something.

“I’ll give you credit for lasting thi—” My words dry up in my throat as I gaze into the brown eyes that have haunted my nightmares.

He smiles sinisterly. “Did you miss me, doll?”

I stutter and stammer, no coherent words or thoughts can form. All I feel is a tsunami of panic hitting me full force. “I think I’ve let you play with your friends long enough. It’s time to come home.”

My voice is small. “No.” He can’t be here. This can’t be happening. Surely, I’ve fallen and hit my head.

Aaron tsks, disappointed in me, just like he always is. “Don’t be silly, doll. Come home. Let’s not do this the hard way, I’ve missed you. Have you missed me?”

My head shakes. “No. We’re over. I live here now,” I say firmly.

Saliva floods my mouth like I’m about to be sick as he picks an invisible piece of lint from his immaculately pressed shirt. “Silly boy, I would have remembered if I let you leave. You’re mine, and I won’t be denied my possessions.”

That tone. Fuck. Like I’m so far beneath him, he is doing me a favor by even looking at me. “I’m not. I saw you get engaged. The boy in the park. You asked him to marry you so I left. You were cheating on me,” I insist.

He cocks his head to the side. “I don’t know what you think you saw, doll, but we both know your flare for the dramatics. It’s time to come home, Easton. Get in the car.”

I glance around him and see an all too familiar black car parked out front. My mouth dries up and my chest tightens, constricting my airway. “You… you… No.” I wheeze.

I’m so fucking stupid. How did I not see this? All those weird encounters and feelings of being watched I’ve been dismissing. I should have known it was him. There’s no one else that can get my hackles raised like that, and I ignored it all for ignorant bliss.

Aaron nods slowly, sinisterly, as he sees me connecting the dots. “That’s right. You think you can scurry off like a little rat and throw away all the hard work I’ve put into you? That I’d let you? You’re mine, Easton. I’m done watching you play house. You had your fun. Now get in the fucking car.” He punctuates each word in the last sentence with a step towards me and my fight-or-flight is going haywire.

How do I get away? What do I do? There’s only one option.

Run.

I’m not even halfway through the living room before he’s on me, grabbing me by the shoulders and shoving me into the wall hard enough to stun me. Instincts take over, trying to kick or hit my way out of his hold, but I’m far out-matched in size and strength. Aaron laughs, a sick sound that grates on my nerve endings.

Cold, hard metal presses against my temple, making me go as still as a statue. No. Surely, it’s not what I think it is.

Slowly, my gaze slides over his face. I don’t know how I ever thought he was handsome when now all I can see is evil. “I missed our games, doll. What do you say about a new one?” He only pauses for a moment before continuing. “Yes. I think a new game is just what we need. Gotta keep the spark alive, as they say.” He chuckles at his own joke as my heart falls through my feet.

When he pulls his arm back to show me the gun, I knew in my gut he had, my vision blurs dangerously.No, no, no. Don’t pass out. Don’t make it easy for him to take you to a second location.

I always fucking knew he’d get bored one day and level up to a violence I have no hope of defending myself from.

Aaron grabs me by the hair, yanking so that I have no choice but to look up at him. “Listen here, you little shit. If you think I won’t put a bullet through the skull of the manyou’ve been using to screw around on me, you’re dumber than even I thought. Do not play with me right now.”

I thought you wanted to play games,I think absently. As much as I’d like to believe he wouldn’t hurt Chase because of me, the sinking feeling in my gut says otherwise. There’s a challenge in his soulless eyes, almost like he wants me to give him the opportunity to enact his sick revenge.

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