Page 47 of Divine Obsession

MY EYES FOUND THE PICTURE from two years ago as I opened my pink Coach wallet to pay for my matcha. My arms around her; Maria smiling so wide, so…Full of life.

“Thank you,” I smiled at the barista, placing a ten-dollar bill in the tip jar, ignoring the burn in my eyes.

Stepping out of the café and onto Central Park North at 110th Street, I breathed in the fresh spring air. Flowers were starting to bloom again, and the sun pierced through the clouds more often.

I’d skipped a week of college.

Not great, but necessary.

I’d been a mess since my visit to the NYPD, and all I managed to do for the last week was cry, pray, eat and watch TV.

Dad and Ines didn’t judge me; they understood I was grieving even if I wasn’t ready to admit it was what I’d been doing. They even offered to hold a memorial service for Maria, but I… reacted badly, to say the least.

It was true. I was sad. But I wasn’t giving up.

I still spent my weekends putting up her missing flyers, knocking on doors and asking people to keep a lookout for her.I visited our favorite spots frequently, feeling like I was about to run into her at any moment.

Since the last NYPD update, I still managed to drag myself out of bed every day and search for Maria in South Beach, along with the whole of Staten Island.

But…Nothing.

The roar of an engine made me glance at the road.

A black sports car had slowed down, moving at the same pace I was walking. The passenger tinted window rolled down, and there he was, leaning over from the driver’s side, and looking straight at me.

Ferocity amid elegance.

“Get in.”

“Are you insane?” I hissed, my pink heels clicking faster as I made no effort to slow down.

“Get in,” Trevor insisted. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“No.” I was only a couple of minutes from campus. I didn’t need this.

“If you don’t get in, I’ll find that wimp you were with the other week and beat the shit out of him.”

I halted; so did the car.The guy from Communications? Seriously?

I slowly turned to him. “You wouldn’t.”

“Wanna find out?”

Just then, the sun came from behind me, when I switched my weight from one pink stiletto to another, a ray shining right on the Glock in his waistband and making it sparkle.

That didn’t scare me.

What did, was knowing he wouldn’t even need it to hurt someone.

He reached over and pushed open the door for me. I glanced in both directions of the 110th sidewalk; across the street. Carsdrove by on the street; people with their dogs walked past, heading into Central Park.

Defeated, I got in.

The moment Trevor pulled off the curb and the window rolled up, I regretted my decision the way I knew I would. The car was soundproofed from the outside world, making me uncomfortably aware of my breathing. I was sure he could even hear my fast heartbeat.

To occupy myself, I pulled my seatbelt on, my eyes landing on the logo of the wheel under Trevor’s hand; Ferrari.

The atmosphere was tense before we hit slight traffic.

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