Page 7 of Traitor

Without knowing who Monica had upset, it was hard to say. So, I settled for a version of the truth. “Mike and I broke up,” my words broke off in a strangled sob.

Elizabeth pulled me into her arms. “Oh, Lauren, no. What happened—was it because of—”

I cut her off with a quick shake of my head. “No. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

She pursed her lips. “Did he cheat on you?”

I wish it was as easy as infidelity; maybe then we would’ve had a chance of working through it. It was strange; when we became serious, that had been my biggest fear. Never in a million years would I have guessed that he would’ve had a hand in ending my mother’s life.

My own hand tightened into a fist as I replied, “No—look, I can’t cry anymore today. I’m at my max. Can we talk about something else? How are you?”

Elizabeth leaned back against the door with a small sigh. “I’m…I’m here. Kaden’s getting stronger every day, but I ache to have him home. I don’t like leaving him there at night with the nurses. He needs his mom.” She swiped a finger under each eye.

“But, how are you—you know, since…” I pressed.

“Physically, I’m back to normal. I keep having nightmares though. It’s like I get a reprieve during the day because I keep busy. At night,” she paused. “At night, I can’t escape it.”

I took her hand in mine. “What if we kept each other busy? God knows I’m barely keeping my head above water here.”

Elizabeth took in my dishevelment, along with the monstrosity formerly known as my desk. “I can see that. Man, did he do a number on you. I’m half-tempted to drive down to the station and give him a piece of my mind. But, I won’t…unless that’s something you want me to do.”

I smiled weakly. “If you really want to help me, you can find a pink Post-It with an order written on it and get it overnighted so that I don’t lose my job.”

She squeezed my hand. “Done. And you can go up to the hospital with me at lunch. David’s stuck on a job site and won’t be able to break away until later. It’d be nice to have some company.”

“Done.”

Releasing my hand, Elizabeth began sorting through the papers on my desk. “He’s an idiot. You know that, right? Letting you go—it makes no sense. He was crazy about you.”

I kept my head down and made a non-committal sound as I searched for the elusive Post-It. Feelings had nothing to do with it; actions spoke louder than any words.

And his actions had shown just how little I’d meant to him. When it had gone south for him, I’d put aside my personal feelings and supported him, yet he hadn’t been willing to do the same for me.

Hadn’t that said it all?

My brain had come to terms with it, but my heart?

The jury was still out on that one.

“Have a good night,” I called to Dara as I walked out. We’d stayed late on the phone with our dental supply company, ensuring that her order was going to be delivered first thing in the morning.

I pulled the keys from my purse, but paused when I looked up. There he was. Again.

He’d been waiting outside for the last month; standing near his motorcycle in the corner of the parking lot.

Just watching.

It scared me at first, but he’d never followed me out of the parking lot. I’d come to assume that he was one of Torch’s brothers...or whatever it was they called each other. I was tempted to approach him and ask just what the hell he was doing, but my courage failed me every single time I tried to take a step in his direction.

The man crossed his arms over his chest and continued to stare me down as I threw my purse into the passenger seat. Maybe it was because my entire day had been a nightmare, but I found myself slamming the driver side door and marching over.

He never changed his stance, but a grin slowly spread across his face as I got within a couple of feet.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” I spat out before my brain could consider the consequences.

He clicked his tongue across his teeth. “Aren’t you feisty. Reminds me of someone else. Oh, that’s right…your mom.”

I sucked in a quick breath as the grief washed over me. I’d meant for my voice to come out strong, but only managed to whisper, “Why are you here?”

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